The Relationship between Sleep Duration and Blood Pressure in Korean Adults and Elderly

Adults’ sleep duration has consistently decreased with the progression of economic development. In South Korea, an estimated 20% of adults ex-hibit a sleep duration of under 6 hours (1). A lack of sleep can increase blood pressure by stimulat-ing sympathetic nerve function (2), and a chronic lack of sleep can lead to hypertension by keeping blood pressure high throughout the day, increas-ing heart rate, and increasing body salt retention (3).