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The Effects of College Life on the Cardiovascular System

Human Cardiovascular System
According to the American Heart Association, physical activity, cigarette smoking, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol are the four major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular health. (BZ)

According to WebMD, about 20% of all heart disease deaths are a direct result of smoking (AMG). According to Just Eliminate Lies, 90% of all lifelong smokers start before they are even 18(AMG). Secondhand smoke has also been tied to heart disease. Being in a smokey bar for two hours is the same as smoking four cigarettes (AMG).

The leading cause of death among men and women in the U.S. is cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is a slow progressing disease, and early modification of lifestyle could prevent the onset of the diesease. (MCL)

Interesting Statistics
The Health Education Associates state that before age 60, one in seven American males will have had a heart attack or heart disease. (JKA)

The Health Education Associates also state that two out of five adults will have high blood pressure. (JKA)

American children’s pocket-money is now stretching to around $200 billion each year, and the annual expenditure by food and drink companies is spending around $10 billion on marketing to children. (TTT)

Junk Food
Image:Junk food.jpg (KM)

"If you eat a lot of junk food, you risk putting on weight, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes" - Doug Cluff, M.D. Baylor Medical Center (JKA)

A report by The American Heart Association states that substituting protein for 10% of your daily carbohydrate intake in an already healthy diet can reduce the risk for heart disease. This shows that a small change can go a long way toward a healthy heart. (BZ)

Ever since researchers began to report the potential cardiovascular benefits of certain types of dark chocolate in the late '90s, the race has been on among candy manufacturers to reinvent chocolate as a healthy indulgence. Mars Inc. and the Hershey Co., among others, have spent millions to find scientific proof that flavanols -- a naturally occurring antioxidant found in cocoa that often gets lost in processing -- can lower blood pressure, improve blood flow and ultimately help prevent heart disease. (TTT)

A study by Pincomb and others tested the effect of caffine vs. placebo on medical students during finals. Final exams increased the blood pressure in both the caffine and placebo group, but the increase was much more significant in the students taking caffine. The number of students with systolic blood pressure in the borderline hypertensive range was increased by caffine during finals. (MCL)

How Getting Little Sleep Affects Your Heart
(AJS)

According to an article on WebMD, getting too little sleep, on a regular basis, puts you at higher risk of heart disease. During sleep, blood pressure and heart rate have a chance to rest. Just one night of partial sleep deprivation - between three and four hours of sleep -- caused an increase in blood pressure. However, if sleep deprivation becomes a bad habit, over a long period of time, women between ages 45 and 65, with too little sleep increased their risk of heart attack by as much as 50%.(AJS)

College students need on average 8.5-9.25 hours of sleep each night. Their biological clocks keep them up late, and then many of them must get up for early morning classes when they should still be sleeping. This lack of sleep can lead to a number of cardiovascular problems. (TMM) The HealthDay Reporter found that compared with those who slept seven to eight hours, those who slept fewer than five hours were 2.5 times more likely to have diabetes .(AJS)This is because lack of sleep impairs the body's ability to use insulin. (TMM) Previous studies showed that people forced to sleep for only four hours a night began to develop problems processing glucose.- (AJS)

Accordiing to an article written by Michael Breus, PhD, D, ABSM on WebMD.com, "Studies show an increased mortality risk for those reporting less than either six or seven hours per night. One study found that reduced sleep time is a greater mortality risk than smoking, high blood pressure, and heart disease." (BZ)

A study in 1999 developed an direct relationship between sleep and weight gain. Subjects that were allowed only four hours of sleep per night had endocrine and metabolic changes that are similar to those in diabetes patients. (BZ)

“People who sleep for only short durations raise their average 24-hour blood pressure and heart rate, this may set up the cardiovascular system to operate at an elevated pressure.” - Dr. James E. Gangwisch, from Columbia University in New York (KI)

24% of people who slept for five or fewer hours a night developed hypertension incomparison with 12 percent of others who got seven or eight hours of sleep, according Dr. Gangwisch, PhD. (KI)

According to MedlinePlus, cardiovascular diseases are linked to sleeping disorders. Also, sleeping for less than 6 hours regularily more than doulbles the risk of hypertension. (KEM)

How Stress Affects Your Heart
(JKA)

Stress is caused whenever a person needs to respond to change in their environment. Some stress is good. Studies have shown that stress from giving a short presentation or speech can help to boost the immune system. Other stress is not good, for example long term stress can cause cells to break down and have deteriorating effects on the immune system. (TMM)

According to the Mayo Clinic, stress creates high levels of cortisol, which can raise your heart rate and increase your blood pressure. It also puts a person at a greater risk for heart disease and stroke. (JKA) Stress puts fatty acids and glucose into your bloodstream, which is then converted into cholesterol and natural fat. This builds up on the walls of the artery, creating resistence to blood flow and increased blood pressure. (JKA) This building up of fat and plaque in the cardiovascular system's blood vessels is referred to as atheroscelerosis. It occurs, because when a person is stressed their metabolism slows down. They aren't able to metabolize fatty substances as quickly as usual, and as a result fat stays in the blood which leads to atheroscelerosis and possibly even heart attack. (TMM)

