The Association Between Sleep Duration and the Risk of Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies

BACKGROUND: Hypertension onset is linked to sleep, but the precise sleep duration affecting it remains unclear. Our goal is to pinpoint the sleep duration impacting hypertension incidence, offering valuable insights for prevention and management. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Cqvip, and Wan- fang Database, up to May 30, 2023, focusing on cohort studies examining the association between nighttime sleep duration and hypertension risk in adults aged 18 and above. Two authors independently performed data extraction, quality assessment, and synthesis based on predefined criteria. A random-effects model was used to estimate pooled effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was quantified using the I2 statistic, with potential sources explored through subgroup and sensitivity analyses to validate the robustness of the results. RESULTS: Out of the 173,734 participants included in the meta-analysis, 41,528 eventually developed hypertension. The analysis revealed a correlation between short sleep duration and increased risk of hypertension: 1.07 (95% CI 1.00-1.14) for those sleeping <= 7 h, 1.04 (95% CI 1.02-1.07) for 6-7 h, and 1.17 (95% CI 1.06-1.28) for < 6 h. For women, with sleep duration 6-7 and < 6 h, the pooled risk of hypertension incidence was 1.07 (1.02-1.12) and 1.12 (1.06-1.19). In individuals under 60 years of age, an elevated risk of hypertension was observed with sleep durations of less than 6 hand between 6 and 7 h, with pooled risks of 1.24 (95% CI 1.10-1.39) and 1.05 (95% CI 1.00-1.11), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension is significantly correlated with sleep duration under 7 h, especially in women and those under 60, highlighting the importance of sleep management in hypertension prevention and treatment strategies.