Blood pressure variability during 120-day head-down bed rest in humans

Influence of physical inactivity and microgravity to periodic structure of blood pressure was studied. Six healthy males were kept under head-down bed rest (HDBR) for 120 days. Blood pressure and heart rate (HR) were recorded by a portable sphygmomanometer and a Holler electrocardiogram, respectively. The results were analyzed by spectrum analysis. Phase, amplitude and acrophase of systolic blood pressure (SBP) by approximately 24, 12 and 8 h were measured before, 60, 120 day and after HDBR. The phase at 24, 12 and 8 h did not show significant changes during HDBR, and acrophase showed a tendency to shift to 14:00 after HDBR. Amplitude for 24 h tended to attenuate during bed rest (BR), and significantly increased after BR. The results of this study suggest that the circadian rhythm of SBP and HR were maintained by strict control of sleep, awakening and food intake in microgravity model of a long-term BR state. However, the tendency to decrease 24-h cyclic amplitude of SBP appeared to be the rhythmic modulation related to cardiovascular deconditioning. (C) 2003 Published by Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.