Older men with poor sleep architecture experienced more hypertension.

Healthy sleep includes a phase called slow-wave, or deep sleep. Researchers have found that older men with normal blood pressures, but who had the lowest levels of slow-wave sleep saw an 80% greater risk of being hypertensive 3.4 years later compared with those who had the higest levels--even after adjustment for age, race, BMI, and total sleep duration. There is growing evidence that sleep architecture influences metabolic functions.

PositiveTip: How is your sleep architecture? Regular times for sleeping, daily physical activity, and light eveing meals can help optimize it.