Blood pressure linked to sleep deprivation
25-04-2013
Researchers at Columbia University have suggested that a lack of sleep, characterised by regularly sleeping less than five hours a night, may be linked to high blood pressure. The study looked at around 5000 people aged between 32 and 86 over a period of up to ten years. All of the participants were classed as having ‘normal’ blood pressure at the start of the investigation.
At the end of the study period, some 647 participants had developed high blood pressure, and these people reported that they regularly got less than five hours sleep per night. Other factors that were found to be contributory included a higher body mass index (BMI) and a general lack of exercise.
Lack of sleep has been linked in earlier studies to a number of health problems, such as diabetes and depression, along with various non-medical but unpleasant effects including low productivity.
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