The Importance of Sleep in Maintaining a Healthy Blood Pressure

Stress levels, diet, and exercise are three of the most important contributing factors to heart health. Exercise strengthens your cardiovascular system, a healthy diet provides necessary vitamins and nutrients, and sleep gives your body time to heal from stress and rejuvenate itself. If you’re not getting proper rest, it will catch up to you eventually.

At West Houston Heart Center, located in Houston, Texas, cardiologist Dr. Humayun Naqvi provides a comprehensive range of heart health and interventional cardiac services, including preventive cardiology to help you keep your heart healthy and strong. Here’s how sleep helps you maintain a healthy blood pressure and heart.

Sleep and hypertension 

It’s recommended that adults get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night, if not more. However, very few people get a full night’s rest. An estimated one-third of Americans don’t get the recommended amount of sleep, and even many teenagers and children, whose developing bodies need more rest than adults, still don’t manage to meet those requirements. 

While this might not affect your health much in the short-term, it can have long-term effects on your mood, metabolism, and cardiovascular health. Lack of sleep and hypertension are closely linked, and long hours at work or school only add to the problem, exhausting you mentally and physically. 

This stress and fatigue can take a serious toll on your health. As your blood pressure rises, your heart has to work harder to keep up. Sleep gives your body a necessary reprieve, allowing you to relax and recover. 

However, if you’re experiencing heightened blood pressure while asleep, your heart isn't being given a break at all. Heightened BP at night considerably increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially if you suffer from a disorder like insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). 

Getting better sleep

Simply getting better sleep can prevent life-threatening complications like heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. This makes it an essential part of preventive cardiology, a type of medical care that meets you where you are and finds the best ways to improve your heart health. 

At West Houston Heart Center, Dr. Naqvi and his team evaluate every aspect of your cardiovascular health, starting with a basic physical exam and moving through a battery of additional screenings, including imaging tests like echocardiograms. 

This information from your initial evaluation is used to build a treatment program that addresses your needs. Your customized plan might include: 

• Weight loss and nutritional counseling
• Diabetes management 
• Cholesterol management 
• Altering current medications 
• Cardiac rehabilitation 

You also receive guidance and education about your unique situation. Many people struggle to find a cardiologist who works with them, rather than simply providing brochures and expecting them to do the rest. 

Dr. Naqvi continues to monitor your cardiac activity with ongoing visits and follow-up tests, and you can use these opportunities to ask questions and discuss any concerns you might have, including poor sleep. 

Struggling with hypertension? Schedule a consultation with Dr. Naqvi and his team by calling West Houston Heart Center at 832-400-3957, or request an appointment online.