Sleep deprivation and high blood pressure are interlinked. The most important aspect of sleep in hypertension prevention and management is a good sleep hygiene, which ensures a consistent pattern of well rested hours. Doctors reveal the best position to sleep in with high blood pressure.
High blood pressure develops over time and is a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices such as not getting enough regular physical activity and the rise of hypertension in young people, especially in urban areas, is alarming and a matter of huge concern as uncontrolled hypertension can have fatal results such as heart attack or stroke and also because this preventable lifestyle disease can also make a person more susceptible to Covid-19, irrespective of age. Few know that sleep deprivation and high blood pressure are interlinked as the most important aspect of sleep in hypertension prevention and management is a good sleep hygiene which ensures a consistent pattern of well rested hours.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Trust Gilda, Consultant Physician in Infectious Disease at Mumbai's Marina Hospital, revealed, “Adequate sleep for 6-8 hours is essential in a well-ventilated, quiet room as much as possible. Poor sleeping habits include drinking caffeine or alcohol later in the day, napping during the day, late nights, exercising too late in the evening, and light from your digital device or emotional confrontations and must definitely be avoided in those with hypertension.”
She added, “Sleeping on the left side is the best sleeping position for a person who is suffering from hypertension, as it relieves excessive pressure on the blood vessels that helps the blood to complete its circle more smoothly and with less resistance. This is especially true for pregnant women with hypertension.”
Insisting that good sleep quality is important for good physical and mental health and improving productivity while sleep apnea and insomnia affects quality of sleep, Dr Pusan Parish, Consultant Pulmonary Medicine at Mumbai's Sir HF Reliance Foundation Hospital, shared, “Sleep apnea can lead to worsening of high blood pressure. There is no specific position which improves quality of sleep and controls high blood pressure but yes, patients with sleep apnea do get good sleep in prone position i.e. sleeping on stomach.”
According to Dr Pusan Parish, “As apnea episodes reduces in prone position which indirectly affects blood pressure. There is no specific study conducted on body position during sleep, hence very limited data available to comment on body position in sleep. Patients with resistant hypertension, i.e. on 3 or more antihypertensive medicines, are prone to have sleep apnea. Due to fragmented and disturbed sleep, patient tend to sleep more, but that doesn’t help as quality of sleep is still poor. A Patient with poor quality of sleep doesn’t go into deep sleep, which is a very important part of our sleep cycle.”
Echoing that sleep deprivation and high blood pressure are interlinked, Dr Rakesh Raipur, Consultant Pulmonologist at Jain Multi-specialty Hospital, said, “Although little is known about the best sleeping position for your heart, research has found that not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep raises your risk of developing heart disease. Making sure you stay well-rested is important for maintaining optimal heart health. Sleeping on the left side is the best sleeping position for high blood pressure, as it relieves pressure on the blood vessels that return blood to the heart. These vessels are located on the right side of the body and can be compressed by slowing its circulation if you sleep on your right side.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.