Topics

  • Post

WHOOP Blood Pressure Research

Blood pressure is a measure of the force of blood against our artery walls. When that force is too high for too long, it can quietly damage our body. Conversely, if blood pressure is abnormally low, it can cause its own issues like dizziness. Here’s a clear rundown of how blood pressure can affect various aspects of your health and well-being, backed by scientific research:

  • It can impact your sleep: Sleep and blood pressure have a two-way relationship. This means that not getting enough good sleep can affect your blood pressure, and having high blood pressure can in turn make it harder to sleep well.
  • Sleep Quality: During sleep, blood pressure drops about 10%, this is called “dipping”, this physiological change is blunted in individuals with high blood pressure. Individuals showing normal dipping in BP showed higher sleep quality than “nondippers”. Across 5 studies, people with higher blood pressure had significantly worse self-reported sleep quality (higher PSQI scores) than those with normal blood pressure. Read more here.
  • Sleep Fragmentation: In a recent review investigating the relationship between sleep features and higher blood pressure, researchers reported that people with sustained higher blood pressure experienced alterations to their sleep duration, sleep stages, and fragmentation compared to people with normal blood pressure, with individuals with higher BP experiencing higher sleep fragmentation, read more here. 
  • Sleep Architecture: Same review by Kanclerska and colleagues (2023) has concluded that higher blood pressure is associated with lower duration of REM sleep, another longitudinal study has found that the rate of decline in REM sleep over time is higher for individuals with higher blood pressure. 
  • Restorative sleep: Emerging research indicates that having higher blood pressure may contribute to poorer sleep quality and certain sleep disorders. For example, a recent meta-analysis of prospective studies found a “statistically significant bidirectional association between hypertension and insomnia,” meaning not only can insomnia increase future hypertension risk, but baseline hypertension also predicts a higher risk of developing insomnia. Notably, this analysis showed that individuals with higher blood pressure had greater odds of later insomnia.
  • Performance: It can affect how you feel day-to-day (energy, comfort, mood):
    • A study done by Trevisol et al (2011) noted that people with higher blood pressure reported worse scores on all eight domains of the SF-36 Health survey (including physical functioning, general health, vitality, bodily pain, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health). Read more here.
  • Wellbeing: Studies reveal that higher blood pressure may affect well-being, reducing quality of life. 
    • Emotional Health: Schaare and colleagues (2023) found that having high blood pressure was negatively associated with subjective well-being (particularly in males). They also noted that treatment and the awareness of having hypertension (“being labeled”) can influence well-being. This underscores the importance of holistic care for individuals with high blood pressure, including both medical treatment and psychological support.Read more here.
    • Quality of Life: A number of studies have shown that individuals with higher blood pressure often report lower health-related quality of life compared to those without high blood pressure. Sources: Trevisol et al., (2011), Kaliyaperumal et al., (2016), Riley et al., (2019).
  • Resilience: Research shows that sustained higher blood pressure impairs autonomic regulation, lowering HRV and RHR adaptability while increasing stress on the heart. 
    • HRV: Individuals with a “nondipping” pattern during sleep experience reduced heart rate variability, suggesting diminished cardiovascular adaptability and resilience. Research indicates that men and women with higher blood pressure often display lower HRV compared with individuals with lower blood pressure. Read more here.
    • RHR and sympathetic activation: Higher blood pressure may lead to having a higher RHR due to increased sympathetic activity, causing greater stress on the heart. Sources: Materson et al. (1998), Lo et al. (2018), Kanclerska et al. (2023).

References

Kaliyaperumal, S., Hari, S., Siddela, P., & Yadala, S. (2016). Assessment of Quality of Life in Hypertensive Patients. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science, 143–147. https://doi.org/10.7324/JAPS.2016.60522

Kanclerska, J., Szymańska-Chabowska, A., Poręba, R., Michałek-Zrąbkowska, M., Lachowicz, G., Mazur, G., & Martynowicz, H. (2023). A Systematic Review of Publications on the Associations Between Sleep Architecture and Arterial Hypertension. Medical Science Monitor : International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research, 29, e941066-1-e941066-10. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.941066

Liu, D., Yu, C., Huang, K., Thomas, S., Yang, W., Liu, S., & Kuang, J. (2022). The Association between Hypertension and Insomnia: A Bidirectional Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. International Journal of Hypertension, 2022, 4476905. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4476905

Lo, K., Woo, B., Wong, M., & Tam, W. (2018). Subjective sleep quality, blood pressure, and hypertension: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 20(3), 592–605. https://doi.org/10.1111/jch.13220

Materson, B. J., Reda, D. J., & Williams, D. W. (1998). Comparison of effects of antihypertensive drugs on heart rate: Changes from baseline by baseline group and over time. Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Group on Antihypertensive Agents. American Journal of Hypertension, 11(5), 597–601. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0895-7061(97)00495-0

Moon, C., Hagen, E. W., Johnson, H. M., Brown, R. L., & Peppard, P. E. (2021). Longitudinal sleep characteristics and hypertension status: Results from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study. Journal of Hypertension, 39(4), 683. https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000002692

Riley, E., Chang, J., Park, C., Kim, S., & Song, I. (2019). Hypertension and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL): Evidence from the US Hispanic Population. Clinical Drug Investigation, 39(9), 899–908. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40261-019-00814-4

Salles, G. F., Ribeiro, F. M., Guimarães, G. M., Muxfeldt, E. S., & Cardoso, C. R. L. (2014). A reduced heart rate variability is independently associated with a blunted nocturnal blood pressure fall in patients with resistant hypertension. Journal of Hypertension, 32(3), 644. https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000000068

Schaare, H. L., Blöchl, M., Kumral, D., Uhlig, M., Lemcke, L., Valk, S. L., & Villringer, A. (2023). Associations between mental health, blood pressure and the development of hypertension. Nature Communications, 14(1), 1953. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37579-6

Singh, J. P., Larson, M. G., Tsuji, H., Evans, J. C., O’Donnell, C. J., & Levy, D. (1998). Reduced Heart Rate Variability and New-Onset Hypertension. Hypertension, 32(2), 293–297. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.HYP.32.2.293

Trevisol, D. J., Moreira, L. B., Kerkhoff, A., Fuchs, S. C., & Fuchs, F. D. (2011). Health-related quality of life and hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Journal of Hypertension, 29(2), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0b013e328340d76f