HEART RATE VARIABILITY AS AN OBJECTIVE METHOD FOR ASSESSING STUDENTS' ACADEMIC EMOTIONS

The aim of the research is to study the dynamics of the adaptive mechanisms of the students' organism under conditions of exam stress, by combining the autonomic indicators of the cardiovascular system and the indicators characterizing the psycho-emotional state. Mathematical analysis of Heart Rate Variability was used as an objective indicator of the state of the Autonomic Nervous System, which was carried out in two stages: control (before the exam) and during the exam. Physiological indicators were evaluated: HR, LF/HF, MxdMn, as well as psychological factors: anxiety (according to Taylor) and mental exhaustion or asthenia (according to Pishot).
The research results state that during the exam, a 10.5% increase in the LF/HF ratio was recorded, which indicates sympathetic overactivity, while a 26.3% increase in the MxdMn index points to the expansion of the heart rate fluctuation range and an increase in the tension of regulation mechanisms. According to the psychological assessment, the level of anxiety was 30.6 point (high level), and mental exhaustion was 45.9 point (average level of asthenic syndrome).
Thus, the autonomic balance occurring with the activation of the sympathetic system is the direct physiological reflection of academic anxiety. Anxiety acts as a "catalyst" for resource mobilization, while asthenia forms an unfavorable psychophysiological background, reducing the stability of the ANS and leading to the exhausted work of systems. The analysis of scientific data allows us to record: the mathematical analysis of HRV is a reliable and objective tool for assessing the adaptive potential and emotional tension of students.