Teen sleep patterns play key role in long-term heart health

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2025 annual meeting found that teens with earlier, more efficient, and less variable sleep patterns at age 15 had better cardiovascular health at age 22.

Results show that several healthy sleep habits at age 15 predicted a higher (better) cardiovascular health score at age 22: 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. In contrast, average total sleep time did not predict future cardiovascular health. Results were adjusted for potential confounders including sociodemographic characteristics and self-reported body mass index, diet, and physical activity during adolescence.

"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," said lead data analyst and study author Gina Marie Mathew, who has a doctorate in biobehavioral health and is a senior post-doctoral associate in public health in the department of family, population, and preventive medicine at Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine in New York. "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. 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."

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health. In addition to adequate duration, healthy sleep requires appropriate timing, good quality, regularity, and the absence of sleep disturbances or disorders.

The researchers analyzed longitudinal data from sub-studies of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The diverse sample comprised 307 adolescents; 57% were female. Sleep variables were estimated at age 15 using one week of wrist actigraphy. At age 22, cardiovascular health was assessed using the seven non-sleep factors (self-reported diet, physical activity, and nicotine exposure, and objectively measured body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure) from the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8, producing an average composite score.

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

"Future research and recommendations should emphasize 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," she said.

This study was supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development within the National Institutes of Health. The research abstract was published recently in an online supplement of the journal Sleep and will be presented as an oral presentation Sunday, June 8, during SLEEP 2025 in Seattle. SLEEP is the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.