The medical journal Sleep has published a study that is bringing forth new evidence that people who suffer from insomnia have higher blood pressure over the course of their bouts of wakefulness than people who are able to fall asleep normally.

To reach this conclusion, researchers from the Université de Montréal monitored the blood pressure of 13 normal sleepers and 13 insomniacs with cardiovascular health equivalent to those from the first group during designated sleep hours. The insomniac group registered higher blood pressure numbers than the normal sleepers.

Although the problem is constrained to people with insomnia, that group is a large one, with 48 percent of the population of the world suffering from insomnia at some point in their lives.

"Blood pressure cycles are mainly linked to the sleep-wake cycle," said Dr. Jacques Montplaisir, a co-author of the study. "Since blood pressure is heightened among insomniacs, those with overt cardiac disease are particularly at risk for progression of the disease."

Many methods are available for inducing sleep, including melatonin supplements, which may help correct imbalances in brain chemistry that contribute to insomnia.