Teens with good sleep habits less at risk of heart issues in later life

By Stephen Beech

Teenagers who get a regular good night's sleep are less likely to suffer heart trouble when they are older, according to new research.

Healthy sleep patterns in adolescence predict better cardiovascular health in the future, say scientists.

American researchers found that teenagers with earlier, more efficient, and less variable sleep patterns at the age of 15 had better heart health at 22.

The findings show that several healthy sleep habits at age 15 predicted a better cardiovascular health score at age 22.

These included falling asleep and waking up earlier, spending a lower percentage of time in bed awake, and having lower variability in total sleep time and sleep onset.

However, average total sleep time did not predict future cardiovascular health.

Study author Dr. Gina Mathew, of Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine in New York, said: “Given the importance of sleep health for physical health and well-being in the short-term, we were not surprised to see a lasting association between adolescent sleep timing, sleep maintenance efficiency, and sleep variability with cardiovascular health in young adulthood.

“It was unexpected, however, that with and without adjustment for potentially confounding factors, total sleep time during adolescence was not a significant predictor of cardiovascular health during young adulthood.

"This single null finding, of course, does not indicate that total sleep time is unimportant.

More from this section

Artificial intelligence can predict risk of heart attack

Community Hospitals Failing To Transfer Injury Patients To Better Facilities

Daily Pill Might Help People With Stubborn High Blood Pressure

"Rather, when paired with other studies, these findings underscore the complexity of sleep health and the need to consider multiple sleep dimensions as potential targets for promoting and maintaining cardiovascular health.”

Teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep eight to 10 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

In addition to adequate duration, healthy sleep also requires appropriate timing, good quality, regularity, and the absence of sleep disturbances or disorders.

The research team analyzed data from 307 adolescents, with 57% of them being female.

Sleep variables were estimated at age 15 using one week of data from wrist-worn devices.

At age 22, cardiovascular health was assessed using seven non-sleep factors - self-reported diet, physical activity, and nicotine exposure, and objectively measured body mass index (BMI), blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure - from the American Heart Association’s Life's Essential 8, producing an average score.

Dr. Mathew says that the results highlight the need for a more comprehensive approach to address the relationship between adolescent sleep health and cardiovascular health.

She added: “Future research and recommendations should emphasise the importance of multiple dimensions of sleep health, including earlier sleep timing, higher sleep maintenance efficiency, and lower sleep variability as protective factors for long-term heart health."

The findings were published in the journal Sleep and presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle.