Having long periods of inadequate sleep is connected to significant development in blood pressure during the nighttime hours.
This claim was the discovery of a small study from Mayo Clinic. CDC – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that there is a public health epidemic in the US featuring by inadequate sleep.
In addition, inadequate sleep is connected to motor vehicle accidents, medical errors, industrial disaster and occupational mistakes as well. Those with inadequate sleep are at higher risk of chronic diseases like high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, cancer, depression, premature death as well as decreased quality of life and productivity.
In the study, the Mayo team recruited 8 healthy individuals with normal weight, from 19 to 36, for the 16 day inpatient trial. The 4 initial days are called acclimatization stage, the next 9 days of either normal sleep (9 hours/night), or sleep restriction (4 hours of sleeping per night), and the last 3 days are recovery stage. [Read: seasonal sleep tips]
The blood pressure of those participants was controlled regularly over the period of studying.
In the end, the results showed that, during the nighttime, the average blood pressure readings in the sleep restriction stage in comparison with the normal sleep stage were 115/64 mm/Hg vs 105/57 mm/Hg.
Normally, people expect blood pressure to fall during nighttime, yet researchers discovered this was not the case during the stage of restricted sleep.
Also, the researchers found that heart rate in nighttime tended to be higher during the sleep restricted phase than in normal sleep stage.
According to the lead author of the new study, Dr. Naima Covassin, it is known that high blood pressure, especially during nighttime, is considered one of the main potential risk factors for strokes and heart attacks.
Tips on how to sleep better:
The National Sleep Foundation recommend good things people could do to make their bedroom sleep-friendly:
• Dim the bedroom lights about 1 hour before going to bed in order to signal to the body that i is going to reach sleep time
• Make the bedroom relaxing and peaceful by keeping it clutter-free and decorating it lovingly
• Keep the bedroom cool for sleep, from 16 to 19°C (60-67 °F) is ideal
• Choose mattresses as well as pillows that are really comfortable
• Minimize noise – a noise conditioner or fan could help by giving a soothing consistent backdrop
• Taking advantage of soothing scents – they could boost mood before the bedtime
• Switch off electronics whilst sleeping – light receptors in the retina signal to the human brain about the status of the around world and might impact sleep-wake rhythms.
On the other hand, other habits for improving good sleep contain going to bed regularly at the same time every night and so it does with getting up every morning, plus avoiding consuming large meals, alcohol and caffeine close to the bedtime, and also avoiding nicotine. [Must read: Sleep Tracks review – an easy guide to avoid sleep disorders]
In addition, recently it is found that sleep apnea is associated with a significantly increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. Nonetheless, those researchers from Sweden found that the risk decreases with effective continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP).
