On the quantification of heart rate variability spectral parameters using time–frequency and time-varying methods

In the last decades, one of the main challenges in the study of heart rate variability (HRV) signals has been the quantification of the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) components of the HRV spectrum during non-stationary events. At this regard, different time-frequency and time-varying approaches have been proposed with the aim to track the modification of the HRV spectra during ischaemic attacks, provocative stress testing, sleep or daily-life activities. The quantitative evaluation of power (and frequencies) of the LF and HF components has been approached in various ways depending on the selected time-frequency method. This paper is an excursus through the most common time-frequency/time-varying representation of the HRV signal with a special emphasis on the algorithms employed for the reliable quantification of the LF and HF parameters and their tracking.