ArticleScandinavian journal of work, environment & health2021
Heart rate during work and heart rate variability during the following night: a day-by-day investigation on the physical activity paradox among blue-collar workers.
Article in Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exercise interventions for sleep and cognitive dysfunction in shift workers: a systematic review of randomized trials.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Exploring the 'fit for work' principle: The association between occupational physical activity, cardio-respiratory fitness, and mortality - a meta-analysis of male worker data.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2025Pooled it
- Associations of light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity with health-related outcomes: findings from the FINFIT 2017 and 2021 studies.Annals of medicine · 2026Article
- Which psychosocial job demands matter most for parasympathetic heart rate variability? A dominance analysis study.Journal of occupational health · 2026Article
- Domain-Specific Physical Activity and Obesity Risk among Black Men in the United States: Evidence of a Physical Activity Paradox.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- HURMAT: an alternative approach for fatigue diagnosis and management based on ergonomics and human factors.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Impact of Job Demands, Resources, Shift Patterns, and Regulatory Focus on Nurses' Presenteeism and Work Engagement: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of nursing management · 2026Article
- Cardiovascular load and physical capacity in older workers engaged in physically demanding occupations.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2025Article
- The impact of telework allowance and utilization on physiological and perceived stress among Swedish white-collar workers.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2025Article
- From Single Movement Behaviors to Complete 24-h Behaviors Profiles and Multiple Health Outcomes-A Cross-Sectional Study Using Accelerometry.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2025Article
- Association Between Domain-Specific Physical Activity and Novel Inflammatory Biomarkers Among US Adults: Insights From NHANES 2007-2018.Mediators of inflammation · 2025Article
- The impact of working night shifts on cardiac autonomic nervous regulation during the six-minute walk test in nurses.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Revisiting the physical activity paradox: the role of cardiorespiratory fitness in workers with high aerobic demands.Scandinavian journal of public health · 2024Article
- Increased physical workload in home care service is associated with reduced recovery from work.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2023Article
- Article
- An Exploratory Study on the Physical Activity Health Paradox-Musculoskeletal Pain and Cardiovascular Load during Work and Leisure in Construction and Healthcare Workers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesContrary to leisure-time physical activity, occupational physical activity (OPA) may have harmful health effects, called the physical activity paradox. A proposed mechanism is that OPA can elevate the heart rate (HR) for several hours per day. We aimed to investigate the association between the mean intensity of OPA and HR variability (HRV) indices the following night.
methodsThree cohorts (NOMAD, DPhacto, and Physical Workload and Fitness) involving blue-collar workers from different sectors were merged in this study. HR monitors (Actiheart) recorded 24-hour inter-beat intervals (IBI) for up to four consecutive days. The relative intensity of the mean HR during work was estimated by HR reserve (%HRR), and time-domain indices of HRV were analyzed during the following night. Data were analyzed using a multilevel growth model to test the association between mean %HRR during work and HRV indices at night in a day-by-day analysis adjusted for age, BMI, alcohol consumption, smoking, and occupation.
resultsThe dataset included a sample of 959 Danish blue-collar workers, with a mean %HRR during work of 31%, and 42% worked at an intensity ≥30%HRR. The multilevel model showed negative within- and between-subject associations between %HRR during work and HRV indices at night.
conclusionsOur results indicate a higher %HRR during work to associate with lower HRV indices the following night and a higher HR, reflecting an imbalanced autonomic cardiac modulation. This finding supports a high mean HR during work to be a potential underlying mechanism for the harmful health effect of OPA.
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