Sleep, Blood Pressure Regulation, and Hypertension

The link between sleep and the cardiovascular system is well recognized, both in health and disease. Because of the relative ease of noninvasive ambulatory measurement, no aspect of this relationship has been more studied than blood pressure (BP). The study of obstructive sleep apnea has furthered the understanding of blood pressure and its regulatory mechanisms. More recently, as the scientific and public eyes have focused on inadequate sleep as a plague of modern society, research efforts have been directed at the consequences of sleep debt on systemic disease, including blood pressure dysregulation.