Poor sleep may cause high blood pressure? Some researchers report that poor sleep has become a risk factor for hypertension in the group of young and middled-aged people.

1. Insufficient sleep or excessive sleep

There is a U-shape curve relationship between sleep duration and high blooe pressure, which means sleeping for not-enough time or too much will increase the risk of developing hypertension. It is suggested to sleep for 7 or 8 hours for adults.

Previous studies have showed that people aged 32 to 59 who averaged less than 6 hours of sleep were more than twice as likely to develop hypertension as those who have enough sleep time. Those who sleep less than 4.9 hours have 3.15 times of the risk of developing hypertension.

• Why does lack of sleep affect our blood pressure?
When our sleep time is reduced, the waking time is relatively prolonged, the excitability on the heart influenced by the sympathetic nerve system is strengthened, which will activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, promoting a series of hormones secretion, then resulting in increased blood pressure.

In addition, hypertension can also affect sleep, causing autonomic dysfunction, resulting in a significant decline in sleep quality. Eventually, there is a vicious cycle between sleep deprivation and high blood pressure.

2. Snoring

Mild snoring has little impact on health, but severe snoring with apnea, known medically as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is a cause for alarm.

Studies have shown that about 50% – 92% of OSA patients have hypertension, and 30% – 50% of hypertension patients have OSA. Excluding the influence of obesity and age, OSA has become an independent risk factor for hypertension.

• Why does snoring affect our hypertension?
OSA patients are prone to apnea during sleep, which leads to intermittent hypoxia. The transition from hypoxia to resuming breathing increases the activity of sympathetic nerves, causing peripheral vascular contraction.

In addition, the impaired endothelial function of resistence vessels will affect their diastolic function, resulting in vasoconstriction and increased blood pressure. Studies have shown that endothelium – dependent dilation of resistance vessels is impaired in OSA patients compared with healthy people.

According to the American Sleep Association, the repetitive breathing pauses caused by sleep apnea during the nights can occur several times per hour and last for over 10 seconds. We recommend the SleepU Sleep Oxygen Monitor or O2Ring Wearable Oxygen Monitor for maximum nighttime comfort while keeping your sleep apnea at bay.