Forty winks too few, say hypertension researchers

NEW YORK - Skimping on sleep over a prolonged period appears to be an important risk factor for developing high blood pressure, says a new report.

"People who sleep for only short durations raise their average 24-hour blood pressure and heart rate," said Dr James E. Gangwisch, from Columbia University in New York. "This may set up the cardiovascular system to operate at an elevated pressure."

Previous reports 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.

The new findings, published in the journal Hypertension, are based on an analysis of data for 4810 subjects, between 32 and 86 years old.

Hypertension was diagnosed in 647 subjects during the follow-up period from 1982 to 1992.

Among those aged 32 to 59 years, sleeping fewer than 6 hours a night more than doubled the risk of developing hypertension, the report indicated.

The association remained significant even after taking obesity and diabetes into account.

The researchers said further studies were needed to better understand the mechanisms linking sleep deprivation with high blood pressure.

"If short sleep duration functions to increase blood pressure, then interventions that increase the amount and quality of sleep could potentially serve as treatments and as primary preventative measures for hypertension."

- REUTERS