Not getting enough sleep for a long time can rev up your body's stress system, making your heart beat faster and your blood vessels tighter, which over time can raise your blood pressure.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (2)
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The study shows that helping people sleep better lowers their blood pressure and heart rate, which supports the idea that not getting enough sleep does the opposite and raises these levels.
Effects of sleep deprivation on heart rate variability: a systematic review and meta-analysis
The study shows that not getting enough sleep shifts the body into 'fight or flight' mode, which can raise blood pressure over time—supporting the claim.
Contradicting (1)
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Actigraphy-Based Sleep and Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Humans.
The study looked at how people's usual sleep habits affect their heart and nervous system, but found no link between shorter or poorer sleep and higher stress signals in the body or higher heart rate and blood pressure.
Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.