A new scientific study has warned that excessive daytime sleepiness may be an early indicator of high blood pressure, particularly in people who do not experience sleep problems during the night.
Researchers from several institutions, including Pennsylvania State University in the United States and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School in Greece, found that adults who frequently feel sleepy during the day are more likely to have high blood pressure or be at increased risk of developing the condition.
The findings were based on an analysis of medical data from more than 1,700 adults who reported excessive daytime sleepiness and underwent assessments of their nighttime sleep patterns.
According to the study, individuals experiencing daytime sleepiness were 52% more likely to have high blood pressure and 74% more likely to develop the condition in the future.
The risk was even greater among participants who took 30 minutes or longer to fall asleep at night. These individuals were more than twice as likely to already have high blood pressure and three times more likely to develop the condition later in life.
The researchers said the findings highlight the need for physicians to look beyond common sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnoea, when evaluating patients who experience persistent or unusual daytime sleepiness. They noted that excessive daytime drowsiness could serve as an important clinical indicator for identifying people at increased risk of hypertension and enabling earlier intervention.
