Interestingly, the study did not find a link between lack of sleep and blood pressure problems in people over 60.
This may be because as people age, most tend to develop more problems falling and staying asleep.
However, it could be that those with blood pressure problems are less likely to survive into later years -- a factor which which skews the figures among this age group.
June Davison, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said, "More research is needed to confirm if there is an association between short sleep duration and high blood pressure. As part of a healthy lifestyle, it is important to get a good night's sleep.
"However, it is necessary to consider the other well-established causes of high blood pressure, such as physical inactivity, being overweight, high salt intake and drinking too much alcohol."
Does a Fat Stomach Raise Alzheimer's Risk?
An expanding waistline during your 40s could push up the risk of Alzheimer's disease decades later, say researchers. A study shows for the first time that piling on the pounds in middle age, especially around the stomach, is linked with a threefold higher chance of developing dementia.
The study looked at 9,000 men and women whose fat levels were measured in their 40s. During an average follow-up period of 23 years, 221 cases of Alzheimer's disease were diagnosed.
The researchers took into account the effects of diabetes, stroke, high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure -- all Alzheimer's risk factors -- but still found that being overweight with high levels of fat could predict those likely to get dementia.
Researcher Dr. Rachel Whitmer told the American Academy of Neurology in San Diego, Calif., "Even if a person is of normal weight, carrying a lot of fat in certain areas, especially the trunk, puts them at risk." Dr. Whitmer, from the Kaiser Permanent Foundation Research Institute in California, and her team now plan research to establish whether weight loss can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Source: Daily Mail; London (UK). Powered by Yellowbrix.
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