Sleep Deprivation Increases Blood Pressure in Healthy Normotensive Elderly and Attenuates the Blood Pressure Response to Orthostatic Challenge

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine how aging affects the impact of sleep deprivation on blood pressure at rest and under orthostatic challenge. DESIGN: Subjects underwent a night of sleep and 24.5 h of sleep deprivation in a crossover counterbalanced design. SETTING: Sleep laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen healthy normotensive men and women: 8 young adults (mean 24 years [SD 3.1], range 20-28 years) and 8 elderly adults (mean 64.1 years [SD 3.4], range 60-69 years). INTERVENTIONS: Sleep deprivation. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Brachial cuff arterial blood pressure and heart rate were measured in semi-recumbent and upright positions. These measurements were compared across homeostatic sleep pressure conditions and age groups. Sleep deprivation induced a significant increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in elderly but not young adults. Moreover, sleep deprivation attenuated the systolic blood pressure orthostatic response in both age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that sleep deprivation alters the regulatory mechanisms of blood pressure and might increase the risk of hypertension in healthy normotensive elderly.

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