2 replies to this topic

[renfr]

Really, what is the root cause of sleep deprivation induced high blood pressure? I can't seem to find it.membrane
Is it a neurotransmitter imbalance, an hormone imbalance?
I sometimes have to cut my sleep to 5-6h instead of my usual 7h and everytime just a slight deprivation causes high blood pressure.
Another symptom is increased skin sensitivity.

[shaggy]

I can't see that losing 1 or 2 hours like you suggest would make any difference.

I've been chronically sleep deprived since early Feb when my wife of 20 years called time on our relationship. I'm averaging only 3-4 hours a night maximum, some nights none at all due to the emotional turmoil my minds in and thats even with sleeping pills etc. My BP hasn't changed much even with my much heightened anxiety.

My systolic and diastolic are maybe 8-10 points up each at the moment. Still just below 140-90 cut off point, so I won't be losing further sleep over my BP...lol.

Edited by shaggy, 08 May 2013 - 01:08 PM.

[Tom_]

Unless you tested your blood pressure at the same time of day at resting for at least a week when not sleep deprived and compared it to sleep deprived blood preassure then any reading is effectively useless anyway. Neurotransmitter and hormone 'imbalences' are outdated by some 20-30 years worth of research.

That being said sleep depervation does cause (with studies to back it up) increases in blood preasure and increases risk for cardiovasular events. Its as with nearly anything contested as to why but there is pleanty of evidence showing increase in plasma cortisol, adrenaline, noradrenaline and other stress related physiological changes. Sleep depervation is also shown to worsen mood and is a risk factor for affective disorders, primarily mood and anxiety as well as a liable affect - whether its short term or long term affective. These are heavily linked to stress responses and are likely to further increase blood pressure (and are risks by themselves for cardiovasular events). You can make a good arguement without a research base (to the best of my knowledge) that people nearly always worry about lack of sleep, which is conditioned from childhood causing excess anxiety seperate from the affective problems sleep debt causes, leading to an even more increased stress response. Then you have the problem of stimulant abuse - whether it be cocaine or caffine, sleep deprived people are more likely to use stimulants. It also gets screwy with insulin. Then you have the ramifications on your circadian rythems which aren't all from the superciasmic neuclus and also are regulated from places like the liver. Reduced melatonin output means less antioxidants. I'm sure I could carry on...the reasons are many but obvious.

It the short term the changes to blood pressure are negligable. Chronic sleep deprevation while very unlikely to be a sole cause can act as both a gate way to other unhealthy behaviours (stimulant abuse, eating fast food, less exercise) and contribute to hypertension. My worst bouts of insomnia where I count my hours of sleep at the end of the week rather than by day lead to significant increases in blood pressure putting me in pre-hypertension (=> 140/90) and I'm only 18.