Study: Insomnia Increases Hypertension Risk by 300%

Individuals with insomnia who take longer than 14 minutes to fall asleep are 300% more likely to develop hypertension, according to a recent study.

In order to examine the correlation between physiological hyperarousal—or taking a longer time to fall asleep—and the risk of hypertension, researchers monitored 219 chronic insomniac participants and 96 normal sleepers in a sleep lab for four 20-minute nap sessions at 2-hour intervals (9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm). Participants then completed a multiple latency sleep test (MSLT) the following day. Participants who took more than 14 minutes to fall asleep were categorized as hyperaroused.
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The study showed that an MSLT score that exceeded 14 minutes combined with chronic insomnia (difficulty sleeping for more than 6 months) increased the risk of hypertension by 300% in participants, and MSLT scores greater than 17 minutes yielded a heightened risk of 400%.

Investigators noted that while insomnia has typically been considered a nighttime sleep disorder, research suggests it is a 24-hour state of hyperarousal.

The complete report is published in the January issue of Hypertension.  

-Michelle Canales

Reference:

American Heart Association. Chronic insomniacs may face increased risk of hypertension. http://newsroom.heart.org/news/chronic-insomniacs-may-face-increased-risk-of-hypertension. Published January 26, 2015. Accessed January 27, 2015.