St-Onge MP, Campbell A, Aggarwal B, et al. - Researchers investigated the causal impact of sleep restriction (SR) on blood pressure (BP) among women enrolled in a randomized, crossover, intervention study. Sleep was maintained as usual (HS) or decreased by 1.5 hours a night (SR) for 6 weeks. The links between sleep and psychosocial factors were assessed employing multivariable models that were adjusted for demographic and clinical confounders. Shorter sleep, worse sleep quality, and greater insomnia symptoms were observed in the community cohort in relation to higher perceived stress, stressful events and distress, and lower resilience. Following SR vs HS, higher wake ambulatory diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure were noted. Experts found no impact of total sleep time on psychological distress variables, and these variables were not identified as the mediators of the effects of SR on BP. Overall, findings revealed that SR impacts CVD risk among women, through mechanisms independent of psychological stressors.