Whether it’s by association or stress-related due to
previously completed biochemistry exams, high blood pressure is something our
graduate class have all experienced. Well, we are not alone! Approximately a
third of American citizens have high blood pressure. Unfortunately for many
Americans their high blood pressure is chronic. This can lead to major health
complications including kidney failure, strokes, and heart attacks. A “textbook”
blood pressure is 120/70.Recent studies suggest lowering systolic blood
pressure to this magical 120 can significantly reduce the risk for these major health
complications. Not by a little, but 33.3% (2)! While obtaining a systolic blood
pressure of 120 is easier said than done for those that have chronic high blood
pressure, there is new research that suggests the amount of sleep you get each
night could help with prevention.
Even at a young age, poor sleep habits may lead to an early
onset of heart disease. If you sleep less than 5 hours a night, a recent study
has found this can lead to more calcium in the coronary arteries. This is bad! Calcium
build up is associated with the development of coronary artery disease and blockages
within these arteries. What is even more interesting, is that subjects who
slept over 9 hours had an even greater amount of calcium build up in their
coronary arteries, 70% more than those that slept the optimal amount of 7 hours
on average. Poor quality of sleep was also attributed to calcium buildup (1).
However, sleep may not be enough to prevent heart disease.
In younger generations, lifestyle is the primary determinant
of heart disease. While sleeping habits contribute to one’s lifestyle, there
are other factors that may be greater determinants. These include bad eating
habits, smoking, drinking, a sedentary lifestyle, and stress. These aspects can
all be controlled or avoided to decrease one’s chances of heart disease. These
determinants combined with a family history of heart disease further increase
one’s odds (3). Bottom-line, much of what we do as young adults will contribute
to our risk of heart disease. By minimizing our bad habits and maintaining an
optimal 7 hours of sleep, we have a fighting chance.
1. Neighmond, Patti. "Good Quality Sleep May Build
Healthy." NPR Health News. N.p., 14 Sept. 2015. Web. 14 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/14/439508475/good-quality-sleep-may-build-healthy-hearts?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=health&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews>.
2.
Stein, Rob. "Aggressively
Lowering Blood Pressure Saves Lives, Study Finds." NPR Health News.
N.p., Sept. 2015. Web. 14 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.npr.org/2015/09/11/439457343/aggressively-lowering-blood-pressure-saves-lives-study-finds?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=health&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews>.
3.
Vaz, Hubert. "An Early
Encounter with Heart Disease." Times of Oman. N.p., 30 Aug. 2015.
Web. 14 Sept. 2015.
<http://timesofoman.com/article/66563/Lifestyle/Health/Early-Encounter-With-Heart-Disease>.
As someone with a strong family history of hypertension, I am always interested in learning about how lifestyle changes I can make today will improve my health in the long run. Often referred to as the "silent killer", high blood pressure is a disease that people our age do not commonly worry about. It is so interesting to hear that our poor eating habits, heavy drinking, and sleepless nights could be such a large contributor to developing heart disease later in life! I recently stumbled upon this article by Johns Hopkins Med about early diagnosis of such conditions. The investigators report that small rises in Troponin levels, found by doing basic blood labs, can indicate whether someone is on their way to developing hypertension and other heart disease. Working as a scribe in the ER, I was familiar with the troponin test and using it to determine if a heart attack had occurred, however the use of troponin to predict future heart disease was novel to me. Using a more sensitive version of the troponin test, doctors can predict the likelihood of developing hypertension and suggest lifestyle changes, like those you mentioned, to prolong onset or prevent the disease completely. As a future osteopathic physician, I am always encouraged by novel ideas to prevent using medications by changing daily habits instead. Hopefully, primary care physicians will begin using troponin levels to warn patients of hypertension earlier in life so they can make the lifestyle changes you have suggested. Here's to hoping sleep deprivation during these exam weeks doesn't lead to heart disease!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/common_heart_attack_blood_test_may_predict_future_hypertension?utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=HVI&utm_term=BloodTestPredictHypertension&utm_content=NewsRelease
Although our habits as young adults do play a big role in development of hypertension a new study suggests that stressful events in our childhood can even impact our risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. This study assessed the symptoms of distress at three different ages during childhood and three more in adulthood. As you would expect they found those with both stressful childhoods and adulthoods had an increased risk of developing a chronic disease. Interestingly, they found adults who reported less stress, but experienced a stressful childhood, still had an increased risk of developing a chronic disease. So to sum up, it seems our whole lives seem to build-up to what disease we may have entering adulthood.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/29/444451363/childhood-stress-may-prime-pump-for-chronic-disease-later?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=health&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews