Why is the Best Time to Address the Connection Between Sleep, High Blood Pressure, and Breathing Is While You Sleep

Written by: Angelica Chapman

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Published on: August 4, 2022

Sleep deprivation can lead to high blood pressure.

Although the exact cause of this is unknown, sleep is supposed to help control stress hormones and maintain the health of your neurological system. Lack of sleep over time can affect your body's capacity to control stress chemicals, which can cause high blood pressure.

A new study done by the University of Arizona suggests that a poor night's sleep may cause blood pressure to rise both that night and the next day. Sleep issues have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and even death from cardiovascular disease, according to a study that will be published in Psychosomatic Medicine. This study gives one potential explanation for this association.

Obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which you regularly stop and start breathing while you are asleep, is one potential, curable factor that your lack of sleep may be contributing to high blood pressure. If you feel exhausted even after a full night of sleep, especially if you snore, consult your doctor. Potentially, obstructive sleep apnea is at blame. You run a higher risk of developing high blood pressure and other cardiac issues if you have obstructive sleep apnea.

Sleep deprivation can cause breathing problems.

Breathing habits and general lung health can be impacted by the quality of sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other respiratory issues can significantly alter breathing patterns. On the other side, if you don't get enough sleep, you'll feel sleepy the next day, which will make you less active or immobile, which can harm your lungs.

Reduced sleep duration over two consecutive nights results in less healthy vascular function and worse breathing control, according to studies on the effects of partial sleep deprivation on blood vessels and respiratory control. The findings may contribute to a better understanding of the link between cardiovascular disease and sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation can cause weight gain.

Losing sleep causes the body to experience a hormonal imbalance that encourages overeating and weight gain. The hormones leptin and ghrelin control appetite, and when you don't get enough sleep, your body produces less of these hormones, which makes you feel more hungry. Lack of sleep is connected to low levels of growth hormone and high levels of cortisol, both of which have been linked to obesity. Additionally, a lack of sleep might affect how your body processes food.

Unfortunately, changes at the molecular level are not the only way that sleep loss affects weight. It has been demonstrated that those who get little sleep are more likely to choose high-calorie items. Late-night calorie consumption raises the possibility of weight gain. Additionally, adults who don't get enough sleep exercise less than those who do, presumably because sleep deprivation makes people tired and sleepy during the day.

Obese people should be troubled by the fact that sleep deprivation not only promotes weight growth, but that being overweight also makes sleep problems worse, which might exacerbate the metabolic mechanisms that drive weight increase. It is a painful cycle, but assistance is available for overweight or obese persons to improve sleep and the negative impacts on their health brought on by sleep loss.

Our Solution.

It makes a certain sort of sense that the best time to address health damage is at night, when life itself is taking a breather. Of course, the smartest health-damage strategy is to prevent it in the first place—avoid overexposure to stress, lack of sleep, and maintain a healthy weight every day. But when, despite our best efforts, the signs of health damage—from fatigue, breathlessness, chest pain, and/or high blood pressure—show up in our body more than we’d like, the science points to the benefits of breathing training.

Our newest health-damage superweapon is designed to optimize at night, while you sleep, for a number of reasons: Just as our muscles repair themselves while we rest.

The results are dramatic: deep breathing is scientifically proven to affect the heart, the brain, digestion and is effective against anxiety and insomnia. And while the results are noticeable right away—you will relax and be calm after one use—your relaxation also increases noticeably over time.

While you can practice this exercise any time, day or night is pretty unique, the notion that the best time to optimize your health is just before going to bed applies to some of our all-time favorite products and services.