United States: Experts have proven that teenagers sleeping less than 7.7 hours will develop high blood pressure, according to a recent study.
The combination of insomnia with insufficient sleep produces people who have high blood pressure surpassing 140 systolic, according to new research at the American Heart Association (AHA) meeting in New Orleans.
The investigators warn that elevated blood pressure during adolescence often leads to chronic heart problems during an entire adult life.
What are the experts stating?
According to the senior researcher, Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, director of behavioral sleep medicine at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey, Penn, “While we need to explore this association in larger studies on teens, it is safe to say that sleep health matters for heart health, and we should not wait until adulthood to address it.”
“Not all teens who complain of insomnia symptoms are at risk for cardiovascular issues,” he continued, as US News reported.
“However, monitoring their sleep duration objectively can help us identify those who have a more severe form of insomnia and are at risk for heart problems,” he added.
How was the conclusion made?
A total of 421 students participated as subjects at three educational districts operating in the Harrisburg, Penn region.
Study participants informed researchers about their insomnia status, after which they spent a lab night to measure sleep time.
The data collection process occurred from 2010 through 2013. The researchers measured the blood pressure of the teens on multiple occasions two to three hours before bedtime during their sleep laboratory stay.
“We know that disturbed and insufficient sleep is associated with high blood pressure in adults, particularly in adults who report insomnia and sleep objectively less than six hours, but we do not yet know if these associations exist in adolescents,” Fernandez-Mendoza maintained.
Students who exceeded 120/80 in blood pressure readings during tests were diagnosed with elevated blood pressure, while full-fledged high blood pressure had a minimum reading threshold of 140/90, US News reported.
Teens experiencing insomnia reported five times more risk of high blood pressure; however, those with enough nightly rest (more than 7.7 hours) did not exhibit either elevated or high blood pressure.
“Our findings are important because they call attention to the need to listen to teens who complain of disturbed sleep, to monitor and assess their sleep objectively and help them improve it in order to prevent heart problems early,” as per first author Axel Robinson, who is a 17-year-old senior at Pelham Memorial High School in Pelham, N.Y.