Women who experience insomnia are more likely to have excessively high pressure in their arteries.
- During a 16-year follow-up, 25,987 cases of hypertension were recorded.
- Patients sleeping less than seven to eight hours per night and having difficulty falling asleep were at higher risk of developing this chronic disease.
- Sleep disturbances can lead to a series of events that can increase sodium retention, arterial stiffness, and cardiac output.
We know: getting enough sleep has never been so difficult. Additionally, worldwide, high blood pressure rates are also alarming. Thus, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School wanted to analyze the link between difficulty falling asleep and sleep duration with the risk of hypertension in women.
Shorter sleep duration associated with higher risk of hypertension
For the purposes of their study, they followed, for 16 years, 66,122 women aged 25 to 42, who did not suffer from hypertension at the time of registration. The scientists collected information on various factors, such as age, body mass index, diet, lifestyle, physical activity, history of sleep apnea and family history of hypertension of the participants. As part of the work, the American scientists assessed their sleep duration in 2001 and again in 2009, recording the average number of hours slept over a 24-hour period. They also measured difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up early in the morning.
According to the data, women with difficulty falling asleep had on average a higher body mass index, lower physical activity and a less healthy diet. In addition, the latter were more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and to have already been menopausal. “We recorded 25,987 cases of hypertension,” specified the authors in the research published in the journal Hypertension. Compared to patients who slept 7 to 8 hours, those with shorter sleep duration had a significantly higher risk of hypertension. Likewise, volunteers who had trouble falling and staying asleep were also more likely to develop hypertension. Waking up early in the morning was not associated with this increased risk.
Sodium retention, arterial stiffness, cardiac output: sleep disorders involved
Although the exact nature of the association between sleep and hypertension risk is unknown, the team said sleep disturbances may lead to a series of events that could increase sodium retention, stiffness blood pressure and cardiac output, potentially leading to hypertension. Disturbances in the sleep/wake cycle can also influence the constriction/relaxation activity of blood vessels and the function of cells that regulate vascular tone.
“I hope these findings further highlight the crucial role quality sleep plays in our overall well-being. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends getting seven or more hours of sleep per night, and if you can’t fall asleep or stay asleep, it is worth exploring the reasons for this situation”, concluded Shahab Haghayegh, author of the work, in a statement.