In a new study, researchers found people who use sleep pills to help them sleep better need more high blood pressure drugs.
The research was conducted by researchers from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain and their international colleagues.
Previous research has shown that sleep quality is linked to high blood pressure status.
But the research focused on middle-aged adults. The links in older people are not clear.
In the study, the team examined 752 older adults aged 60 and older with high blood pressure.
The participants were followed from 2008-2010 through 2012-2013.
The researchers focused on the use of sleeping pills and high blood pressure drugs.
They found that using sleeping pills on a regular basis was linked to the use of more blood pressure medications over time.
Moreover, the link was observed regardless of the patients’ sleep duration and quality, BMI, diet, physical activity, and high blood pressure control.
The team suggests that sleeping pill use may be a sign of a future need for greater high blood pressure treatment.
Future work needs to understand this link between the use of blood pressure drugs and the use of sleeping pills.
It is also important to examine how sleep disorders or unhealthy lifestyles could contribute to high blood pressure.
The senior author of the study is Dr. José Banegas from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
The study is published in Geriatrics & Gerontology International.
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