The effect of blood pressure cuff inflation on sleep. A polysomnographic examination

Ambulatory blood pressure monitors are being used increasingly to define blood pressure in contexts other than the doctor's office. With increasing interest in both effects of treatment on quality of life and chronobiology of hemodynamic regulation, such monitors have also been used to define blood pressure during sleep. Unfortunately, few investigators have scrutinized the effect of such recordings on sleep, as defined precisely with polysomnography. We studied a diverse group of 12 unmedicated individuals, measuring BP by cuff inflation every 60 min. The polysomnogram was then analyzed for periods of wakefulness and arousals from sleep. Cuff inflation was associated with increased arousals (P < .0001) and wakefulness (P < .0001). In addition, subjects recalled 58% of the cuff inflations. Effects of cuff inflation on a second night of recording indicated some habituation. Nocturnal BPs measured by such techniques are still valuable, but one must have some reservations that these measures accurately reflect BP during sleep.