Stress response of the autonomic nervous system on skydiving and freefall

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of skydiving and freefall, as well as that of visualisation, on the autonomic nervous system balance. The results showed a shift towards sympathetic dominance in the autonomic nervous system balance during skydiving and freefall. This shift was statistically significant in the inexperienced, but not in the experienced skydivers. A similar autonomic stress response was seen in the laboratory during visualisation of skydiving. Further studies are necessary to ascertain whether a difference exists between the extent to which experienced and inexperienced skydivers can induce the biological stress response through visualisation.