An investigation of the acute effects of dance on heart rate variability in people with Parkinson’s

Background: There is limited research investigating heart rate variability (HRV) in Parkinson’s during dance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dance on HRV in people with Parkinson’s (PwP). Methods: Ten PwP were recruited from a Parkinson’s dance class and completed six sessions; the first half was danced sitting down, while the latter half was standing up. Breathing rate, skin temperature and HRV data were collected and analysed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Analysing all six sections together showed skin temperature (p < 0.001), heart rate (HR; p = 0.029), short-term HRV (SD1; p = 0.025), normalised standard deviation of all the R-R intervals (nSDRR; p = 0.028), and breathing rate (BR; p = 0.001) were significantly different. Conclusions: Significant changes in HR, SD1, nSDRR, BR and skin temperature of PwP occurred during all sections, showing dance improved autonomic function. Further work examining the long-term effects of HRV in a community setting is needed to understand the potential benefits of dance for PwP.