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Health Information
Hypertension-Sleep link
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sleep Shortfall Raises
Hypertension Risk
Concerned about high blood pressure? Make sure you get a good night's sleep. A new five-year study finds that for each one-hour reduction in sleep duration, the risk of hypertension increased 37%. Shorter sleep times were similarly linked with higher blood pressure and adverse changes in blood pressure. Previous studies have suggested that getting enough sleep may help reduce hypertension risk, but these relied on self-reported data; this new study monitored the sleep of its 535 participants, 43% of whom averaged fewer than six hours of nightly sleep. "Because of the major adverse health consequences of high blood pressure, the identification of a new and potentially modifiable risk factor has clinical implications," the researchers concluded. "Intervention studies are needed to determine whether optimizing sleep duration and quality can reduce the risk of increased blood pressure."-Archives of Internal Medicine
Could sleep also be a factor in your risk for diabetes? Read our research update.
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