Effects of clothing pressure caused by different types of brassieres on autonomic nervous system activity evaluated by heart rate variability power spectral analysis.

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of clothing skin pressures exerted by two different types of brassieres (a conventional higher skin-pressured brassiere and a newly devised low skin-pressured brassiere) on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. Six healthy young women (22.8 +/- 1.4 yrs.) with regular menstrual cycles participated in this study. The ANS activities were assessed by means of heart rate variability power spectral analysis. The skin pressures exerted by the brassieres were measured with an air-pack type contact surface pressure sensor at five different points. The total amount of clothing pressure, and the pressures at the center and the side regions of the brassieres were significantly greater in the high than in the low skin-pressured brassiere (Total 9816.1 +/- 269.0 vs. 6436.8 +/- 252.4 Pa, P < 0.01; Center 2212.1 +/- 336.3 vs. 353.8 +/- 85.8 Pa, P < 0.01; Side 2556.8 +/- 316.1 vs. 1747.2 +/- 199.2 Pa, P < 0.05). Concerning the ANS activity, the Total power, and the very low frequency (VLF) and the high frequency (HF) components were significantly decreased in the high skin-pressured brassiere than those in the low skin-pressured brassiere (Total 531.6 +/- 57.3 vs. 770.5 +/- 54.2 ms2, P < 0.01; VLF 60.7 +/- 14.6 vs. 179.2 +/- 38.1 ms2, P < 0.05; HF 209.5 +/- 33.2 vs. 283.2 +/- 61.5 ms2, P < 0.01). Our data indicate that the higher clothing pressures exerted by a conventional brassiere have a significant negative impact on the ANS activity, which is predominantly attributable to the significant decrease in the parasympathetic as well as the thermoregulatory sympathetic nerve activities. Since the ANS activity plays an important role in modulating the internal environment in the human body, excess clothing pressures caused by constricting types of foundation garments on the body would consequently undermine women's health.

[1]  K. Hyun,et al.  THE EFFECTS OF SKIN PRESSURE BY CLOTHING ON CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS OF CORE TEMPERATURE AND SALIVARY MELATONIN , 1999, Chronobiology international.

[2]  T. Moritani.  Comparison of sympatho-vagal function among diabetic patients, normal controls and endurance athletes by heart rate spectral analysis , 1993 .

[3]  A Malliani,et al.  Sympathovagal balance: a reappraisal. , 1998, Circulation.

[4]  M. Turiel,et al.  Power Spectral Analysis of Heart Rate and Arterial Pressure Variabilities as a Marker of Sympatho‐Vagal Interaction in Man and Conscious Dog , 1986, Circulation research.

[5]  N. Takasu,et al.  Effects of skin pressure by clothing on digestion and orocecal transit time of food. , 2000, Journal of physiological anthropology and applied human science.

[6]  H Ue,et al.  Autonomic responsiveness to acute cold exposure in obese and non-obese young women , 1999, International Journal of Obesity.

[7]  Effects of Skin Pressure by Swimsuit on Local Sweat Rate, Respiratory Frequency, Heart Rate and Clothing Feeling in Sedentary Women at an Ambient Temperature of 35°C , 1988 .

[8]  H. Tokura,et al.  Effects of skin pressure applied by cuffs on resting salivary secretion. , 2000, Journal of physiological anthropology and applied human science.

[9]  Catherine M. Stoney,et al.  Depressed Mood Is Related to High-Frequency Heart Rate Variability During Stressors , 2000, Psychosomatic medicine.

[10]  R. Cohen,et al.  Hemodynamic regulation: investigation by spectral analysis. , 1985, The American journal of physiology.

[11]  Compression of Body by Clothing , 1991 .

[12]  D. Eckberg.  Sympathovagal balance: a critical appraisal. , 1997, Circulation.

[13]  T. Moritani.  Sympatho-vagal activities of NIDDM patients during exercise as determined by heart rate spectral analysis , 1995 .

[14]  G. Breithardt,et al.  Heart rate variability: standards of measurement, physiological interpretation and clinical use. Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology. , 1996 .

[15]  T. Moritani,et al.  Effects of capsaicin-containing yellow curry sauce on sympathetic nervous system activity and diet-induced thermogenesis in lean and obese young women. , 2000, Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology.

[16]  M Kumashiro,et al.  Power Spectral Analysis of Heart Rate Variability in Healthy Young Women During the Normal Menstrual Cycle , 1995, Psychosomatic medicine.

[17]  T. Moritani,et al.  Comparison of thermogenic sympathetic response to food intake between obese and non-obese young women. , 2001, Obesity research.

[18]  K. Takagi.  Influence of skin pressure on temperature regulation , 1960 .

[19]  Physiological significance of clothing and human Health , 1989 .

[20]  T. Ogawa,et al.  Significance of skin pressure in body heat balance. , 1979, The Japanese journal of physiology.

[21]  Yoshio Nakamura,et al.  Heart rate variability, trait anxiety, and perceived stress among physically fit men and women. , 2000, International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology.

[22]  Y. Saeki,et al.  Reflex control of autonomic function induced by posture change during the menstrual cycle. , 1997, Journal of the autonomic nervous system.

[23]  R. Cohen,et al.  Power spectrum analysis of heart rate fluctuation: a quantitative probe of beat-to-beat cardiovascular control. , 1981, Science.

[24]  H. Tokura,et al.  Field studies on inhibitory influence of skin pressure exerted by a body compensatory brassiere on the amount of feces. , 2000, Journal of physiological anthropology and applied human science.

[25]  J. Hayano,et al.  Effect of relaxation training on cardiac parasympathetic tone. , 1994, Psychophysiology.