I’m sure we can all recall a time when a doctor or parent told us that we needed more sleep or that “a good night’s sleep can make everything better.” Well, they might just be right. Many of us do not meet the minimum sleep hours recommendations by age. These include 6-12 year olds requiring 9-12 hours, teens requiring 8-10 hours, adults requiring 7 plus hours, and those over 60 who require closer to 9 hours of sleep a night. Factors affecting sleep include long work hours, distractions of children and pets, caffeine use and screen time.
Heart health has been suggested to be adversely affected in those with “night owl” or little sleep tendencies. Recently a study was published in the journal “Hypertension” that showed more concrete evidence of what changes may occur. This called “Effects of Experimental Sleep Restriction on Ambulatory and Sleep Blood Pressure in Healthy Young Adults: A Randomized Crossover Study” examined 20 young adults in 24 hour periods of sleep restriction for cardiovascular effects on their bodies. These individuals were monitored in the hospital for just over two weeks; including a 3 day acclimation, 9 days of sleep restriction (4 hours per night) versus restful sleep (9 hours per night in control group), followed by a 3 day recovery.
They found a mean blood pressure increase of 2.1 mg in sleep-deprived subjects, attenuated endothelial function and increased norepinephrine in plasma. The deprived subjects’ BP was elevated throughout the day including during deep sleep, restriction or wakefulness as well as recovery. These adverse effects were markedly worse in women where 24 hour systolic BP increased by 8mm and 11.3 during sleep. Pressor effects are noted and in this study are isolated to poor sleep as the cause, since diet and other factors were constant. Women unfortunately appear even less tolerant or adaptable to sleep deprivation. Just think of the effects of sleep deprivation over many weeks or years! So rest up to be healthy as these sleep hours in your day may just be the most important hours of the day.
