Experts say you don’t need to sleep more than usual or go to bed earlier, but going to bed at the same time every night can lower and control blood pressure levels.
Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure, which puts them at risk for heart disease and stroke.
The body’s clock, also known as the circadian rhythm, keeps the body on a healthy sleep schedule while regulating hormones, metabolism, and organ function. When this clock is disrupted, blood pressure, which normally drops while we sleep, does not drop. This puts us at higher risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and stroke.
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University say keeping a consistent bedtime can strengthen our body clocks.
“If your blood pressure is in the normal range, your risk of heart disease or stroke is actually very low,” said Dr. David Lee of Stanford University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. “Once your blood pressure starts to rise, the risk increases two-fold, five-fold, eight-fold, depending on how high it is.”
Researchers point to a fixed bedtime as an inexpensive solution to help lower blood pressure (Getty Images/iStock)
Small research, big impact
Researchers monitored blood pressure in 11 middle-aged people for one week during a normal sleep schedule and then for two weeks during a fixed bedtime schedule.
Participants were not asked to change their sleep schedule—just when they went to bed.
Researchers said that within two weeks of having a consistent bedtime routine, their daily blood pressure dropped significantly.
Blood pressure is measured using two measurements: systolic and diastolic, which are read in millimeters of mercury, or mmHg. Systolic blood pressure measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats, while diastolic blood pressure measures blood pressure during the pauses between heartbeats.
According to the American Heart Association, a systolic blood pressure reading below 120 and a diastolic blood pressure below 80 is considered “normal.” Any value above 130 systolic and 80 diastolic is considered high blood pressure.
People with systolic blood pressure readings above 180 and diastolic blood pressure readings above 120 are seriously ill or considered an emergency and should seek medical attention.
Among participants in the small study, daily systolic blood pressure dropped by more than 4 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure dropped by 3 mmHg, the Oregon research team said. These effects can be seen even in people already taking medications to treat high blood pressure.
Even a 5 mmHG reduction in systolic blood pressure readings could reduce cardiovascular risk by 10% in patients with hypertension, the researchers wrote.
“Half of the participants experienced a drop in blood pressure to a level indicating positive physiological changes,” the university said in a November press release.
A man checks his blood pressure at a mobile medical clinic in Grundy, Virginia, in October 2023. High blood pressure is a major problem affecting nearly 120 million American adults (Getty Images)
low cost repair
The researchers hope to study these effects in larger groups, but say the findings are an encouraging step. Part of the reason is that it’s so easy to make these changes.
“Bedtime regularization is a low-cost, low-risk intervention that could complement existing hypertension treatments,” the team said. “Unlike medications that have side effects or make lifestyle changes difficult, getting to bed at the same time requires minimal effort.”
Without insurance, some medications to treat high blood pressure can cost more than $100 per month.
Other lifestyle changes may also have an impact. Hypertension is associated with a high-salt diet, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of adequate physical activity, smoking, a genetic history of hypertension, and age over 55 years.
In some cases, people may have underlying conditions that cause high blood pressure, such as sleep apnea and thyroid disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
