Mio Kobayashi Frisk
Image source: Göteborgs universitet
The results are published in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
High blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors for heart attack and stroke. Elevated blood pressure can have many underlying causes, such as obesity, stress, or kidney disease. Sleep apnea is already known as a contributing factor – but for the first time, this study shows that the combination of sleep apnea and insomnia represents the strongest risk factor for uncontrolled hypertension.
Sleep apnea involves repeated pauses in breathing during the night, leading to oxygen deficiency and disturbed sleep. Insomnia refers to long-term sleep difficulties – such as trouble falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night, or waking too early in the morning.
The study included nearly 4,000 randomly selected middle-aged adults from the general population. Participants underwent extensive health examinations, including blood pressure measurements and an overnight home sleep study. They were divided into four groups: those without sleep problems (2,616 people), those with insomnia (404), those with sleep apnea (694), and those with both problems (118). Blood pressure readings above 140/90 mmHg were considered high.
The results showed that 4.5% of people with insomnia alone had high blood pressure, compared with 7.9% of those with sleep apnea alone and 10.2%of those with both conditions.