...
By Robyn White
Nature Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Nobody loves the sound of their morning alarm clock. But it turns out it could be putting your health at risk.
The act of being forced awake raises your blood pressure, a new study from the University of Virginia has discovered. And this could increase the risks of severe cardiovascular problems like heart attack and stroke.
A nursing doctoral student at the University of Virginia, Yeonsu Kim, studied 32 participants to discover how being forced away abruptly altered their blood pressure. They were studied over two days and wore smart watches and finger cuffs so that Kim could measure their blood pressure.
Read More
Underdiagnosed Condition Leaves Patients With ‘Excessive Flatulence’3 min read
Weight Loss by Intermittent Fasting Can Alter Your Brain Activity4 min read
Humans Prefer Dogs With Certain Eye Color, Scientists Reveal3 min read
During the first night, they were instructed to wake up naturally without an alarm. The second night, they were told to set an alarm after they had about 5 hours sleep.
She found that those that were woken by an alarm had 74 percent greater blood pressure than those who woke up without one. This suggests that being forced awake, particularly when there has not been much sleep beforehand, initiates a blood pressure surge.
"Although it is a small difference of 2.38mmHg, I was surprised by the study finding that showed that the morning blood pressure surge when forced to wake up by an alarm was significantly greater than when waking up naturally," Kim told Newsweek. "Our findings should be confirmed and replicated in larger populations."
One participant in the study, Daniel Lee—who is a mechanical engineering student—was described as an "above average" sleeper. However he described the effects of being forced awake, after only five hours, as "jarring."
Lee usually sets an alarm to make sure he attends classes on time, the press release on the study said. However, the findings of this research have made him rethink the way he wakes up in the morning.
"I'm not going to set an alarm and I'll try to wake up naturally when I have more time, like on weekends," he said.
Blood pressure surges put you at greater risk of a heart attack and stroke. This is because high blood pressure levels can damage the arteries and make them less flexible, limiting the oxygen and blood flow to the heart.
Scientists already know that stress can be a factor in high blood pressure but this study looks more deeply at it in the context of sleep.
...
Previous evidence has shown that those who do not get enough sleep at night (less than seven hours) tend to have higher blood pressure and, therefore, more risk of cardiovascular diseases, the press release said.
Kim noted in her study that adults who already suffered from cardiovascular disease could experience more negative side effects from this morning blood pressure surge.
The next step in this research is to analyze a larger sample of participants to understand better how being forced awake can affect the body.
Although this research strongly suggests a link between blood pressure and waking up, a press release states that the study was only a pilot and needs to be tested more thoroughly.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about blood pressure? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Update 12/21/23, 3:04 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Yeonsu Kim.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines