Sleep disorder and hypertension].

Department of Cardiology, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine.

Nihon rinsho. Japanese journal of clinical medicine 2012 Jul

Sleep disorder is a common condition in developed countries. Large epidemiological studies have revealed the relationships of short sleep duration and insomnia with hypertension. This review article summarizes the literature on these relationships. Decreased melatonin secretion, change in sleep structures, or increased sympathetic nervous system activity was suggested to serve as a pathophysiology for the relationship between sleep disorder and hypertension. Adequate sleep duration may be important for preventing hypertension in modern society.