Chronic Insomnia Linked To Risk Of Hypertension, According To Study

Can't sleep? Have you ever thought it might have something to do with high blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension?

A new study published in the journal Hypertension suggests that people who take longer than 14 minutes to fall asleep may also be at a greater risk of hypertension than counterparts, which can increase the risk of a number of related health issues.

For the study, researchers at West China Hospital examined 219 participants diagnosed with chronic insomnia and 96 people that are normal sleepers, all an average age of 40. All participants underwent a night of sleep observation and a Multiple Latency Sleep Test (MSLT), a sleep diagnostic tool that measures excessive daytime sleepiness. Participants were given four 20-minute naps over two-hour intervals during the day.

Findings revealed that 50 percent struggled to fall asleep within 14 minutes-some even described as "hyper aroused."

"We observed a strong correlation between the degree of physiological hyper-arousal and hypertension," said Xiangdong Tang M.D., Ph.D, co- author of the study and professor of sleep medicine at West China Hospital, Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, in a news release.

While researchers also kept other factors in mind, including sleep apnea, diabetes, obesity, smoking, alcohol and caffeine use in order, a thorough analysis showed that those with chronic insomnia still suffered from an almost tripled risk of high blood pressure. Furthermore, those who spent longer than 17 minutes falling asleep increased their risk by up to 400 percent.

Researchers hope that future studies may help reveal new treatments for those suffering from the health issues in the future.

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