Context: Among undergraduate medical students, the relation between mood disturbances associated with the psychological or physical stressors induced by studying and the medical training and the modifications of ANS has been recently reported. Aims: To examine the impact of stress of medical college environment among the undergraduate medical students in terms of altered parasympathetic functions and altered sympathetic functions. Settings and design: A prospective study was carried out in the department of Physiology, Lt. BRKM Government Medical College. Methods and Material: Present study was conducted among randomly selected 90 first year medical students. The students underwent evaluation at the start of the course, just before the terminal examination and after the terminal examination. Statistical Analysis: The data was analyzed using mean values and ±two standard deviations. Students’t test was applied and p value was calculated which was considered significant if it is less than 0.05. Results: “Heart rate changes”, “Heart rate response to Valsalva maneuver”, “Heart rate response to deep breathing”, “orthostatic test” were found to be significantly changed during the examination period. There was significantly lesser variation in the female group for all above mentioned parameters. Rise of Diastolic blood pressure in handgrip test was not found to be significantly changed during the examination period. Conclusion: We conclude that undergraduate students preparing for examination represents a widely employed model of a real life stressor, raising resting blood pressure and heart rate. There is a shift towards sympathetic activation and vagal withdrawal at rest and by enhanced vasomotor and reduced cardiac sympathetic standing.

Keywords: Autonomic Function Tests; Medical Students; Sympathetic Activity.