Researchers at the American College of Cardiology have established a link between sleeping less than seven hours and an increased risk of high blood pressure.
In as much as previous studies had already linked poor sleeping habits to high blood pressure, the results weren’t precise. However, most recent statistics show the likelihood of developing high blood pressure later in life increases with decreasing sleep duration, with women at more risk than males.
Given that sleep habits tend to change with age, researchers were surprised to find that there were no age-based changes in the link between sleep duration and hypertension. Participants’ ages ranged from 35.4 to 60.9 years, with women making up the majority (61%) of the group.
The study’s primary investigator, Kaveh Hosseini, an assistant professor of cardiology at the Tehran Heart Center in Iran admitted that the study found a 7% increased risk of high blood pressure when participants of the study reported sleep duration of less than seven hours.
This risk increased to 11% when sleep duration was less than five hours. Women who reported getting less than seven hours of sleep had a 7% higher chance of high blood pressure than did men.
Hosseini stated that further research is needed to evaluate the association between sleep duration and high blood pressure using more accurate methods, like polysomnography. Moreover, the variations in reference sleep duration underline the need for standardized definitions in sleep research to enhance the comparability and generalizability of findings across diverse studies.
“People who have sleep problems that may be the result of obstructive sleep apnea should discuss their sleep patterns with their healthcare provider. Studies have linked an increased incidence of high blood pressure, stroke, and coronary artery disease to sleep apnea,” he added.
Source: NewScientist.com
