Higher blood pressure at night than in daytime may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in older men. This is suggested by a new study from researchers at Uppsala University, now published in the journal Hypertension.
‘Dementia’ is an umbrella term used to describe a category of symptoms marked by behavioural changes and gradually declining cognitive and social abilities. Numerous factors, including hypertension (high blood pressure), affect the risk of developing these symptoms.
Under healthy conditions, blood pressure (BP) varies over 24 hours, with lowest values reached at night. Doctors call this nocturnal blood pressure fall ‘dipping’. However, in some people, this BP pattern is reversed: their nocturnal BP is higher than in daytime. This blood pressure profile is known as ‘reverse dipping’.
“The night is a critical period for brain health. For example, in animals, it has…
