CIRCADIAN PATTERN OF REST-ACTIVITY RHYTHMS AND BLOOD PRESSURE AND THE UNDERLYING

Project Narrative: Given that circadian disruptions are ubiquitous in modern society, this study will investigate whether circadian rest-activity rhythms (CRAR), a measure of circadian rhythmicity in a free-living setting, are associated with hypertension risk and with measures of diurnal blood pressure (BP) variation that may have greater prognostic significance in predicting cardiovascular events. The study will also determine whether epigenetic age, a measure of biological aging based on DNA methylation patterns, mediates associations of CRAR with BP and provide evidence for a biologically plausible mechanistic model of CRAR's influence on HTN risk. Rest-activity rhythms are potentially modifiable; therefore, gaining a better understanding of the relationship between CRAR and BP as well as underlying epigenetic mechanisms related to aging and age-related disease may inform hypertension prevention guidelines to address the timing, regularity and periodicity of lifestyle activities and lead to novel precision behavioral interventions that lower cardiovascular risk.