Sleep quantity, quality linked to heart health in adolescents

Both quantity and quality of sleep in adolescents had significant effects on aspects of cardiovascular health such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels and abdominal fat deposition, according to a study published in the latest issue of Pediatrics.

Researchers focused on the amount of time sleeping and the percentage of sleep that is undisturbed with 829 now – adolescent study participants.

They had both their night-time sleep and daily physical activity measured over seven to ten days by actigraphy, which records physical motion by a device worn on the wrist, Xinhua news agency reported.

Results showed that the average sleep duration for all participants was 441 minutes or 7.35 hours per day; and only 2.2 percent met or exceeded the recommended average sleep duration for their age group: nine hours per day for ages 11 to 13 and eight hours per day for those 14 to 17.

According to the study, both shorter sleep duration and lower sleep efficiency were associated with increased levels of overall and abdominal fat deposition, associations that persisted after adjustments for physical activity, television viewing and consumption of fast foods or sweetened beverages.

Longer sleep duration and higher efficiency were associated with reductions in cardiometabolic risk.