Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Apr 5;21(5):33.
doi: 10.1007/s11906-019-0938-7.

Sleep Duration and Blood Pressure: Recent Advances and Future Directions

Nour Makarem  1 , Ari Shechter  2 , Mercedes R Carnethon  3 , Janet M Mullington  4 , Martica H Hall  5 , Marwah Abdalla  6
Affiliations
Review

Sleep Duration and Blood Pressure: Recent Advances and Future Directions

Nour Makarem et al. Curr Hypertens Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: This review discusses the recent literature on subjectively and objectively assessed sleep duration in relation to hypertension risk and out-of-clinic blood pressure (BP) measures and highlights critical areas for future research.

Recent findings: Sleep duration, particularly short sleep, may influence BP through disturbed autonomic balance, hormonal imbalances, increased adiposity and metabolic dysfunction, and disrupted circadian rhythms. Observational studies indicate that short and long sleep are associated with hypertension risk, reduced nocturnal dipping, and elevated morning BP, but evidence is stronger for short sleep. Experimental sleep restriction increases BP, while sleep extension may lower BP in prehypertensive individuals. Women and racial/ethnic minorities are more prone to the detrimental effects of short sleep on BP. Additional studies are warranted to clarify the association of objectively assessed sleep with BP level and diurnal pattern and to determine the sex- and race-specific effects of sleep restriction and extension on BP.

Keywords: Adults; Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; Blood pressure; Hypertension; Sleep deprivation; Sleep duration.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this manuscript.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mechanisms underlying the association between sleep duration and blood pressure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. St-Onge M, Grandner MA, Brown D, Conroy MB, Jean-Louis G, Coons M, et al. Sleep duration and quality: impact on lifestyle behaviors and cardiometabolic health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2016;134(18):e367–86 - PMC - PubMed

    2. This statement summarizes the evidence on sleep duration and sleep disorders in relation to cardiometabolic health and indicates that short and long sleep duration are associated with adverse cardiometabolic risk profiles and outcomes.

    1. Institute of Medicine, Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research, Board on Health Sciences Policy. Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: an unmet public health problem. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2006. - PubMed
    1. Panel CC, Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, Bliwise DL, Buxton OM, et al. Joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society on the recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: methodology and discussion. Sleep. 2015;38(8):1161–83. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gangwisch JE. A review of evidence for the link between sleep duration and hypertension. Am J Hypert. 2014;27(10):1235–42. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, Casey DE, Collins KJ, Himmelfarb CD, et al. ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;71(19):e127–248 - PubMed

    2. This guideline statement includes new definitions for hypertension that will influence the ascertainment of hypertension in future epidemiological studies and emphasizes the importance of home blood pressure monitoring and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for the assessment of cardiovascular risk.

Publication types

MeSH terms