Can Dysautonomia Cause High Blood Pressure

[Mikey69]

Hi all,

yes it's yet another question from me. I suspect i already know the answer will be yes, but i just wanted to check with others more experienced than I (Which is probably most/all of you!).

I'll first point out that i have a very healthy cardio vascular system - or at least i did! Low BP, healthy heart, lungs of a 19 year old, etc.

I'm on day 97 of insomnia. I have been showing signs of improvement, as i've not needed to take Diazepam very often and i'm sleeping much better several nights per week. I'm taking 300mg Valerian each night when i'm not on the Diazepam.

I had my first totally sleepless night in a couple of weeks last night (boo!) and this was after taking 150mg Valerian then 2mg Diazepam an hour later, as i knew i wouldn't be able to sleep.

Heart rate 60 bpm (great!), but heart sounded loud, pounding again (this had settled down for some time).

I currently take 2.5mg Bisoprolol daily to lower my blood pressure, and this was working very well, with daytime readings at 115/70.

In past few days i've noticed my heart is pounding more, and is louder at night again. I checked my BP several times since yesterday and it's 150/92 - even with the beta blocker!

I know insomnia frequently causes raised blood pressure, but i had hoped this would be temporary. I'm sleeping better, but my BP isn't improving.

I have two questions:

Is insomnia raised blood pressure temporary or permanent?

Can dysautonomia cause raised blood pressure for prolonged periods, which can then cause insomnia?

Thanks in advance,

Mike :-)

[MomtoGiuliana]

Hi Mikey69

Glad you are sleeping better, I can say from experience that insomnia feels terrible and can wreak havoc for the autonomic system.

Keep in mind that we cannot provide medical advice on the forum.

There may be several mechanisms that may cause insomnia as a symptom for people with dysautonomia. But yes dysautonomia affects blood pressure (for some people lowers, raises or makes variable).

As far a blood pressure changes due to chronic insomnia hopefully others can describe their experiences.

A couple of bp readings may or may not be very useful to know what is going on for you. You may want to keep a diary of your bp over a few weeks to share with your doctor.