Khaberni - A new study has revealed that sticking to a fixed bedtime every night may help lower blood pressure in people with hypertension.
The study, titled "Regulation of Bedtimes as a Potential Adjuvant Therapy for Hypertension," was conducted at the Oregon Institute for Occupational Health Sciences, and published in the journal "Sleep Advances".
The lead researcher, Associate Professor Sorab Thosar, says the findings show that this simple intervention may offer substantial benefits even for patients who are on standard medications for treating hypertension.
Simple trial and significant results
The researchers recruited 11 middle-aged individuals with hypertension. After a week of monitoring their natural sleeping habits, they were asked to select a specific bedtime and adhere to it for two weeks, without any naps during the day, and without changing the duration of sleep, just its regularity.
With the bedtime made consistent, the nightly variation in sleep times for the participants decreased from 30 minutes to just 7 minutes, a modest change that directly reflected on their cardiovascular health, as their blood pressure dropped over 24 hours by an average of 4 mmHg systolic and 3 mmHg diastolic, with an even greater decrease at night by an average of 5 mmHg systolic and 4 mmHg diastolic. These numbers match the effects of exercise or reducing salt in the diet.
The researchers point out that a reduction of 5 mmHg in nighttime blood pressure reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases by more than 10%, a clinically significant improvement.
Strong link to the biological clock
The study's results align with previous research that linked sleep timing disruptions with a higher risk of developing hypertension. A large study showed that extending bedtime by half an hour from one day to the next increases the risk of high blood pressure by 30%.
Thosar and his colleague Leandro Campos de Brito believe that disrupting bedtime confuses the biological clock that regulates sleep-wake cycles and heart functions. Normally, blood pressure naturally drops during sleep, but irregular bedtimes can prevent this vital decline.
Preliminary step and larger studies to come
The researchers affirm that the results need larger and more rigorous trials, but the initial signs are very promising.
Unlike medications, which may carry side effects, or difficult lifestyle changes such as strict diets or intensive exercise, sleeping at the same time each night is perhaps the easiest step anyone can follow.
The study adds new evidence that the regularity of sleep is just as important as its duration, at a time when previous medical guidelines focused on the number of hours of sleep without regards to its consistency.
The research team concludes that the results, despite needing more studies, suggest that scheduling bedtime might become an important part of future hypertension treatment protocols.
