An extra hour in bed could lower your blood pressure

 The Daily mail reported today that a recent study has shown that going to bed an hour earlier than usual could help to ward off high blood pressure.

The study, carried out at Harvard Medical School showed that men and women who regularly slept for only seven hours or less a night and were beginning to have borderline high blood pressure readings. They also found that just an extra hour of sleep every night brought the readings back down to a normal level in only six weeks.

According to the Mail, high blood pressure, or hypertension, affects one in five adults in the UK and is thought to be responsible for half of all heart attacks and strokes.

Despite an array of different drugs available on the NHS, it’s estimated more than half of all patients have ‘poorly controlled’ blood pressure, which means they still have readings in the danger zone above 140mmHg/90mmHg, a measure of the amount of force inside arteries when the heart is forcing blood through them and the force when it relaxes.

Lack of sleep and a stressful lifestyle have long been associated with an increased risk of the condition.

But the latest study is one of the first to prove that blood pressure can be brought under control by simply increasing sleep duration.

A large number of people suffering with hypertension are not even aware that they have a problem until it leads to more serious health complications, often when they are hospitalised- and for many it is too late.

It is so important to stay in control of your blood pressure and to stay aware of changes in your own body. Some doctor’s surgeries offer clinics or blood pressure testing in waiting rooms. There are also some excellent home monitors that allow you to record and track your blood pressure daily.  

This Bloodpressure monitor is compatible with your iphone, ipod or ipad. Based on the iOS operating system and Bluetooth technology, you can test, track and share your blood pressure results wirelessly. The monitor is integrated on the arm cuff and works with the Free App. It can even work out averages to see if the changes that you have made to your lifestyle or any medication that you are on is having a positive effect. This information can then be sent to family members or caregivers at the touch of a button. Completely portable and easy to use, it has never been easier to manage your own health- both for immediate results and to protect yourself for a healthy future.