Effects of piano music of different tempos on heart rate and autonomic nervous system during the recovery period after high‐intensity exercise

PURPOSE: The present study attempted to explore the effects of different tempos of piano music on heart rate and autonomous nervous system during the recovery period after high‐intensity exercise. In addition, the study analyzed the influence of different tempos on the recovery period of athletes to devise methods for accelerating fatigue recovery through piano music. METHOD: A total of 57 college students majoring in physical education were selected as experimental subjects and were divided into three groups, namely Lento group (n = 20), Moderato group (n = 20), and Allegretto group (n = 20; only 17 students completed the experiment). RESULTS: Under the same high‐intensity exercise regimen, the three groups did not differ significantly in the body composition, high‐intensity exercise ability, and time‐domain variation indices, namely heart rate (HR), heart rate variability index parameters (p > .05). The time‐domain variation analysis in the recovery period revealed significant differences in HR frequency domain indices among the groups exposed to different rhythms (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Moderate‐tempo piano music was the most effective in facilitating HR and autonomic nervous system recovery during the recovery period.