Morning Blood Pressure Surge and Nighttime Blood Pressure in Relation to Nocturnal Sleep Pattern and Arterial Stiffness

OBJECTIVE: The phenomenon of morning blood pressure (BP) surge (MBPS) is known to increase the risk for cardiovascular events and stroke. The purposes of this study were to explore associations between MBPS and nighttime BP and to examine arterial stiffness and sleep pattern in association with MBPS. METHODS: This study included 30 healthy Korean American women aged 25 to 60 years. Ambulatory BP was monitored for 24 hours. To evaluate MBPS, maximum morning BP(power) was calculated. Arterial stiffness was measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and sleep pattern was evaluated using an actigraphy. RESULTS: The participants (n = 8) in the upper quartile of MBPS had higher morning systolic BPs (SBPs; P = 0.015) and lower nighttime diastolic BPs (P = 0.031). The MBPS in SBP was significantly increased in the participants who had a more wakeful night (P = 0.038) and who slept longer at night (P = 0.041). Although MBPS was not significantly related to arterial stiffness, higher morning SBP (P = 0.005), morning diastolic BP (P = 0.048), and prewake SBP (P = 0.005) were associated with arterial stiffness. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings imply a possible link between disturbed sleep and MBPS. Clinicians should understand the importance of the modification of altered sleep pattern for reducing MBPS in nonhypertensive participants.