The Relationship Between Sleep Quality and Blood Pressure in Elderly Hypertensive Patients

Aim: Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the relationship between sleep quality and blood pressure in elderly hypertensive patients. Methods: This study was conducted using a descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 200 patients over the age of 65 who were diagnosed with hypertension and hospitalized in the internal medicine clinic of a training and research hospital between October 2023 and June 2024. The Patient Identification Form and the Richard Campbell Sleep Quality Scale were used to obtain the data. Results: The mean age of the elderly patients participating in the study was 76.36 ± 7.70 years, and the average duration of hypertension was 15.63 ± 9.61 years. The mean daytime sleep duration of the patients was found to be 61.63 ± 32.31 minutes. A total of 28% of the elderly patients reported having a regular sleep habit. The mean score of the Richards Campbell Sleep Quality Scale (RCSQ) was 54.45 ± 17.23. There was a statistically significant difference in RCSQ sleep quality scores based on sleep habits (t=5.866; p<0.01), sleep duration before hospitalization (F=61.281; p=0.00), ability to sleep at the desired time in the hospital (U=4.796; p=0.00), and nighttime awakenings (U=-6.086; p=0.00). Ability to sleep at desired time in the hospital (yes) increases the sleep quality score by 0.299 times, sleep habit (regular) 0.318 times and nighttime sleep duration before hospitalization (9 hours and over) 0.167 times. Conclusion: The findings regarding the effects of daytime sleep on vital signs indicate that elderly patients who take daytime naps have lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to those who do not.