Dynamics of the integrated characteristics of heart rate variability and psychophysiological parameters of students under the conditions of daily and weekly academic loads

The effects of daily and weekly academic loads on the psychological and cardio- and hemodynamic characteristics of students were analyzed. The self-estimated state of health, activity, and mood were evaluated with the use of the HAM (Health-Activity-Mood) questionnaire; the introversion and extraversion, neuroticism, and intelligence of the subjects were determined according to Eysenck; and the self-estimate the personal anxiety according to Spielberger, was evaluated. The main hemodynamic parameters (heart rate and arterial blood pressure) were measured and the systolic and minute blood volumes were calculated. The comparison of the dynamics of the parameters studied showed that there were two types of response of the students' cardio-and hemodynamic parameters to academic load: sympathetic and parasympathetic. The parasympathetic response was found to be more adequate because the sympathetic response entailed the risk of overstrain and adaptation failure. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc. 2006.