Stress and protein intake are associated with short sleep duration among hypertensive patients

Background
Hypertensive patients usually have shorter sleep duration compared to the healthy population. Short sleep duration in hypertensive patients increases the risk of hypertension co-morbidity incidence and is caused by dietary intake, stress or other lifestyle factors.

Objectives
This study aimed to determine the relationship between stress and other factors related with sleep duration in hypertensive patients.

Material and methods
This study used a cross-sectional design with a sample size of 98 hypertensive patients who regularly received treatment for at least six months prior to data collection. Data was collected at Tegal Gundil Primary Healthcare, West Java, Indonesia, in 2017. Sleep duration was determined through the self-reported method, stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaire, dietary intake using the Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SFFQ), physical activity using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) and the presence of a roommate using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Results
The results showed that the average of hypertensive patients’ sleep duration was 6.39 hours, with 54% of respondents sleeping less than the recommended duration (7 hours). A positive correlation was found between stress and sleep duration (p = 0.020; r = 0.235) and protein intake and sleep duration (p = 0.041; r = 0.266). The presence of a roommate also had a significant relation with sleep duration (p = 0.023; OR = 4.45 (1.32–15.01)).

Conclusions
It was found that stress, protein intake and the presence of a roommate were associated with short sleep duration among hypertensive patients.