Sleep duration and risk for hypertension in women: results from the nurses' health study

Am J Hypertens. 2013 Jul;26(7):903-11. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpt044. Epub 2013 Apr 4.

Abstract

Background: Acute sleep restriction has been shown to increase blood pressure and sympathetic nervous system activity.

Methods: We investigated the relationships between sleep duration and hypertension among women whose sleep durations were self-reported in 1986 (n = 82,130) and 2000 (n = 71,658) in the Nurses' Health Study I (NHS-I) and in 2001 (n = 84,674) in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS-II).

Results: After controlling for multiple risk factors in logistic regression models, the prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher among women in all 3 groups who slept ≤5 hours (odds ratio = 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.14-1.25) per night compared with 7 hours. In prospective analyses using Cox regression shorter sleep duration of ≤5 hours per night was significantly associated with a higher incidence of hypertension only in younger women (hazard ratio [HR] =1.20, 95% CI = 1.09-1.31 for those aged <50 years; HR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.00-1.23 for those aged 50-59 years). In both prevalent and incident analyses, results were consistent with obesity acting as a partial mediator. Results were not consistent with diabetes or hypercholesterolemia acting as mediators or with shift work, snoring, menopause, or postmenopausal hormone therapy acting as effect modifiers.

Conclusions: Sufficient sleep could represent a lifestyle practice worthy of investigation as an approach to reduce hypertension incidence and prevalence.

Keywords: blood pressure; circadian rhythm; epidemiology; hypertension; obesity; sleep.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Blood Pressure / physiology*
  • Circadian Rhythm / physiology*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / epidemiology
  • Hypertension / etiology*
  • Hypertension / physiopathology
  • Incidence
  • Life Style
  • Middle Aged
  • Nurses*
  • Prevalence
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Sleep / physiology*
  • Time Factors
  • United States / epidemiology