Effect of Stress on Autonomic and Cardiovascular Systems in Military Population: A Systematic Review

Stress is regulated by the autonomous nervous system, increasing the sympathetic modulation when a threat is perceived. A multifactorial response usually leads to significant behavioural modifications and alterations on homeostasis and physical and psychological status. Moreover, stress is an emotio...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Bustamante Sánchez, Álvaro, Tornero Aguilera, José Francisco, Fernández Elías, Valentín Emilio, Hormeño Holgado, Alberto Joaquín, Dalamitros, Athanasios A., Clemente Suárez, Vicente Javier
Format: article
Publication Date:2020
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Europea (UEM)
Repository:ABACUS. Repositorio de Producción Científica
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:abacus.universidadeuropea.com:11268/9181
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11268/9181
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Aparato circulatorio
Estrés (Psicología)
Militares
Psicofisiología
Sistema cardiovascular
Estrés mental
Fuerzas armadas
Description
Summary:Stress is regulated by the autonomous nervous system, increasing the sympathetic modulation when a threat is perceived. A multifactorial response usually leads to significant behavioural modifications and alterations on homeostasis and physical and psychological status. Moreover, stress is an emotional response that can lead to psychosocial and psychophysiological adversity. Regarding military population, military operations and combat exposure are important stressors that influence acute and chronic stress response in soldiers, affecting their performance and health. A bibliographic search was carried out between April and May 2019, focusing on recent studies (2013–2019) that analysed psychophysiological response, stress, stress regulation, heart rate, heart rate variability, and posttraumatic stress disorder in military population. Autonomic and cardiovascular chronic stress seems to be modulated by experience and previous specific training of each military unit. Physical exercise, music embedded with binaural beat technology, bidirectional sensory motor rhythm training, heart rate variability biofeedback, and transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation are the main techniques applied to balance stress and to recover body homeostasis. Since military population are usually exposed to multiple stressors, knowing previous training and experience, together with developing techniques to balance stress, is the main practical application in this field of study to balance autonomic and cardiovascular systems.