A Morning Call That Shocks the Heart Awake

Research results that raise awareness among modern people, who find it hard to wake up without a loud morning call, are gaining attention belatedly.

On the 10th of last month (local time), online media SunnySkyz highlighted an interesting study from the University of Virginia School of Nursing.

According to the study published in 2023, starting the day with loud music and similar stimuli can impose unnecessary stress on the heart.

Graduate student Kim Yeon-su, conducting research with 32 participants by distributing smartwatches and finger sphygmomanometers, discovered that blood pressure significantly increases at the moment one wakes up to loud sounds.

The blood pressure of individuals who woke up to an alarm was found to be approximately 74% higher than that of participants who naturally woke up after 5 hours of sleep.

This increase was even more pronounced in those suffering from cardiovascular diseases, including strokes and heart attacks.

When blood pressure spikes, the sympathetic nervous system becomes activated, triggering the “fight-or-flight response.”

The "fight-or-flight response" is a phenomenon where the human brain decides whether to confront or flee from a stressful or tense situation, during which the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are affected, leading to increased heart rate and breathing, decreased movement in the stomach and intestines, blood vessel constriction, muscle tension, bladder relaxation, and decreased erectile function.

At this time, our heart pumps faster and more forcefully to prepare for the threat.

Therefore, individuals who repeatedly wake up to loud sounds in the morning may experience symptoms such as increased heart rate, anxiety, fatigue, headaches, and nosebleeds.

To protect against these risks, it is advised to use gradually increasing volume music as an alarm or lighting that turns on at the appropriate time.

After conducting the study, Kim expressed, "I will not set an alarm in the future. On weekends when I have more time, I will try to wake up naturally."

Image Source: Reference photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank, uvatoday