Noises in the night could increase blood pressure

Even though sounds that we could be used to hearing during sleep may not be loud enough to wake us up, subtle noises of this nature can also contribute to hypertension. This could be some enlightening news for many people who live next to an airport or sleep next to a person who snores.

Researchers measured volunteers aged 45 to 70 years of age. Using a device for remote assessment, they measured blood pressure during a "noise event" that could be measured right there in the bedroom. These events could be as subtle as a car driving by, or as loud as a plane flying overhead.

They went for the obvious test and used volunteers who lived near airports -- which they reasoned would give the most observable results. To no surprise, aircraft produced the greatest increase in blood pressure. There was a jump in over 6 points for the systolic reading, and almost 7 and a half for the diastolic increase. It's hard to get an absolutely quiet sleeping environment, but on the flip side I wonder if sound machines would produce similar results!