A study found that sleep deprivation in people with high blood pressure may increase the risk of cognitive decline and brain damage.
Journal of the American Heart AssociationThe study, published in , evaluated the negative effects of high blood pressure combined with short sleep duration on brain health.
Researchers at Monash University in Australia analyzed data from 682 participants (average age 62 years, 53% female) from the Framingham Heart Study, an American heart disease cohort study. Those without dementia symptoms completed sleep records, sleep duration questionnaires, blood pressure, and cognitive assessments.Additionally, 637 people underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
MRI confirmed that brain damage and brain aging progressed more quickly in people with high blood pressure and short sleep duration. Additionally, a decline in executive function was also observed. This association was not observed in people with normal blood pressure. The negative association between hypertension and short sleep duration was consistent even after adjusting for genetic, clinical, and demographic variables.
In general, sleeping less than 7 hours is considered sleep deprivation. Participants’ average sleep duration was 7 hours, with 32% reporting short sleep durations of less than 6 hours. Additionally, 16% of participants had moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea refers to a temporary pause in breathing that lasts for more than 10 seconds during sleep, despite continued breathing efforts. Additionally, 25% of all participants revealed that they regularly take sleeping pills.
“In people with hypertension, shorter lifespan was associated with poorer cognitive function and greater brain damage. Insufficient sleep is associated with high blood pressure and dementia, and although the underlying mechanisms are not yet clear, there is a risk that short sleep and high blood pressure may interact to increase the risk of cognitive impairment and vascular brain damage,” the researchers wrote.
Short sleep duration has already been shown to be associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, senior author Matthew pase, associate professor at Monash University’s Department of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, said in a university press release. He explained that although short sleep has been linked to increased blood pressure,the combined effect of short sleep and high blood pressure on brain health was not clear before this study.
Department of Psychological Sciences and the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health said that by screening people with high blood pressure who are sleep deprived, they can reduce brain damage and prevent brain aging thru personalized treatment. He said it could be delayed.
Dr. Ialoru said he plans to study whether the double blow of short sleep and high blood pressure is associated with long-term dementia risk.
Park Hae-sik, Donga.com reporter [email protected]
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