BACKGROUND: Sleeping with the head of bed tilted upwards (SHU) is recommended as a treatment of orthostatic hypotension though the supporting evidence is weak. AIM: To investigate the physiological effects of SHU amongst a group of young healthy volunteers. METHODS: Twenty-nine volunteers, mean age 22 years, underwent 1-week of SHU at 18-in. elevation. Before and after hemodynamic and non-haemodynamic parameters were recorded. RESULTS: After SHU, there were reductions in the systolic blood pressure drop on standing, upright total peripheral resistance, haemoglobin, nocturnal urinary volume, orthostatic dizziness and increases in weight, standing cardiac output and ankle circumference. There were no differences in heart rate, stroke volume, renin, aldosterone, pro-atrial natriuretic peptide or 24-h blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: In these healthy subjects, SHU for 1 week had a nocturnal antidiuretic effect with both intra- and extra-vascular accumulation of fluid and was associated with reduced postural drop in SBP and improved orthostatic tolerance.
BACKGROUND: Sleeping with the head of bed tilted upwards (SHU) is recommended as a treatment of orthostatic hypotension though the supporting evidence is weak. AIM: To investigate the physiological effects of SHU amongst a group of young healthy volunteers. METHODS: Twenty-nine volunteers, mean age 22 years, underwent 1-week of SHU at 18-in. elevation. Before and after hemodynamic and non-haemodynamic parameters were recorded. RESULTS: After SHU, there were reductions in the systolic blood pressure drop on standing, upright total peripheral resistance, haemoglobin, nocturnal urinary volume, orthostatic dizziness and increases in weight, standing cardiac output and ankle circumference. There were no differences in heart rate, stroke volume, renin, aldosterone, pro-atrial natriuretic peptide or 24-h blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: In these healthy subjects, SHU for 1 week had a nocturnal antidiuretic effect with both intra- and extra-vascular accumulation of fluid and was associated with reduced postural drop in SBP and improved orthostatic tolerance.
Authors: Michele Brignole; Paolo Alboni; David G Benditt; Lennart Bergfeldt; Jean-Jacques Blanc; Paul Erik Bloch Thomsen; J Gert van Dijk; Adam Fitzpatrick; Stefan Hohnloser; Jean Janousek; Wishwa Kapoor; Rose Anne Kenny; Piotr Kulakowski; Giulio Masotti; Angel Moya; Antonio Raviele; Richard Sutton; George Theodorakis; Andrea Ungar; Wouter Wieling Journal: Europace Date: 2004-11 Impact factor: 5.214
Authors: John R Shannon; Andre Diedrich; Italo Biaggioni; Jens Tank; Rose Marie Robertson; David Robertson; Jens Jordan Journal: Am J Med Date: 2002-04-01 Impact factor: 4.965