World Hypertension Day: The hidden link between sleep and blood Pressure - why young adults should care

Most young adults are juggling work, college, social lives, and nonstop online content to keep up with today's hectic lifestyle. While juggling all of these aspects of life, sleep is often ignored as an important element of well-being. Although reducing sleep may seem unharmful, many studies have shown that insufficient or poor sleep quality is now considered a significant risk for high blood pressure (hypertension) to occur over time. Hypertension is a silent condition that can lead to serious health matters if allowed to continue over time.

On World Hypertension Day, Dr. Gyanti R.B. Singh shared her thoughts on how proper sleep benefits our body in many ways, especially in controlling blood pressure, which is a growing concern among young adults

Sleep and Hypertension: What is the Link?

Hypertension is primarily associated with older age groups. However, when many young adults in today's world are evaluated for health issues, they are being diagnosed with high blood pressure earlier than previous generations due to modern lifestyle elements. One of the most underestimated health risks that contributes is total inadequate restorative sleep.

Our bodies switch into repair and restore mode when we sleep, including balancing our stress hormones. When we are sleep deprived or experience disturbed sleep, our cortisol and adrenaline levels rise leading to the body's state of alertness. This continuation of stress raises blood pressure as the stress response keeps blood vessels tight — even healthy young adults experienced this.

Scientific evidence for the link

Importantly, the quality of sleep is just as important as the quantity. Disrupted sleep or sleep disorders (ex sleep apnea) can prevent the reduction of blood pressure typically seen during sleep, thus keeping the cardiovascular system under continuous stress.

Why you should care

Many young adults believe they have time to worry about chronic health issues. Hypertension is called the "silent killer" for a reason, as it develops silently and carefully destroys organs like the heart, brain, kidneys, and other important body systems with little indication. It can persist for years without visible symptoms.

An unrecognised high blood pressure statistic in a twenty-something can mean many years of debilitating and incurable organ damage. That makes it especially important for young adults to prevent and take action early.

Easy things young adults can do to sleep better and lower their risk

The good news is that hypertension related to sleep can be stopped or controlled with some lifestyle changes. Below are some strategies young adults can use to protect their cardiovascular health:

• Consistency in your sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.

• Limit screen time at night because the blue light from phones or laptops can hurt our natural sleep cycle.

• Have a good sleep environment! Dark, cool, and quiet are best.

• Do not consume caffeine, alcohol, or large meals too close to bedtime.

• Exercise regularly but give yourself ample time to get updated after working out (for best sleep only exercise a few
hours before sleep).

• Seek professional help for persistent sleep disturbances, such as insomnia or suspected sleep apnea.

(Dr. Gyanti RB Singh, Associate Director & HOD - Interventional Cardiology, Sarvodaya Hospital, Greater Noida West.)