MI: Michigan Tech to lead five-year alcohol, sleep study
By Mariah Poell
October 17, 2017
HOUGHTON, Mich. (WLUC) – Michigan Technological University will lead a five-year study of alcohol’s effects on sleep and blood pressure.
The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism awarded nearly $423,000 of a potential $1.8 million five-year grant.
Test subjects will receive alcohol and fluid control in the evening. Researchers will then monitor their blood pressure and brainwaves overnight.
“So the primary aim of the project is to look at the impact of alcohol consumption on sleep patterns and blood pressure control throughout the night,” said Jason Carter of MTU’s Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology Department. “We know that alcohol interrupts sleep patterns, but we don’t know to what extent it affects your blood pressure throughout the night, and more importantly, your blood pressure in the morning when you are at the highest risk for heart attacks.”
Michigan Tech will establish a new, two-bed sleeping facility on campus for the project. Recruiting for the first of about 100 test subjects will begin in January.