Association of Self-Reported Sleep and Hypertension in Non-Insomniac Elderly Subjects

Objectives: Sleep duration and sleep quality play important roles in the development of hypertension (HT) in middle-aged subjects, with controversial data in elderly. In this study, we investigated the link between HT and self-reported sleep in non-insomniac elderly subjects. Methods: We examined 500 participants without insomnia complaints aged 72 +/- 1 years. An extensive instrumental evaluation was carried out, including 24-h blood pressure (BP) monitoring and an assessment of nocturnal BP dipping. Sleep duration and quality were evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The subjects were stratified into three groups according to sleep duration: short (< 6 h), normal (> 6h to < 8 h), and long (> 8 h) sleepers. A PSQI < 5 defined good sleepers (GS, n = 252), and a PSQI > 5 (n = 248) defined poor sleepers (PS). Results: PS represented 50% of the subjects, more frequently females. Compared to GS, PS did not differ in terms of HT, BP, baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), and BP dipping. Short, normal, and long sleepers accounted for 28%, 42%, and 30% of subjects, with HT, BP values, BRS, and gender not differing between groups. No relationship was found between nocturnal BP values and self-reported sleep measures. Logistic regression analysis indicated that neither sleep duration nor sleep quality predicts the prevalence of HT, the body mass index being the only factor affecting this association. Conclusions: In a sample of non-insomniac elderly subjects, neither sleep duration nor sleep quality affected the prevalence of HT. These data argue against a relationship between self-reported sleep duration and quality and HT in elderly without insomnia.