There's good news for nearly 30 per cent of adults who suffer from insomnia -difficulty falling asleep, waking up for prolonged hours during the night or unwanted early morning awakenings.
New research from St. Michael's Hospital has found that insomnia does not put them at increased risk of developing high blood pressure.
Insomnia Symptom Evaluation
Insomnia may be due to physiological, psychological, physical or environmental factors. Insomnia should be treated promptly in order to improve the quality of life and prevent other health problems.
Advertisement
Dr. Nicholas Vozoris, a respirologist at St. Michael's, said there is growing concern among patients and health care providers about the potential medical consequences of insomnia, especially on the cardiovascular system.
If there were a link, this would have at least two major implications for the health care system. First, because insomnia is a common problem and often chronic in duration, a large portion of the population would need long-term screening for the possible development of high blood pressure.
![Insomnia]( "Insomnia")
Difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep is known as insomnia. It is a symptom that occurs due to other disorders and can cause daytime sleepiness.
Second, doctors might prescribe sleeping pills more often in an effort to treat insomnia from a possible blood-pressure lowering perspective. Dr. Vozoris said sleeping pills are already used too often and associated with a number of serious side effects, including addiction, overdose, car accidents and falls.
Dr. Vozoris said previous studies that suggested a link between insomnia and high blood pressure were often based on small numbers of people. He examined data from nearly 13,000 Americans who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a series of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations.
Participants were asked about their insomnia symptoms, and their responses were correlated with whether they had doctor-diagnosed hypertension, were taking anti-hypertension drugs, or had measured high blood pressure.
"After adjusting for many factors, including whether or not participants were receiving blood pressure pills or sleeping pills, there were generally no associations between insomnia and high blood pressure, even among people who were suffering from insomnia the most often," said Dr. Vozoris. "These results should reassure patients and their doctors that insomnia and high blood pressure are unlikely to be linked."
His findings were published today in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
The study is believed to be the first to examine for hypertension among individuals who self-reported various frequencies of insomnia symptoms.
"Patients who are suffering from insomnia and physicians who are trying to take care of them shouldn't worry so much about insomnia affecting their heart in an adverse way," he said.
"By showing there is no link between this very common sleep disorder and high blood pressure, physicians can be more selective when prescribing sleeping pills and refrain from prescribing these medications from a cardio-protective perspective."
Source: Eurekalert
Insomnia
Difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep is known as insomnia. It is a symptom that occurs due to other disorders and can cause daytime sleepiness.
Advertisement
Second, doctors might prescribe sleeping pills more often in an effort to treat insomnia from a possible blood-pressure lowering perspective. Dr. Vozoris said sleeping pills are already used too often and associated with a number of serious side effects, including addiction, overdose, car accidents and falls.
Dr. Vozoris said previous studies that suggested a link between insomnia and high blood pressure were often based on small numbers of people. He examined data from nearly 13,000 Americans who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a series of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations.
Participants were asked about their insomnia symptoms, and their responses were correlated with whether they had doctor-diagnosed hypertension, were taking anti-hypertension drugs, or had measured high blood pressure.
"After adjusting for many factors, including whether or not participants were receiving blood pressure pills or sleeping pills, there were generally no associations between insomnia and high blood pressure, even among people who were suffering from insomnia the most often," said Dr. Vozoris. "These results should reassure patients and their doctors that insomnia and high blood pressure are unlikely to be linked."
His findings were published today in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
The study is believed to be the first to examine for hypertension among individuals who self-reported various frequencies of insomnia symptoms.
"Patients who are suffering from insomnia and physicians who are trying to take care of them shouldn't worry so much about insomnia affecting their heart in an adverse way," he said.
"By showing there is no link between this very common sleep disorder and high blood pressure, physicians can be more selective when prescribing sleeping pills and refrain from prescribing these medications from a cardio-protective perspective."
Source: Eurekalert
Sleep Disorder
Sleep disorders can either be having difficulty in getting sleep or dozing off at inappropriate time.
Advertisement
 Sleep Disturbances In WomenThe physical, emotional and hormonal changes that occur in women during puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause can cause Sleep Disturbances | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Research News
Decoding the eight factors affecting Black adults' life expectancy.
Sobering truth about foot travel in the United States emerges from international statistics, highlighting the prevalence of walking on the Blacksburg campus.
Unveiling a hidden mechanism, proteins within brain cells exhibit newfound abilities at synapses, reinforcing Darwin's theory of adaptation and diversity in the natural world.
Combining micro-needling and cupping, two emerging and alternative techniques, in an experimental study reveals a potential synergy for skin rejuvenation.
Despite a decline in COVID-19 cases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) raises global concerns by warning of an "inevitable" next pandemic known as "Disease X".