DOES NONINVASIVE AMBULATORY BLOOD-PRESSURE MONITORING DISTURB SLEEP

Objective: To assess the effects of non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring upon sleep in healthy men. Methods: Spontaneous variations in the quality of sleep were assessed by taking polygraph recordings in 44 healthy men aged 17-69 years. Subjects were allowed one night to become accustomed to the laboratory environment, and then their sleep was recorded for 4 consecutive nights. On day 4 blood pressure was measured every 10 min for 24 h. Results: The blood pressure recording procedure caused a small but significant decrease in the amount of slow-wave sleep and an increase in the duration of nocturnal awakenings. As a result, sleep efficiency was decreased. The number of nocturnal awakenings was not affected by the blood pressure measurements. The effects of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were qualitatively similar in young and older volunteers. Conclusion: Non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring induces modest sleep disturbances which are unlikely to artefactually distort the physiological 24-h blood pressure profile.