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Go to bed! If you don't get the rest you need, your blood pressure could spike.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Insomnia may leave you feeling like a zombie in the morning, but all that tossing and turning could be causing scary blood pressure readings, too. A new study published in the journal Sleep found that people who can’t sleep have a much higher risk of developing hypertension than the sleeping beauties of the world.

THE DETAILS: Researchers studied 1,741 randomly selected men and women, some of whom reported suffering from insomnia or poor sleep for at least a year. Insomnia was defined as having trouble falling asleep for at least a year, and poor sleep was defined as having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. People suffering from sleep apnea, in which soft tissue blocks the airway and disrupts breathing during sleep, were not included in this study.

The participants spent a night at the researchers’ sleep lab in Pennsylvania, where their sleeping patterns and blood pressure were monitored. Chronic insomniacs who slept less than 5 hours had a 500 percent greater risk of hypertension, compared with sleepers who slept at least 6 hours on the night of the sleep study. And self-reported poor sleepers who slept just 5 to 6 hours ran a 350 percent higher risk. People with insomnia who slept more than 6 hours during the study had no increased risk in high blood pressure, however.

WHAT IT MEANS: Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, even more so than often-talked-about sleep apnea. Research has already shown that insomnia can lead to anxiety, depression, and even suicide, but this study suggests it can also have an effect on cardiovascular health. People suffering from insomnia often have a higher level of the stress hormone cortisol in their systems, which could be responsible for elevating their blood pressures.

Protect your cardiovascular system by taking steps to beat insomnia: