Sympathetic neural responsiveness to sleep deprivation in older adults: Sex differences

Jason R. Carter, Ida T. Fonkoue, Ian M. Greenlund, Christopher E. Schwartz, Babak Mokhlesi, Carl A. Smoot

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

Our laboratory has previously reported that total sleep deprivation (TSD) modifies muscle sympathetic neural activity (MSNA) differently in young men and women. Because postmenopausal women are among the highest risk for hypertension, this study compares MSNA responses with TSD in older men and women. We hypothesized that TSD would alter MSNA in older adults, with greater sympathoexcitation in postmenopausal women. Twenty-seven participants (14 men and 13 women) between the ages of 55 and 75 yr were tested twice, once after 24-h TSD and once after normal sleep (randomized, crossover design). Our primary outcome measure of MSNA (microneurography) was successful across both conditions in 20 participants (10 men and 10 women). Secondary outcome measures included seated blood pressure, heart rate, and fasting plasma testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone. Age (60 = 1 vs. 61 = 2 yr) and BMI (27 = 1 vs. 26 = 1 kg/m2) were not different between groups. TSD increased systolic blood pressure in both men (124 = 5 to 130 = 4 mmHg) and women (107 = 5 to 116 = 4 mmHg), but the increases were not different between groups (condition, P ± 0.014; condition < sex, P < 0.05). In contrast, TSD elicited divergent MSNA responses in older men and women. Specifically, MSNA burst frequency increased in postmenopausal women (28 = 3 to 34 = 3 burst/min), but not older men (38 = 3 to 35 = 3 bursts/min; condition < sex, P ± 0.032). In conclusion, TSD elicited sympathoexcitation in postmenopausal women but not age-matched men. These findings provide new mechanistic insight into reported links between sleep deprivation and hypertension. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Epidemiological studies report that sleep deprivation is more strongly associated with hypertension in women than in men. In the present study, 24-h total sleep deprivation (TSD) increased blood pressure in postmenopausal women and age-matched men. In contrast, only women demonstrated increases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity after TSD. The sympathoexcitation observed in postmenopausal women suggests a potential contributing mechanism for epidemiological observations and advances our understanding of the complex relations between sleep, sex, and hypertension.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)H315-H322
JournalAmerican Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology
Volume317
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study was supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Grant HL-122919 and the Portage Health Foundation.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 the American Physiological Society.

Keywords

  • Arterial blood pressure
  • Autonomic activity
  • Hypertension
  • Microneurography
  • Sleep insufficiency

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Sympathetic neural responsiveness to sleep deprivation in older adults: Sex differences'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this