BACKGROUND Worry increases risk for long-term health issues by prolonging the physiological stress response. In contrast, relaxation may ameliorate the psychological and physiological burden resulting from worry. This study examined the impact of experimentally induced worry and relaxation on cortisol, heart rate variability (HRV), and inflammation. METHOD Participants (N = 75) completed both a worry and relaxation induction (presented in a fixed order) while HRV was collected continuously. Three blood samples were taken (at baseline, after the worry induction, and after the relaxation induction) to measure IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α and serum cortisol. RESULTS There were significant changes in IL-6 (p < 0.001), IFN-γ (p < 0.001), HRV (p < .001), and cortisol (p < .001) but not in TNF-α (p = 0.19) across conditions. HRV increased significantly from baseline to worry and then decreased following relaxation. IL-6 changed significantly between worry and relaxation and continued to increase following relaxation. Cortisol decreased significantly across conditions. Several patterns of covariance between inflammation and HRV and/or cortisol also emerged. CONCLUSIONS These findings offer novel insight into how worry influences the immune system and emphasize the utility of a multi-methods approach to understanding the impact of worry on physical health.

中文翻译：

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对心血管、内分泌和炎症过程的焦虑和放松的实验检查

背景技术担心会延长生理应激反应，从而增加长期健康问题的风险。相比之下，放松可能会减轻因担心而造成的心理和生理负担。这项研究检查了实验引起的焦虑和放松对皮质醇、心率变异性 (HRV) 和炎症的影响。方法 参与者（N = 75）在持续收集 HRV 的同时完成了担心和放松诱导（以固定顺序呈现）。采集三份血样（在基线时、焦虑诱导后和放松诱导后）以测量 IL-6、IFN-γ、TNF-α 和血清皮质醇。结果 IL-6 (p < 0.001)、IFN-γ (p < 0.001)、HRV (p < .001) 和皮质醇 (p < .001) 有显着变化，但 TNF-α (p = 0.19) ) 跨条件。HRV 从基线到担心显着增加，然后在放松后降低。IL-6在担心和放松之间变化显着，并在放松后继续增加。皮质醇在不同条件下显着下降。炎症与 HRV 和/或皮质醇之间的几种协方差模式也出现了。结论这些发现提供了关于担忧如何影响免疫系统的新见解，并强调了多方法方法的效用，以了解担忧对身体健康的影响。