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High-Intensity Interval Training Vs. Moderate-Intensity Interval Training And Effects On Stress Markers

Authors

Saman Tauqir
Department of Physiology, Bahria University Health Sciences Campus Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
Shazia Shakoor
Department of Physiology, Bahria University Health Sciences Campus Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
Fazeelat Hajra Kareem
Department of Physiology, Khyber Girls Medical Collage, Peshawar, Pakistan
Hira Faisal
Department of Pathology, Bahria University Health Sciences Campus Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
Miraj Ahmad Khan
Department of Physiology, Khyber medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan

Abstract

Objective:
To find out the acute impact of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) versus Moderate-Intensity Interval Training (MIIT) on salivary cortisol, heart rate variability (HRV), and state anxiety in young, healthy adults.
Study Design:
Single-visit, open-label, randomized controlled trial.
Place and Duration of Study:
Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan, 06 months (July to December 2025).
Patients and Methods:
Fifty physically active participants (18–30 years of age) were randomly distributed into two groups of 25 participants each, HIIT and MIIT group. Pre- and post-exercise assessments compreised salivary cortisol, heart rate variability(HRV) parameters including Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD), Standard Deviation of NN Intervals (SDNN) & low-frequency to high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio, as well as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)-State Anxiety scale. HIIT comprised 10 sets of 1-minute cycling at 85–95% with active recovery. MIIT comprised 10 sets of 1-minute cycling at 55–65% with passive recovery.
Results:
HIIT significantly increased salivary cortisol from 0.27± 0.07 to 0.36± 0.08 μg/dL (+32.8%, p < 0.001), whereas MIIT induced a decrease from 0.26 ± 0.08 to 0.24 ±0.07μg/dL (-9.3%, p = 0.041). The group-by-time interaction for cortisol was significant (p < 0.001, η2p=0.38, large effect). HIIT decreased RMSSD and SDNN while increasing the LF/HF ratio (p < 0.001), indicating sympathetic dominance. Conversely, MIIT increased RMSSD (+18.2%, p = 0.004), indicating parasympathetic activation. Both modalities reduced state anxiety, but MIIT demonstrated a significantly greater reduction than HIIT (–20.9% vs. –12.2%, p = 0.012).
Conclusion:
HIIT elicits a strong acute physiological stress reaction marked by HPA-axis and sympathetic dominance, whereas MIIT promotes parasympathetic reactivation and superior short-term anxiolytic effects. Exercise prescriptions should align with individual stress profiles.
Kewords:
Anxiety; Autonomic nervous system; Exercise therapy; Heart rate variability; High-Intensity interval training; Hydrocortisone; Stress, Physiological.

How to cite this article

Tauqir S, Shakoor S, Kareem FH, Faisal H, Khan MA. High-Intensity Interval Training VS. Moderate-Intensity Interval Training and Effects on Stress Markers. HMDJ. 2026 June; 06(01): 52-59.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.69884/hmdj.6.1.1470

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