Poor Sleep Linked To Hypertension In Teens

A new American study found that healthy teenagers who sleep little are at an increased risk for pre-hypertension and high blood pressure.

Team led by Dr. Susan Redline, director of the University Hospitals Sleep Center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland found that teens who sleep poorly at night, less than 6 1/2 hours a night were 2 1/2 times more likely to have increased blood pressure.

Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in the arteries (blood vessels). A person is said to have high blood pressure or hypertension when he has the blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or above each time it is taken, while for children it is defined as being in the 90th percentile for their age.

High BP is also known as a "silent killer" as many people may have no noticeable symptoms.

The lead author of the study said that this was the 'first ever study' to make such a connection. The team found the pattern held even when adjusted for sex, weight and socio-economic status.

Dr. Susan Redline said, "Our study underscores the high rate of poor quality and inadequate sleep in adolescence coupled with the risk of developing high blood pressure and other health problems."

Adding further Dr. Redline said, "We also found that a low sleep efficiency may be more consistently associated with pre-hypertension than a shorter sleep period."

The researchers studied sleep patterns of 238 teenagers (both boys and girls) in the age group of 13 - 16 years enrolled in the Cleveland Children's Sleep and Health Study and found that 11% of the teens slept less than 6.5 hours a night. 26 % had low sleep efficiency, and woke up several times at night.

The team also found that 14 percent of the teenagers had pre-hypertension or hypertension. High blood pressure is a serious condition and an important cause of heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease.

Ms Redline said, "Part of the problem is the technological invasion of the bedroom with computers, cell phones and music.".

"There are teens who text-message or listen to music all night, compounded by early school hours. Adolescents need nine hours of sleep. Parents should optimise sleep quality for their family with regular sleep and wake times and bedrooms should be kept quiet, dark and conducive to sleep."

The health experts suggest that adolescents must sleep properly, least nine hours a night, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly to prevent high blood pressure.

The findings of the study appear in the August 19 issue of the journal Circulation.

A previous study by America’s Pittsburgh University found that children and teens who spend poorly or spend less time in a phase called rapid eye rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, may be more likely to be overweight.

Earlier studies show that poor sleep may be linked with depressiondefine and other health problems.

More than 70 million people in US and nearly half of people above 65 years and 1 in three middle-aged people in UK have high blood pressure, which leads to increased risk of heart failure or heart related diseases. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease claims life of an individual in every 37 seconds and is the leading cause of death in the US.

Another 70 million American people have the condition of “high-normal” or “pre-hypertensive” blood pressure levels (120/80 mm Hg to 130/85 mm Hg) and 90% of these people will develop hypertension by age 65.