The impact of sleep on ambulatory blood pressure of female caregivers providing home care in Japan: An observational study

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Abstract

金沢大学医薬保健研究域保健学系

Background: Elderly family caregivers are presumed to be susceptible to having various health problems. However, biomedical indicators of health in these caregivers are rarely examined. Objective: To examine the effect of sleep quality, measured by hours of sleep and the number of times leaving bed, on various blood pressure parameters in elderly caregivers. Design: Observational study. Setting: Northern Japan. Participants: Seventy-eight female family caregivers. Methods: Ambulatory blood pressure was monitored at 30-60-min intervals for a 24-h period. An actigraph was used to determine sleep/wake status. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to obtain home care and demographic information, and self-administered questionnaires were used to collect information on activities in a 24-h period. Results: The mean age of the caregivers was 62.5 ± 9.6 years, and the mean hours of sleep were 7.3. Out of 78 caregivers, 19 were on antihypertensive medication. Of the remaining 59, this study found 45.8% to be hypertensive, with the mean maximum systolic pressure exceeding 180 mmHg. The hours of sleep at night and for the 24-h period were inversely associated with the mean systolic blood pressure. The majority of caregivers on antihypertensive medication also had high blood pressure. Conclusions: This study suggests the importance of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for elderly caregivers, so as to screen for hypertension as well as to monitor the effectiveness of antihypertensive medication. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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