Lack of sleep linked to high BP

Not getting enough sleep over a prolonged period appears to be an important risk factor for developing high blood pressure. Researchers from the Columbia University in New York found that people who sleep for only short durations raise their average 24-hour blood pressure and heart rate. This may set up the cardiovascular system to operate at an elevated pressure. Previous studies have linked sleep disorders with cardiovascular disease, but it was unclear if sleep deprivation in people who did not have a sleep disorder affected the likelihood of developing hypertension. To investigate this further, the researchers analysed the data for 4810 subjects, between 32 and 86 years of age, who participated in the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Hypertension was diagnosed in 647 subjects during the follow-up period from 1982 to 1992. Among the subjects between 32 and 59 years of age, sleeping less than 6 hours per night doubled the risk of developing hypertension. Moreover, this association remained significant even after taking obesity and diabetes into account. If short sleep duration functions to increase blood pressure, then interventions that increase the amount and quality of sleep could potentially serve as treatment and primary preventative measures for hypertension.