Research

Hormonal

Acute sleep deprivation in hypertensive patients causes significant increases in nighttime and morning blood pressure and heart rate, driven by heightened sympathetic nervous system activity.

If you have high blood pressure, missing a night of sleep is not just about feeling tired; it puts physical stress on your heart. Your blood pressure and heart rate will stay high during the night and spike in the morning. Prioritize consistent, full nights of sleep to keep your blood pressure in check.

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These data suggest that lack of sleep in hypertensive patients may increase sympathetic nervous activity during the night and the following morning, leading to increased blood pressure and heart rate.
Paola Lusardi · American Journal of Hypertension · 1999

Why this rating

Randomized crossover design with objective ABPM and biochemical markers (norepinephrine), though small sample size (n=36).

Source

Effects of insufficient sleep on blood pressure in hypertensive patients A 24-h study

Paola Lusardi · American Journal of Hypertension · 1999

DOI 10.1016/s0895-7061(98)00200-3

crossover · n=36Cited 327×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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