Post-Exercise Physiological Recovery and Academic Achievement in Adolescents: The Role of Autonomic Regulation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2026.4.10Keywords:
heart rate variability, cardiac vagal modulation, school performance, parasympathetic reactivation, exercise physiology, secondary school studentsAbstract
Background. Physical education represents a regular physiological stimulus within the school day, yet little is known about autonomic recovery following curricular lessons and its relationship with academic achievement.
Objectives. To compare post-exercise autonomic recovery following a regular physical education lesson with a time-matched control condition and to determine whether autonomic recovery is associated with academic achievement in adolescents.
Materials and Methods. Ninety-two adolescents completed both a physical education condition and a time-matched control condition using a within-participant repeated-measures design. Heart rate variability was recorded before and after each condition, and the root mean square of successive differences was analyzed after natural logarithmic transformation (lnRMSSD). Academic achievement was assessed using the official grade point average.
Results. A significant Condition × Time interaction was observed for lnRMSSD (F(1,91)=4.06, p=0.047, partial η²=0.043). Post hoc analyses demonstrated a significant increase in lnRMSSD following physical education (p=0.003), whereas no significant change occurred during the control condition (p=0.292). Autonomic recovery following physical education was positively associated with academic achievement (r=0.52, p<0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that autonomic recovery explained 27.5% of the variance in academic achievement (R²=0.275, p<0.001).
Conclusions. A regular physical education lesson elicited significantly different autonomic responses compared with a time-matched control condition. Adolescents exhibiting greater post-exercise parasympathetic recovery achieved higher academic performance. These findings indicate that autonomic recovery following physical education may represent a meaningful physiological correlate of scholastic achievement and support further longitudinal and intervention-based research examining the role of autonomic regulation in educational outcomes.
Downloads
References
Steinmayr, R., Meißner, A., Weidinger, A.F., & Wirthwein, L. (2014). Academic achievement. In T. Teo (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0108 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0108
Osman, A., Ydhag, C.C., & Månsson, N. (2021). Recipe for educational success: A study of successful school performance of students from low social cultural background. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 30(4), 422–439. https://doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2020.1764379 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2020.1764379
Alfonsi, V., Palmizio, R., Rubino, A., Scarpelli, S., Gorgoni, M., D’Atri, A., ... & De Gennaro, L. (2020). The association between school start time and sleep duration, sustained attention, and academic performance. Nature and Science of Sleep, 12, 1161–1172. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S273875 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S273875
Latino, F., Tafuri, F., Maisuradze, M., & Tafuri, M.G. (2025a). Enhancing Academic Performance, Cognitive Functions, and Mental Well-Being Through Active Breaks: Evidence from a Pilot Study with University Student Sample. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(11), 1605. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22111605 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22111605
Latino, F., Tafuri, F., Maisuradze, M., & Tafuri, M.G. (2025b). School-Based Physical Activity, Cognitive Performance and Circadian Rhythms: Rethinking the Timing of Movement in Education. Children, 12(10), 1324. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12101324 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/children12101324
James, J., Pringle, A., Mourton, S., & Roscoe, C.M.P. (2023). The effects of physical activity on academic performance in school-aged children: A systematic review. Children, 10(6), 1019. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10061019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/children10061019
Canli, U., Aldhahi, M.I., & Küçük, H. (2024). Association of physiological performance, physical fitness, and academic achievement in secondary school students. Children, 11(4), 396. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040396 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040396
Latino, F., Tafuri, F., Maisuradze, M., & Tafuri, M.G. (2025). Complex Motor Schemes and Executive Functions: A School-Based Dual-Challenge Intervention to Enhance Cognitive Performance and Academic Success in Early Adolescence. Journal of Intelligence, 13(11), 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence13110151 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence13110151
Martín-Rodríguez, A., Gostian-Ropotin, L.A., Beltrán-Velasco, A.I., Belando-Pedreño, N., Simón, J.A., López-Mora, C., ... & Clemente-Suárez, V.J. (2024). Sporting mind: The interplay of physical activity and psychological health. Sports, 12(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports12010037 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/sports12010037
Marschin, V., & Herbert, C. (2026). Physical activity’s impact on cardiac activity and autonomic regulation in university students: A baseline study. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 226, 113415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113415 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113415
López-Bueno, R., Núñez-Cortés, R., Calatayud, J., Andersen, L.L., del Pozo Cruz, B., & Petermann-Rocha, F. (2025). The triad of physical activity: An optimal combination for cardiovascular health. Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine, 35(4), 232–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcm.2024.12.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcm.2024.12.008
Soares-Miranda, L., Sattelmair, J., Chaves, P., Duncan, G.E., Siscovick, D.S., Stein, P.K., & Mozaffarian, D. (2014). Physical activity and heart rate variability in older adults: The Cardiovascular Health Study. Circulation, 129(21), 2100–2110. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.005361 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.005361
El-Malahi, O., Mohajeri, D., Mincu, R., Bäuerle, A., Rothenaicher, K., Knuschke, R., ... & Lortz, J. (2024). Beneficial impacts of physical activity on heart rate variability: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 19(4), e0299793. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299793 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299793
