Is impaired sleep quality responsible for a nondipping pattern even in normotensive individuals?

Objective We aimed to evaluate the relationship between sleep quality and a dipping-nondipping pattern in normotensive individuals.Materials and methods Our study was carried out on 100 normotensive individuals; 50 of these individuals had a dipping pattern and 50 had a nondipping pattern, and were chosen from among patients in whom ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was applied before for any reason. All study participants underwent the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index survey to evaluate sleep disturbances.Results The overall scores and all the components of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores were significantly higher in the nondipper normotensive group compared with the dipper normotensive group.Conclusion In conclusion, the nondipping blood pressure pattern appears to be associated with poor sleep quality not only in hypertensive patients but also in normotensive healthy individuals. When evaluating patients with poor sleep quality, the possibility that they may have a nondipping pattern even if they are normotensive should be kept in mind. (C) 2013 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.