Drinking caffeine on a regular basis raises blood pressure, but those who drink caffeine and are under stress risk raising their blood pressure a significant amount, about 10 mmHg. Caffeine raises blood pressure during stress by elevating the resting baseline from which the change is measured. (KEM)

Stress & Sex Differences
(TTT)

Dr. Jay Kaplan, of Wake Forest University, was curious as to the effects of sex hormones on heart disease, studied female monkeys. Interestingly, Kaplan found that pre-menopausal dominant female monkeys were less likely to develop atherosclerosis. Through a series of experiments, Kaplan has found that, in dominant female monkeys estrogen performs a protective role against the development of coronary artery disease. Moreover, behaviorally subordinate females had significantly impaired ovarian function. What about women with menstrual problems? Kaplan said there is currently some preliminary data from a study in humans to suggest a link between ovarian dysfunction and the propensity for developing coronary heart disease. (TTT)

Men employ more cognitive coping strategies than women, who rely more heavily on social support or relational skills. Recent studies have also suggested that men are more likely to use problem-focused coping strategies and women are more likely to use emotion-focused strategies. Such gender differences most likely resulted from the combined effects of biology, prenatal, culture, and family influences. (TTT)

A study by Collins & Frankenhaeuser examined the effects of stress on male and female engineering students' adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol excretion and heart rate. They found that adrenaline excretion and heart rate increased significantly, with increase in adrenaline excretion more distinct in males and heart rate more distinct in females. Cortisol showed a significant increase only in males. (MCL)

A study by Myrtek and others looked at the effects of stress & strain of everyday university life on female students. They were more physically active during their leisure time than during their study time, but their heart rate was higher during study time. There were significantly higher heart rates for the chronically stressed students. (MCL)

Warning Signs and Symptoms
(BZ)

In a study conducted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, it was revealed that up to 95% of female heart attack patients show warning signs such as disturbed sleep, fatige, shortness of breath, and anxiety before their heart attack. This stresses the necessity of regular doctor visits to ensure cardiovascular health. (BZ)

How to reduce Stress
(TMM)

There are several relaxation techniques which can help to reduce the effects of stress on the cardiovascular system. Meditation and breathing exercises bring down high blood pressure and can also lower oxidative chemical levels in the body which will in turn help to prevent the development of atheroscelerosis. (TMM)

You've probably heard that regular meditation can help reduce stress and anxiety. In fact, researchers recommended practicing the skill exactly one year ago. Now there's even more reason to give it a try: It might also make you smarter. A fall 2005 study found that the brains of people who meditate were about 5 percent thicker in the areas that deal with focus and memory than the brains of nonmeditators. The more time someone had spent meditating in the past, the thicker their brains were in those spots. (TTT)

A study carried out by Lee and others tested the effectiveness of a Korean herb remedy as a treatment for stress in medical students. The results showed that systolic blood pressure decreased as well as norepinephrine and cortisol concentrations in the group taking the herbal remedy, and they showed favorable changes in anxiety, depression, stress and emotional well being. (MCL)

Exercises to Reduce Stress
"Re-Lax" Breathing: Breathe slowly and steadily. As you inhale, silently say "re" and as you exhale, silently say "lax". This exercise should be done for five to ten minutes. (RLM)

Isometric Arm Reliever: Pull or push for a few seconds with each hand against a desk, a doorway, or another immovable object. Relax for a few seconds. Repeat several times. Notice the release of muscle tension during each rest interval.(RLM)

Self-Massage: Use your finger tips or cupped hands to massage your facial muscles. This can also be done to your neck, shoulders, arm, and hands. (RLM)

Dot of Light: Take an imaginary white dot of light and place it on various parts of your body, one at a time. Focus on each part as the "light" touches it. Let it relax as you focus on it. (RLM)

Six Second Quieting Response: Draw a long, deep breath. Hold for two to three seconds. Exhale long, slowly, and completely. As you exhale, let your jaw and shoulders drop. Feel the relaxation flow into your arms and hands. Can be done with eyes open or closed, alone or with others.(RLM)

Mountain Breathing: Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose while counting to four. Hold the breath in for two to three counts, then exhale through your mouth for four counts. When you exhale, really push the air out, making a "whooshing" sound. The counting of breathes forms a sort of mountain (four counts up the moutain, three counts resting at the top, and four counts down). (RLM)

Walking Meditation: The combination of counting, breathing, and walking focuses your attention on the present, relaxing your body and clearing your mind. Start walking until you hit your normal, comfortable stride. Notice about how many steps you are taking between breaths. Establish a pattern of always taking a certain number of steps and then breathing in. The same number of steps, then breathing out. For example: 1-2-3 – inhale – 5-6-7 – exhale.(RLM)

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