Poor sleep increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Studies suggest that many teenagers fail to meet the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s recommended 8–10 hours of sleep. To determine whether inadequate sleep in teenagers influences the risk of hypertension, a preliminary study has analyzed self-reported insomnia and lab-based sleep data from 421 teenagers. The study found that teenagers with insomnia who slept less than 7.7 hours per night were up to five times more likely to develop hypertension compared to “good sleepers”.
Likewise, those without insomnia but who slept less than 7.7 hours had nearly three times the risk of elevated blood pressure. However, teenagers with insomnia who slept sufficiently did not have an increased risk of elevated blood pressure or stage 2 hypertension. These findings highlight the importance of assessing sleep problems in teenagers and…
