Proper Sleep equals better control of Blood Pressure and CardioVascular Health

According to Sheldon Sheps, M.D. of the Mayo Clinic A report published in the May 2006 medical journal Hypertension suggests that long-term sleep deprivation increases the risk of hypertension (high blood pressure). High Blood Pressure is defined at 140 mm Hg or greater (systolic pressure) and 90 mm Hg or greater diastolic pressure
In one study, 4810 group members (ranging in age from 32 to 86) slept less than 6 hours a night. It was found that this group had over 2x risk of high blood pressure. This association was not significant in participants older than 59 years.


Heart Disease. Another long term study looked at loss of sleep and Heart Disease. This study group included healthy female nurses. Almost 2% of those who said they slept less than five hours a night developed heart disease over a 10-year stretch This compared with 1.1% of those who reported sleeping seven to eight hours a night. Those sleeping more than nine hours a night were also at increased risk. This study also showed an increase in diabetes in this group involving nurses.

Dying prematurely. A six-year study of more than a million adult Americans showed that premature deaths were more common among those who reported averaging less than 4.5 hours or more than 8.5 hours of sleep a night.