Adequate Sleep Linked to Reduced Risk for Hypertension in Teens

FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) — In adolescents, adequate sleep is associated with a reduced risk for hypertension, according to a study published online Nov. 11 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Augusto César F. De Moraes, Ph.D., from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues analyzed data from 3,320 participants from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study to examine the specific interaction between noise and sleep health in causing hypertension. The cohort included participants with complete data on Fitbit-tracked sleep, blood pressure, height, neighborhood noise, and covariates. Sleep health was categorized based on daily duration as healthy (nine to 12 hours), moderately healthy (plus or minus one hour from optimal), and low (one hour or more deviation).

The researchers observed an increase in the incidence of hypertension, from 1.7 percent in 2018-2020 to 2.9 percent in 2020-2022. The risk of developing hypertension was lower for adolescents with healthier sleep (relative risk, 0.63); for neighborhood noise alone or in combination with sleep health, there were no significant effects noted.

“Initiatives to improve sleep hygiene and address sleep disorders in young people may yield substantial long-term cardiovascular benefits,” the authors write. “These findings highlight the need for multifaceted approaches to promote cardiovascular health in adolescents.”

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