Abstract
1/f fluctuations in heart rate are usually measured by spectral analysis using Fast Fourier Transform. Here, we introduce a new method based on counting the number of QRS complexes in time intervals Δt of various length. For a 1/f b spectrum the variance of counts in Δt follows a power-law as gDt 1+b. This method is applied to analyze long term fluctuations in heart rate variability in 10 healthy men. The results show periods of 1/f fluctuations with interpolated periods of white noise during night hours.
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Meesmann, M., Grüneis, F., Flachenecker, P. et al. A new method for analysis of heart rate variability: counting statistics of 1/f fluctuations. Biol. Cybern. 68, 299–306 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00201855
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00201855