Issue date: 8/29/08 Section: News

Media Credit: CJ Zimmerman / Daily Vidette Staff Photographer Brett Kendrick, a sophomore marketing major at Heartland Community College, gets some last minute rest on Tuesday morning.

Some recent studies have shown that students who sleep less than eight hours a night perform more poorly in class than students who have a regular and sufficient sleep schedule.

Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio researched the effects of less than six and a half hours of sleep on the human body.

With less than six and a half hours, teens more than double their risk of high blood pressure.

"On a good night, I get about seven and a half hours of sleep," Tara Andersen, a freshman business administration major, said.

Some students do not always get quite enough sleep to perform well and a full night of sleep translates into a healthier heart.

Also, those with more troubled sleeping habits, such as sleeping with lights or sound, for instance, triple their threat. Students who claim they get less than a quality night's sleep generally feel more fatigued during the day.

Other factors influence high blood pressure besides a lack of sleep. Stress, inactivity, heredity, alcohol and smoking all influence constricted arteries. The effects of this condition increase the risk of stroke, kidney disease and heart attack.

"There are numerous studies and published articles showing the correlation between insomnia, sleep deprivation and hypertension," R. Jack Munda III, polysomnograph technician at Riverside Hospital Sleep Lab in Newport News, Va., said.

The sleep lab technicians study the effects of an insubstantial night's sleep on heart and brain activities.

Studies have shown that during rapid eye-movement sleep, the heart pumps more blood to the muscles throughout the body, causing the heart to relax and blood pressure to fall.

The National Center for Health Statistics began a program in 2000 called Healthy People 2010, which focuses on 28 areas of health improvement.

The list includes preventing instances of stroke and heart attack, which are often prompted because of high blood pressure.

Edward Sondik, the director of NHCS, noted with these studies and health improvement goals that their importance is rooted in the prevalence and deadliness of heart attacks and strokes in the United States.

According to NHCS statistics, heart disease ranks number one out of all deaths in the country, and stroke holds third. These numbers prove the magnitude of heart disease and its risk in Americans.

The American Heart Association also studied the effects of sleep deficiency and found that it influenced high blood pressure in adults as well.

Regardless of one's age, sleep deficiency reaps harmful effects in the heart and body.

Through sleep, the heart slows down and rejuvenates, and insufficient sleep habits impede this natural process of heart wellness.

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