That Health Rules

A simple measure to reduce BP is to have a good night’s sleep!!!

Here’s a new study that shows us one tip to have a better controlled blood pressure  published in Archives of Internal Medicine:

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BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have reported an association between self-reported short sleep duration and high blood pressure (BP). Our objective was to examine both cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between objectively measured sleep and BP.

METHODS: This study is ancillary to the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) cohort study. Blood pressure was measured in 2000 and 2001 and in 2005 and 2006. Sleep was measured twice using wrist actigraphy for 3 consecutive days between 2003 and 2005. Sleep duration and sleep maintenance (a component of sleep quality) were calculated. Analyses included 578 African Americans and whites aged 33 to 45 years at baseline. Outcome measures were systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) levels, 5-year change in BP, and incident hypertension.

RESULTS: After we excluded the patients who were taking antihypertensive medications and adjusted for age, race, and sex,

• shorter sleep duration and lower sleep maintenance predicted significantly higher SBP and DBP levels cross-sectionally as well as more adverse changes in SBP and DBP levels over 5 years (all P < .05).
• Short sleep duration also predicted significantly increased odds of incident hypertension (odds ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.78).
•  Adjustment for 16 additional covariates, including snoring and daytime sleepiness, slightly attenuated the associations between sleep and BP.

 CONCLUSION: Reduced sleep duration and consolidation predicted higher BP levels and adverse changes in BP, suggesting the need for studies to investigate whether interventions to optimize sleep may reduce BP.
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There you go guys… nake sure you sleep better..and rest well. 

Dont let worries or pressure bother you too much. 

Associate the bed with a good night’s sleep…  not only will you feel refreshed the next day BUT healthier too!

For a Healthier Heart… Sleep Well!!!

This entry was posted on July 4, 2009 at 8:54 am and is filed under General Health Tips, Healthy Practice Tips, Lifestyle Measures, Medical News Bits, Tips on Hypertension, Tips To Protect Your Heart.