Assessment of a Person’s Alcohol Dependence and Potential for Self-regulation

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Researchers have conducted several studies to ascertain the important role that the autonomic nervous system plays in assessing a person’s alcohol dependence and their potential for self-regulation. Daniel S. Quintana and colleagues confirms that indeed the resting-state heart rate variability (HRV) predicts craving in alcohol-dependent outpatients. These findings help contribute to the existing research on the medical application of HRV in assessing the behavioral characteristics of patients.
Heart rate variability (HRV) and the resting heart rate are two of the most important measures in assessing one’s fitness. A drop in the HRV and an increase in the resting heart rate is a bad sign. Alcohol raises a person’s resting heart rate and weakens the heart rate variability. When the resting heart rate increases, it pumps less efficiently, which leads to insufficient blood flow to the rest of the body. The heart muscles require more oxygen in the process and since there is less oxygen available to match the overworking heart muscles, it may ...