The May issue of Hypertension: The Journal of the American Heart Association reports that people who sleep less than 7-8 hours per night may be 76% more likely to have high blood pressure.
Even with routine checks and early detection, hypertension is still on the rise among Americans. With the added stress to our heart and organs that comes with elevated blood pressure, we all need to be aware of this vital health measurement. This study was conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination study. With a test group of over 4,000 people, this study was able to monitor various health parameters in relation to lifestyle choices made by the test subjects.
Compared to patients who slept a minimum of seven hours per night, subjects who slept five or less hours per night were 76 percent more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension. These patients also had a higher average body mass index, and reported exercising less frequently. The study did report that further research is needed to determine why this correlation exists, but there are some pretty well accepted hypothesis.
Just like mom used to say, “You need a good night sleep.” It has been proven that sleep is when our body does most of its healing. When we are sleep deprived, our body has to use “artificial” means to keep the body going throughout the day. This normally results in an overuse of our adrenaline system. Adrenaline gives the body an increased state of awareness, and a little extra strength when we need it, by increasing the heart rate and blood pressure. However it was not designed to be used on a daily basis, and over time it is believed to alter our resting blood pressure.
Other factors that can cause our blood pressure to be elevated include: weight, exercise levels, smoking, and diet. As our weight increases so does the bodies amount of blood, and the number of blood vessels in the body. Just like plumbing, if you increase the amount of fluid and the number of pipes, we are going to have to increase the pressure in the system to deliver blood to all of the tissues. Exercise does a great job of increasing blood circulation, which in turn delivers the needed nutrients to our tissues, and therefore, lets our blood pressure relax when we are not exercising.
Smoking on the other hand makes our smallest blood vessels constrict, and this constriction not only decreases the bodies ability deliver oxygen to the tissues, but it also increases our blood pressure. Diet is a little more confusing. Some foods, such as salty foods, will cause our body to retain water. With extra fluid in the same amount of space, the pressure is forced to rise. On the other hand, a diet high in fiber, and water intake, will let the body flush out extra fluid, and decrease the body’s blood pressure.
It seems like such a simple problem to fix, but in today’s busy society, trying to find two extra hours to sleep can be impossible. As opposed to visiting our doctor and trying yet another medication to cover up a problem caused by bad habits, maybe we need to re-evaluate our schedules. It seems that our parents were right after all, we just needed a good nights sleep.