Hypertension is a prevalent life style disease and the existing literatures provide robust evidences of the disastrous effects of hypertension on almost all of the bodily functions separately, but there are least evidences comparing such parameters between hypertensive and normotensive adults. This study mainly concentrates on the comparing quality of sleep and emergence of sleep disorders between hypertensive and normotensive individuals. A set of 2 groups; a CASE and a CONTROL each constituting with a sample of 44 subjects between the age group 25-65 years of age were recruited in the study. The sleep quality scores of all hypertensive cases and normotensive controls were assessed by the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The possibility and prevalence rates of sleep disorders among the study group were evaluated using the Sleep Disorder Screening Questionnaire. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS (Version 20.0). In the case group, 97.7% were poor sleepers and among the control group, about 88.6% were good sleepers. The differences between sleep quality scores among the case and control groups were found to be highly statistically significant (P<0.05). Out of the 4 sleep disorders, majority (95.5%) of the hypertensive group had Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Also 81.8%, 81.8% and 72.7% of the case group had high prevalence of insomnia, narcolepsy and Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). On comparison, hypertensive cases recruited for the study had poor sleep quality and high prevalence of sleep disorders than normotensive controls. A poor sleep quality could possibly affect autonomic function and stress levels which could further elevate Blood Pressure, worsening the condition. Thus, a clinical evaluation of sleep quality and its related disorders might be helpful in the prognosis of hypertension.

Keywords : Hypertension, Normotension, Sleep Quality, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Insomnia, Narcolepsy, Restless Leg Syndrome.