If you want to reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure, the quality of your sleep may be as important as the number of hours of sleep you get each night. Research published in the journal Hypertension found links between sleep problems and hypertension.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Peter C. Farrell Professor of Sleep Medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, found that men who had the least amount of deep sleep (what the researchers described as “slow-wave sleep”) experienced an 80 percent greater chance of developing hypertension than men who enjoyed the greatest amount of restorative sleep. That correlation held regardless of the number of hours the men slept.
Consider how some small children can sleep through anything! It turns out that our ability to enjoy a deep, refreshing sleep decreases as we get older. It ranges from about 40 percent of our sleep when we’re kids to about 25 percent as healthy adults. Older men may have the least amount. And while this was just one study, most experts agree that your risk of developing high blood pressure may increase if you frequently don’t get enough rest.
In addition to age, being overweight may also reduce your ability to get a good night’s rest. Not only do overweight people tend to have the fewest hours of quality sleep, but they are also at higher risk for sleep apnea. That’s a condition in which someone wakes up several times during the night, struggling to breath. Both obesity and sleep apnea are known risk factors for hypertension.
To improve your sleep quality, experts recommend:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day
- Avoid alcohol and tobacco before bedtime
- Avoid heavy meals before bedtime. If you need a snack, choose something containing tryptophan such as cottage cheese and bananas.
- Turn off electronic devices such as cell phones and computers, if you store them in the bedroom.
- Don’t type or text in bed. That can wind up you instead of calming you down.
