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Pulmonary medicine specialist Dr. Audrey Liu and Internist Dr. Jonathan Rich

Mercy Physicians Drs. Audrey Liu and Jonathan Rich Discuss Possible Connection Between Insomnia And High Blood Pressure On WBAL-TV11's "The Woman's Doctor"

A new study out of the University of Montreal shows there may be a link between insomnia and high blood pressure.

Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep and waking up too early.

Sleep problems are common in the U.S. for millions of Americans. It's estimated that 30 percent to 50 percent of the general population are affected by insomnia at some point and 10 percent have chronic insomnia.

But could insomnia cause high blood pressure? Mercy Medical Center internist Dr. Jonathan Rich said he found the new study intriguing.

"It's very interesting because we see so many patients with insomnia and so many with hypertension that it would be interesting if there was a link between the two," he said.

Mercy pulmonary specialist Dr. Audrey Liu said insomnia is the No. 1 sleep complaint.

One issue is that insomnia may be related to another sleep disorder, like sleep apnea, both Dr. Rich and Dr. Liu noted.

Sleep apnea has a well-established link to hypertension. Doctors said that sometimes a patient's oxygen level will drop because they stop breathing, which especially tends to wake up women, who then think they have insomnia.

While more research needs to be done, he will look at his patients with insomnia a little differently.

"We might pay a little more attention to their blood pressure and have them check at home. I would be more intrigued by it and follow them a little closer," Dr. Rich said.

To learn more or to view Dr. Liu's and Dr. Rich's interview on WBAL-TV11, click this link: http://www.wbaltv.com/womansdoctor/21275060/detail.html.