Heart Rate R-R Int (sec) Average

Laying down 0.557 0.565 0.606 0.576

Exercise 0.458 0.456 0.462 0.458666667
Analysis
The R-R interval on the ECG waveform is an indication of the time between two
successive ventricular contractions. It is with ventricular contraction that blood is
pumped out of the heart into either the pulmonary or systemic circuit. The R-R
intervals were taken from my ECG data from when I was lying down and after
strenuous exercise. As shown above, the duration between ventriclular
contractions is shorter after exercise. This change is understandable because, as
the exercise requires energy and oxygen is used for metabolism, the increase in
exercise requires and increase in oxygen to the tissues. Chemoreceptors in the
CNS identify an increase in carbon dioxide concentration and activate the
sympathetic response to increase the heart rate.

P-R Segment (sec) Average

Laying down 0.044 0.048 0.047 0.046333333
Sitting Up 0.036 0.039 0.031 0.035333333
Analysis
The P-R segment represents the time it takes for conduction to move from the
Atrioventricule node to the ventricular myocardium via the bundle of His and
bundle branches. As shown above, this decreases from laying down to sitting up.
Compared to published durations the normative values for the P-R segment lay
around 0.02 to 0.10 seconds. As shown above, my P-R segments for both
conditions are fall within this range. However, both measurements appear to be
on the lower end of the spectrum.

T-P Segment (sec) Average

Laying Down 0.109 0.107 0.113 0.109666667
Exercise 0.045 0.049 0.023 0.039
Analysis

The T-P segment is an indication of the time between ventricular repolarization

and atrial depolarization. A T-P segment that differs from the normal values may
be an indication of abnormal abundance or structure of potassium channels in
myocardial cells. The normative values for the T-P segment are from 0 to 0.40
seconds in duration. As shown in the averages above my T-P segments under
both conditions fall within the normative range.
ECG can tell you a physician a lot of information about any cardiac pathologies a
patient my possess. Each component of the ECG waveform is integral in the
mechanism of the beating heart. When these components of the ECG waveform
deviate from that of a healthy individual, a physician is able to identify a possible
problem and take action to further investigate the abnormality. Although the
heart can generate its own beat via the pacemaker cells of the sinotrial node, the
heart rate and cardiac contraction strength can be altered by the sympathetic
and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. The effects that
these regulation systems have on the cardiac cycle are readily noticeable in the
ECG waveform when the duration of intervals and segments and the amplitude of
waves are compared to a waveform taken from the individual at rest. When lying
down, the parasympathetic nervous system plays a role in decreasing the
excitability of the sinotrial node, decreases the conductivity of electrial impulses
through the cardiac conduction branches, and decreases the force of the
contractions. These durations are observed to be shorter in my resting ECG
waveform at all segments (indicators of conductivity) when compared to the
same segments in the ECG following strenuous excercies. The R-R Interval, which
is an indication of heart rate was shorter in length following strenuous excercise
than when lying down. This is a great illustration of the sympathetic nervous
system modifying the cardiac cycle by increasing the excitability of the SA node
and thus decreasing the heart rate. These changes to the cardiac cycle, especially
in our case, are due to chemo- and baroreceptors that monitor levels of carbon
dioxide and blood pressure respectively. The impact of sitting up on different
components of the cardiac cycle is expressed in my analysis of the R-R intervals in
my data (see above).