Key Considerations for Nighttime Care and Bedding Selection for Hypertensive Patients

Avoid using excessively thick blankets or pillows that are too high or too low:

Pillow height: Shoulder width minus head width. This is a general formula for most people.

For people with high blood pressure, not using a pillow or using a pillow that is too low increases blood flow to the brain, which is detrimental to their health. Furthermore, when sleeping on one's side, the distance between the head and the bed is 6-15 cm, requiring the cervical spine to compensate. This can cause excessive stretching of one side of the neck muscles, leading to spasms and a stiff neck. Simultaneously, passive tension in the neck muscles also affects sleep.

Generally, blood pressure drops during sleep at night, allowing people with high blood pressure to relax and rest.

This is mainly because the sympathetic nervous system dominates bodily activities during the day, while the parasympathetic nervous system dominates during nighttime rest.

The parasympathetic nervous system helps the tired body store sufficient energy for the next day while resting at night.

Oxygen replenishment is absolutely essential for the human body. If covered with thick blankets, oxygen consumption increases, requiring increased compensation. Similarly, if the pillow is too high, insufficient blood flow to the head during rest can lead to a compensatory increase in blood pressure. Therefore, heavy bedding and pillows that are too high or too low should be avoided during rest.

Nighttime care should not be taken lightly: Although blood pressure generally rises during the day and falls at night, in reality, there are frequent cases of sudden cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in hypertensive patients at night, often resulting in severe consequences, even sudden death, due to delayed rescue. Therefore, hypertensive patients and their families must not be complacent just because the patient's blood pressure usually drops at night, especially for hypertensive patients with serious complications and elderly hypertensive patients. Close monitoring of blood pressure changes and proper nighttime care are crucial.

Generally speaking, hypertensive patients should pay attention to the following during nighttime care:

(1) Avoid emotional fluctuations, prolonged reading, excessive entertainment, late-night conversations, and mental stress before bed, as these can affect sleep, leading to poor sleep, excessive dreaming, and impaired hypertension control. (2) Avoid eating, drinking alcohol, drinking tea, and smoking before bed to prevent vasoconstriction, increased blood pressure, and increased burden on the heart. Hypertensive patients should also get up slowly at night, ideally sitting on the bed for 1-2 minutes before slowly getting down to avoid falls due to orthostatic hypotension. Elderly hypertensive patients should not take sleeping pills at night to avoid side effects such as dizziness, unsteady gait, and increased risk of falls. Sleeping pills can also cause symptoms similar to arteriosclerotic dementia in elderly hypertensive patients.

(3) Do not sleep alone, especially hypertensive patients with severe complications. Someone should share a room with them to ensure timely rescue in case of an emergency. If a hypertensive patient exhibits abnormal snoring, rapid breathing, complaints of discomfort, or incessant groaning, immediately notify the emergency center or the nearest hospital's emergency department for treatment.

(4) If a hypertensive patient experiences acute myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest, immediately perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, chest compressions, and chest massage. Do not move the patient unnecessarily. Simultaneously notify the emergency center or the emergency department of a nearby hospital for on-site resuscitation and provide active cooperation.

(5) If a patient with hypertension is found to have suffered a stroke, they should be transported to the hospital for emergency treatment as soon as possible.