Skipping Sleep Increases Blood Pressure

Middle-aged adults who are chronically sleep deprived may be at increased risk for developing high blood pressure.

Researchers have observed that missing an average of one hour of sleep nightly over five years raised the risk of developing high blood pressure by 37 percent. The study was released in the June 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study evaluated 578 adults with an average age of 40. The amount of nightly sleep and blood pressure measurements were followed. The volunteers slept an average of six hours, and only 1 percent slept eight hours or more. Those who slept five hours compared to six hours had a 37 percent increased risk of developing high blood pressure.

Sleep deprivation has been shown to be related to many health consequences in adults, including: obesity, increased risk of infections, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. High blood pressure affects one third of Americans and contributes to 7 million deaths each year.

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