Dong, J.G. (2016). The role of heart rate variability in sports physiology. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 11(5), 1531–1536. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2016.3104 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2016.3104
Yoo, H.H., Yune, S.J., Im, S.J., Kam, B.S., & Lee, S.Y. (2021). Heart rate variability-measured stress and academic achievement in medical students. Medical Principles and Practice, 30(2), 193–200. https://doi.org/10.1159/000513781 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000513781
Mendoza-Castejón, D., & Clemente-Suárez, V.J. (2020). Autonomic profile, physical activity, body mass index and academic performance of school students. Sustainability, 12(17), 6718. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176718 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176718
Trudeau, F., & Shephard, R.J. (2008). Physical education, school physical activity, school sports and academic performance. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5, 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-5-10 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-5-10
Yan, J., Lyu, D., Morgan, P.J., Cicchella, A., Li, M., & Eather, N. (2025). Does perceived physical literacy relate to academic achievement in Chinese university students? Insights from a cross-sectional study. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2025.2603985 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2025.2603985
Tornberg, J., Ikäheimo, T.M., Kiviniemi, A., Pyky, R., Hautala, A., Mäntysaari, M., ... & Korpelainen, R. (2019). Physical activity is associated with cardiac autonomic function in adolescent men. PLoS ONE, 14(9), e0222121. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222121 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222121
Frank, J., Seifert, G., Schroeder, R., Gruhn, B., Stritter, W., Jeitler, M., ... & Voss, A. (2020). Yoga in school sports improves functioning of autonomic nervous system in young adults: A non-randomized controlled pilot study. PLoS ONE, 15(4), e0231299. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231299 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231299
Wang, Z., Jing, R., & Zhang, R. (2025). The impact of sports activities on the cardiac autonomic nervous system changes in college students and medical imaging analysis. Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences, 18(2), 101376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrras.2025.101376 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrras.2025.101376
Brage, S., Ekelund, U., Brage, N., Hennings, M.A., Froberg, K., Franks, P.W., & Wareham, N.J. (2007). Hierarchy of individual calibration levels for heart rate and accelerometry to measure physical activity. Journal of Applied Physiology, 103(2), 682–692. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00092.2006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00092.2006
May, R., McBerty, V., Zaky, A., & Gianotti, M. (2017). Vigorous physical activity predicts higher heart rate variability among younger adults. Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 36(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-017-0140-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-017-0140-z
Yue, T., Li, F., & Wang, Y. (2025). Effects of high-intensity interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training on the functioning of attentional networks and heart rate variability in healthy young adults. Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, 23(3), 203–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2025.04.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2025.04.003
Medeiros, A.R., Leicht, A.S., Michael, S., & Boullosa, D. (2021). Weekly vagal modulations and their associations with physical fitness and physical activity. European Journal of Sport Science, 21(9), 1326–1336. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1838619 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1838619
Speer, K.E., McKune, A.J., Telford, R.M., Semple, S., Naumovski, N., Olive, L.S., & Telford, R.D. (2022). Heart rate variability improves in 3–5-year-old children following a 6-month physical activity-based intervention: The Active Early Learning (AEL) cluster randomised controlled trial. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 47(1), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2021-0207 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2021-0207
Makivić, B., Nikić Djordjević, M., & Willis, M.S. (2013). Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as a Tool for Diagnostic and Monitoring Performance in Sport and Physical Activities. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online, 16(3).
Buchheit, M., Platat, C., Oujaa, M., & Simon, C. (2007). Habitual physical activity, physical fitness and heart rate variability in preadolescents. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 28(3), 204–210. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-924296 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-924296
Chen, H., Xu, J., Xie, H., Huang, Y., Shen, X., & Xu, F. (2022). Effects of physical activity on heart rate variability in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 27(5), 1827–1842. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232022275.10402021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232022275.10402021
Kim, H.J., Park, Y., & Lee, J. (2024). The validity of heart rate variability (HRV) in educational research and a synthesis of recommendations. Educational Psychology Review, 36(2), 42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09921-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09878-x
Silva, J.K.T.D.N.F.D., Lins Filho, O.D.L., Germano-Soares, A.H., Ritti-Dias, R.M., & Farah, B.Q. (2022). Association between frequency of physical education classes and heart rate variability in adolescent boys: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Physical Education, 33, e3322. https://doi.org/10.4025/jphyseduc.v33i1.3322 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4025/jphyseduc.v33i1.3322
Ketelhut, S., Ketelhut, K., Ketelhut, S.R., & Ketelhut, R.G. (2024). Effects of school-based high-intensity interval training on hemodynamic parameters and heart rate variability: A randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 38(6), 1033–1040. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004873 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004744
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Emma Saraiello, Francesca Latino, Giulia Amato, Maria Giovanna Tafuri
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
