No link between insomnia and high blood pressure

New research has found that there is no link between insomnia and the risk of developing high blood pressure.

The study, from St Michael's Hospital, found people that suffer from insomnia or irregular sleep patterns are not at a higher risk of having high blood pressure. This is good news for third of adults who are thought to suffer from the condition as there has been a "growing concern" that the two could be linked.

Dr Nicholas Vozoris, a respirologist at St. Michael's, said more patients and healthcare providers were worried about the potential medical consequences of insomnia, especially on the heart.

If a link was proven, it could have major implications for the health care system as it would not only pose the problem of long-term screenings for the vast number of people suffering from insomnia, but would also increase the prescription of sleeping pills to try and prevent high blood pressure.

Dr Vozoris said the overprescription of sleeping pills is already a problem as they come with a number of side effects including addiction, overdose, car accidents and falls. He added that previous studies have suggested a link between insomnia and high blood pressure but these were often based on small numbers of people. 

Using the data of nearly 13,000 Americans that participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Dr Vozoris combined it with interviews and physical examinations to determine the health risks of insomnia.

Participants were asked about their insomnia symptoms, and their responses were then correlated with whether they had been diagnosed with high blood pressure, had taken anti-hypertension drugs, or had measured high blood pressure.

"After adjusting for many factors, including whether or not participants were receiving blood pressure pills or sleeping pills, there were generally no associations between insomnia and high blood pressure, even among people who were suffering from insomnia the most often," said Dr Vozoris. "These results should reassure patients and their doctors that insomnia and high blood pressure are unlikely to be linked."