Feeling Sleepy During the Day? It Could Be a Warning Sign for High Blood Pressure

THURSDAY, June 18, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Feeling excessively sleepy during the day could be a warning sign for high blood pressure — especially if you also have trouble falling asleep at night.

That's according to a new study from Penn State College of Medicine, which found that adults who experience an uncontrollable urge to sleep during the day were more likely to have hypertension or develop it down the road.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 1,700 adults who reported their daytime sleepiness symptoms and underwent overnight sleep testing.

Participants reporting excessive daytime sleepiness had 52% higher odds of already having high blood pressure or 74% higher odds of developing it over time, according to the results.

The risk was even greater for those who took 30 minutes or longer to fall asleep at night.

In that group, the likelihood of having high blood pressure more than doubled, while the risk of developing it later more than tripled.

“Adults with excessive daytime sleepiness and prolonged sleep-onset latency appeared to represent a distinct subgroup with significantly greater cardiovascular risk,” said lead author Dr. Alexandros Vgontzas, director of the Sleep Research and Treatment Center at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The authors say these findings suggest doctors should look beyond sleep apnea when evaluating patients who are unusually sleepy during the day.

The findings were presented in Baltimore on June 17 at a meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. They were also published in a special issue of the journal Sleep.

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on daytime sleepiness.

SOURCE: HealthDay TV, June 18, 2026