Reduced Parasympathetic Reactivation during Recovery from Exercise in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Van Oosterwijck, Jessica, Marusic, Uros, De Wandele, Inge et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2021
This study examined how the nervous system controls heart rate and other body functions in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people, both at rest and after exercise. Researchers found that while ME/CFS patients had normal nerve function at rest, their bodies had difficulty recovering after exercise—specifically, their parasympathetic nervous system (the 'rest and digest' system) didn't reactivate properly. This delayed recovery is concerning because similar patterns in other diseases are linked to worse health outcomes.