Take Nighttime BP Readings for Better Heart Disease Prediction

Regular blood pressure (BP) monitoring is a mainstay in catching certain forms of heart disease, such as atherosclerosis. Many doctors encourage patients to have a good blood pressure monitor at home and to make regular use of it. Even done regularly, however, this practice can have its limits. Recent studies have shown we may get more out of our BP monitoring if we take some of those readings in the middle of the night. We have a breakdown of why making this one shift could save lives.

Blood Pressure and Heart Disease

Hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, is responsible for many heart disease cases, and it’s a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Experts aren’t exactly sure what causes this condition, but they believe it begins with damage to the inner lining of the vessels themselves. High blood pressure, along with high cholesterol, diabetes and cigarette smoking, can contribute to this damage.

High BP is considered a “silent killer” because it often comes without noticeable symptoms, typically developing over a long period. The only way to detect a problem is by directly taking measurements while the BP is running high. Any reading where the systolic BP, the pressure during heartbeats, is over 120, or the diastolic BP, the pressure between beats, is over 80, is considered elevated and should be addressed by a doctor.

Newest Findings on Blood Pressure Timing

Readings taken during the day or in the doctor’s office can help find many cases of early heart disease, but some sufferers could still be slipping through the cracks. A recent study that combined the efforts of 130 specialists and analyzed the BP readings of 6359 patients helped to shed some light on the reasons why.

The study’s participants suffered from at least one cardiovascular risk that included diabetes, sugar intolerance, high cholesterol, renal disease, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea and COPD. Some patients had also had atrial fibrillation, but none had experienced a previous heart attack or stroke. Each wore a device that measured their BP every 30 minutes, repeating the test if the results were abnormal.

The researchers found patients whose BP rose at night were the most likely to suffer a cardiovascular event. These findings stood regardless of whether readings taken during daytime office visits were all normal.

Dangers of Nighttime BP Spikes

Healthline explains that our blood pressure can rise when the body needs to rid itself of excess sodium. This process in itself can put stress on the heart, but the effects appear to be even more profound when it continues through the night.

The added strain of these nighttime events puts many patients at a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and other complications than if they’d experienced BP spikes solely during active hours. Other factors that can influence evening BP readings include sympathetic or autonomic nervous system dysfunction, sleep apnea, and poor sleep quality.

No matter what, blood pressure needs to be addressed the moment it's suspected. Nighttime BP readings could be the future of heart disease prevention and monitoring. Devices made specifically to detect BP issues while sleeping could be more effective than current monitoring practices, allowing for earlier detection and treatment. Considering that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, the lives saved could be huge.

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