Autonomic Modulation and Body Composition in Educators: Physiological Associations in the Workplace Context

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between body composition and cardiac autonomic nervous system activity in educators. The objective was to explore the associations between body fat mass (BFM) and fat-free mass (FFM) with different heart rate variability (HRV) indices in a sample of educators and to assess whether FFM moderates the relationship between BFM and autonomic function. Overall, the findings demonstrate that body composition—particularly FFM and BFM—signif icantly influences HRV and autonomic nervous system modulation in educators, underscoring the importance of considering body composition in the assessment of autonomic function and in the design of personalized health strategies.