J Health Popul Nutr. 2026 Jun 12. doi: 10.1186/s41043-026-01348-0. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and its relationship with sleep quality and duration remains a topic of growing interest. Poor or insufficient sleep may contribute to the development of hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the association between sleep duration, sleep quality, and hypertension in community-dwelling adults using data from the Ardakan Cohort Study on Ageing (ACSA).
METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using ACSA data collected between 2020 and 2022, including 5,872 participants aged 50 years and older from Ardakan, Iran. Sleep quality was assessed using the validated Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and blood pressure was measured following standard protocols. Hypertension was defined according to the American Heart Association guidelines. Logistic regression models were employed to assess associations between sleep quality and hypertension.
RESULTS: Hypertensive participants (n = 2,967) showed poorer sleep quality than non-hypertensive individuals (n = 2,905), as indicated by a higher mean PSQI score (8.13 ± 4.23 vs. 6.93 ± 4.06; P < 0.001), a higher prevalence of poor sleep (76.99% vs. 66.53%; P < 0.001), longer sleep latency (50.69% vs. 42.62%; P < 0.001), and a greater proportion of insufficient sleep (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that a sleep duration of 6-7 h was associated with 28% lower odds of hypertension (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.64-0.94, P = 0.01). Poor sleep quality was borderline associated with hypertension in the total population (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.99-1.35, P = 0.05). Sleep latency categories were not significantly associated with hypertension in adjusted models.
CONCLUSION: In this cross-sectional study, a sleep duration of 6-7 h was associated with lower odds of hypertension, while poor sleep quality showed a borderline association. No significant association was observed between sleep latency and hypertension in the fully adjusted models. These findings warrant further investigation in longitudinal studies to clarify causality.
PMID:42286734 | DOI:10.1186/s41043-026-01348-0