A joint study conducted by researchers from the Pennsylvania State University and China's Sichuan University found a link between insomnia and hypertension, Reuters reported.
Based on the researchers' experiment, those who took longer than 14 minutes to doze off have higher chances of developing heart diseases and high blood pressure than those who are able to fall asleep easily.
A total of 315 volunteers composed of 96 normal sleepers and 219 insomniacs participated in the study, according to Medical Daily. Inside a laboratory, the participants were then asked to take naps during four different times of the day. They were carefully observed and monitored for the duration of the test.
According to data taken from the participants during the study, the chances of suffering from hypertension and heart problems for those who took more than 14 minutes to fall asleep are three times higher than those who didn't.
Those who fell asleep after over 17 minutes, on the other hand, have a 400 percent chance of developing the same health issues.
"Insomniacs who have either short sleep at night or show signs of hyperalertness during the day are at risk for hypertension," the researchers wrote in the study. "This is similar to someone who has other risk factors such as obesity, high lipids, smoking, etc."
According to researchers, insomnia and the increased chance of suffering from heart diseases are connected to stress. If a person experiences high levels of stress, he or she will most likely not get enough sleep, the Telegraph has learned.
As for insomniacs, researchers pointed out that hyperarousal may be the likely cause of their sleeping problem. Previous studies have revealed that despite feeling tired during the day, those suffering from insomnia have a hard time falling asleep at night because of being in a heightened active state.
"Although insomniacs complain of fatigue and tiredness during the day, their problem is that they cannot relax and that they are hyper," Dr. Alexandros Vgontzas of the Pennsylvania State University and co-author of the study said in a statement.
"Measures that apply in sleep-deprived normal sleepers - napping, caffeine use, or other stimulants to combat fatigue - do not apply in insomniacs," he added. "In fact, excessive caffeine worsens hyperarousal."
