Less sleep may be associated with hypertension risk
A systematic review and meta-analysis found that patients who self-reported sleeping less than seven hours a night were more likely to develop hypertension, with a stronger correlation seen in women and those younger than age 60.
Hypertension is significantly correlated with self-report of sleeping less than seven hours a night, especially in women and those younger than age 60 years, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis.
To assess the association between sleep duration and hypertension, researchers analyzed 23 studies published through May 2023. Results were published Feb. 4 by the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Of 173,734 participants included in the meta-analysis, 41,528 eventually developed hypertension. The pooled risk estimate for hypertension was 1.07 (95% CI, 1.00 to 1.14) for those sleeping seven or fewer hours a night, 1.04 (95% CI, 1.02 to 1.07) for those sleeping six to seven hours, and 1.17 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.28) for those sleeping less than six hours. For women, the risk was 1.07 (95% CI, 1.02 to 1.12) at six to seven hours of sleep a night and 1.12 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.19) at less than six hours a night. In people younger than age 60 years, less sleep was associated with further elevation in hypertension risk, with risk estimates of 1.24 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.39) for less than six hours and 1.05 (95% CI, 1.00 to 1.11) for between six and seven hours.
There was no association between hypertension and more than eight hours of sleep per night, “suggesting that lack of sleep rather than excessive sleep is related to the onset of hypertension,” the study authors said. They noted that when results were broken out by sex, the correlation between hypertension and insufficient nighttime sleep was not significant in men, indicating that nighttime sleep duration is more likely to affect hypertension onset in women.
Limitations of the research include a significant reliance on self-reported measurements of sleep duration and quality, which may not accurately reflect actual sleep patterns. Specific bedtimes, sleep quality, or the impact of taking naps could all obscure the true nature of the relationship between sleep and hypertension, the authors noted.
“Sleep is a complex event, and future studies could further explore the intricate interplay between different aspects of sleep, such as sleep stages and patterns, and their specific effects on blood pressure regulation,” they. “Simultaneously, investigating the potential mechanisms by which sleep influences the onset of hypertension in individuals under the age of 60 and in females is of paramount importance for developing more precise treatments and preventive measures for hypertension.”