Summary: Research reveals that people with high blood pressure who also sleep less than six hours per night face increased risks of brain injury, accelerated brain aging, and impaired executive function. The study assessed 682 participants from the Framingham heart Study, analyzing sleep patterns, blood pressure, cognitive performance, and brain MRIs.
These risks were not present in individuals with normal blood pressure, highlighting a concerning interaction between sleep deprivation and hypertension. Researchers suggest treating sleep problems and hypertension as potential interventions to protect brain health and delay cognitive decline.
Key Facts:
- Combined Risk: Short sleep and hypertension together substantially worsen cognitive function and brain health compared to either condition alone.
- Brain MRI Findings: High blood pressure paired with insufficient sleep is associated with brain injury and markers of accelerated brain aging.
- Intervention Opportunity: Treating sleep problems and lowering blood pressure could offer new strategies for preventing brain-related aging and injury.
People with high blood pressure who also lack sleep may be at increased risk of reduced cognitive performance and greater brain injury, Monash University research has found.
Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers assessed whether the combined effect of hypertension and short sleep duration had a negative impact on brain health.
they used data from 682 dementia-free Framingham Heart Study participants who completed overnight sleep recordings, self-reported sleep duration questionnaires, blood pressure and cognitive assessments; 637 underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
In those with high blood pressure, shorter sleep duration was associated with poorer executive functioning and markers of brain injury and accelerated brain ageing on MRI. These associations were not observed in people with normal blood pressure.
These results were similar following adjustment for genetic, clinical and demographic variables.
Insufficient sleep is generally defined as less than seven hours. Participants reported sleeping an average of seven hours per night, with 32 percent reporting a short sleep duration of less than six hours per night.
Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea was identified in 16 percent of individuals, and almost one-quarter of the overall sample reported using sleeping pills regularly.
“In individuals with hypertension, shorter sleep duration was associated with worse cognitive performance and greater brain injury,” the study found.
“Inadequate sleep has been linked to hypertension and dementia, and though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, it is possible that short sleep and hypertension interact to increase the risk of cognitive impairment and vascular brain injury.”
While the cohort was based in the US, researchers believe the results would be similar in Australia.
Senior author Associate Professor Matthew Pase, from the Monash University School of Psychological Sciences and turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, said short sleep duration was already associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.
“These findings have significance, given that over one-third of Australians experience sleep problems,” associate Professor Pase said.
“Importantly, sleep problems and hypertension are treatable. Addressing these factors may offer new opportunities for intervention to improve brain health.”
first author Dr Stephanie Yiallourou, from the Monash University School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, said screening people with high blood pressure for insufficient sleep could allow tailored therapies to improve brain aging and reduce brain injury.
Dr Yiallourou said they could also be targeted for new randomised controlled trials to determine the efficacy of sleep treatments and blood pressure-lowering therapies in preventing or delaying cognitive impairment.
“The next step in this research is to explore whether the double hit of short sleep and hypertension is associated with dementia risk in the long term,” she said.
Funding: This work was supported by an Alzheimer’s Association Grant.
About this sleep and brain aging research news
Original Research: Open access.
“short Sleep Duration and Hypertension: A Double Hit for the Brain” by Matthew Pase et al. Journal of the American Heart Association
abstract
short Sleep Duration and Hypertension: A Double Hit for the Brain
background
Short sleep duration has been associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Short sleep is associated with elevated blood pressure, yet the combined insult of short sleep and hypertension on brain health remains unclear.
Methods and Results
A total of 682 dementia‐free participants (mean age, 62±9 years; 53% women) from the Framingham Heart Study completed assessments of cognition, office blood pressure, and self‐reported habitual and polysomnography‐derived sleep duration; 637 underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging.
Linear regressions were performed to assess effect modification by hypertensive status on total sleep time (coded in hours) and cognitive and magnetic resonance imaging outcomes.
there was a significant interaction between sleep duration and hypertensive status when predicting executive function/processing speed (Trail Making B‐A) and white matter hyperintensities.
When results were stratified by hypertensive status, longer sleep duration was associated with better executive functioning/processing speed scores in the hypertensive group (meaning that shorter sleep duration was associated with poorer executive function/processing speed scores) (self‐report sleep: β=0.041 [95% CI, 0.012–0.069], P=0.005; polysomnography sleep: β=0.045 [95% CI, 0.002–0.087], P=0.038), but no association was observed for the normotensive group.
Similarly, shorter subjective sleep duration was associated with higher white matter hyperintensity burden in the hypertensive group (β=−0.115 [95% CI, −0.227 to −0.004], P=0.042), but not in the normotensive group.
Conclusions
In individuals with hypertension, shorter sleep duration was associated with poorer cognitive outcomes.
sleep duration was associated with worse cognitive performance and greater brain injury.
What are the long-term effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function in individuals with hypertension?
time.news Editor: Thank you for joining us today, Associate Professor Matthew Pase from Monash University! Your recent study on the interaction between sleep deprivation and hypertension has sparked a lot of interest. Can you start by explaining the core findings of your research?
Associate Professor Matthew Pase: Thank you for having me! Our study examined 682 participants from the Framingham Heart Study and focused on how short sleep duration—defined as less than six hours a night—interacts with high blood pressure. We found that individuals with high blood pressure who also slept less faced significant cognitive impairment, brain injuries, and accelerated brain aging. Notably, these detrimental effects weren’t observed in individuals with normal blood pressure.
Time.news Editor: That’s quite concerning. The combined effect of high blood pressure and insufficient sleep seems to worsen cognitive function and brain health.Could you elaborate on the brain MRI findings you mentioned?
Associate Professor Matthew Pase: Certainly! Our MRI assessments revealed that those suffering from both hypertension and low sleep duration exhibited markers of brain injury, along with signs of accelerated brain aging. This could point towards an urgent need to consider the overall health of our brain in relation to how we manage blood pressure and sleep.
Time.news Editor: It’s alarming to hear how interconnected these factors are. You also mentioned that sleep problems and hypertension are treatable conditions. What recommendations would you give to individuals at risk?
Associate Professor Matthew Pase: Great question! Both hypertension and poor sleep can often be managed through lifestyle changes. Encouraging regular sleep patterns, improving sleep hygiene, and, if necessary, utilizing medical interventions like sleep aids or hypertension medications can be pivotal. Addressing these components could substantially enhance brain health and delay cognitive decline.
Time.news Editor: With over one-third of Australians experiencing sleep issues, as you noted, what impact do you think public health initiatives could have in raising awareness about these risks?
Associate Professor Matthew Pase: Public health initiatives are crucial.By promoting better sleep hygiene and regular health check-ups to monitor blood pressure, we can potentially mitigate the risks associated with hypertension and sleep deprivation. Awareness campaigns can educate the public about the importance of these factors and provide resources to help individuals seek proper treatment.
Time.news Editor: It’s fascinating how much potential there is for intervention. What do you hope will be the next steps in research following your findings?
Associate Professor Matthew Pase: I’m hopeful that future research will delve deeper into the mechanisms underlying the interaction of sleep deprivation and hypertension.Understanding why these factors exacerbate each other could lead to targeted interventions. additionally, studies that focus on diverse populations can definitely help determine if these findings are consistent across different demographics.
Time.news Editor: Thank you, Associate Professor Pase, for sharing these important insights. It’s clear that managing sleep and blood pressure might be key players in the quest for better brain health.
Associate Professor Matthew Pase: Thank you for having me! It’s crucial that we continue to discuss and explore these connections for the sake of public health.