Many of us suffer from sleep deprivation. Maybe our schedules don't allow us time, maybe we're trading sleep for work or play, or maybe we're unaware of the negative effects that lack of sleep can have on our health. But the consequences can be more than just the obvious complaints of tiredness and fatigue, we may also be at risk for higher blood pressure.
High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the amount of force acting against the walls of the arteries. High blood pressure, or hypertension, can be dangerous because it causes the heart to overwork and contributes to hardening of the arteries. According to the American Heart Association, uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or kidney failure. High blood pressure contributes to seven million deaths worldwide each year, and the condition affects one out of three Americans.
Sleep and Blood Pressure
When we sleep, blood pressure drops and heart rate slows for a significant amount of time. Skimping on nightly sleep may deprive the body of this overnight rest and keep the body in a state of high alert, increasing the production of stress hormones. Over time, lack of sleep can have a long term effect on the cardiovascular system, driving up blood pressure. Lack of sleep has been described as like living with chronic stress.
Research on Sleep Duration and Blood Pressure
There have been various studies conducted to look at the effects of sleep on blood pressure. In a study at the University of Chicago, reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, middle-age adults who slept fewer hours appeared more likely to have high blood pressure. Over five years, researchers collected blood pressure readings and sleep duration times of 578 adult volunteers. The average amount of sleep a night among the participants was six hours. The researchers found that the individuals who slept fewer hours were significantly more likely to have both higher systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure readings.
Adults who slept less were also more likely to develop high blood pressure as time increased. After five years, each hour of reduction in sleep duration was associated with a 37 percent increase in the odds of developing high blood pressure, according to the study findings.
In a study at Columbia University, reported in the journal Hypertension, nearly 5,000 middle-age adults who slept five or fewer hours a night had higher risk of blood pressure than did those who slept more than six hours a night. Twenty-four percent of the participants who slept for five or fewer hours a night developed hypertension versus 12 percent of those who got seven or eight hours of sleep. The link between sleep habits and blood pressure remained even after the researchers controlled for weight, depression, smoking, and physical activity levels.
These and other studies indicate that there may be something about chronic sleep deprivation that raises a person's blood pressure. Researchers agree that further studies are needed to determine whether increasing sleep time can actually reduce the risk of increased blood pressure.
Sleep Well
Clearly a good night's sleep is important for overall health. Anyone who's concerned about high blood pressure may want to maintain a regular and adequate sleep pattern as well as follow American Heart Association recommendations for keeping blood pressure under control.
Sources:
American Heart Association
James E. Gangwisch, Steven B. Heymsfield, Bernadette Boden-Albala, Ruud M. Buijs, Felix Kreier, Thomas G. Pickering, Andrew G. Rundle, Gary K. Zammit, and Dolores Malaspina. Short Sleep Duration as a Risk Factor for Hypertension: Analyses of the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Hypertension, May 2006; 47: 833-839.
Kristen L. Knutson, Eve Van Cauter, Paul J. Rathouz, Lijing L. Yan, Stephen B. Hulley, Kiang Liu, and Diane S. Lauderdale. Association Between Sleep and Blood Pressure in Midlife: The CARDIA Sleep Study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2009; 169(11): 1055-1061.
Cyndy Irvine - Nursing is my profession and history is my passion. I’ve been a registered nurse for over 25 years but am rediscovering my first ...
