Teenagers who sleep early and follow regular sleep routines may build better heart health for adulthood. A new study, presented at Sleep 2025, links adolescent sleep health to cardiovascular well-being in early adulthood. The findings focus on when and how teens sleep, rather than just how long they sleep. While total sleep time is often emphasized, this study showed it did not predict future cardiovascular health. Instead, factors like bedtime consistency and sleep quality made a measurable difference. When participants turned 15, they wore wrist actigraphy for a full week to monitor their natural sleep patterns. These wearable devices allowed researchers to gather continuous, real-time data on how long the teens slept, what time they went to bed and woke up, how well they stayed asleep, and how consistent their sleep schedules were throughout the week. The goal was to capture objective measurements of sleep timing, quality, and variability rather than rely on self-reported sleep habits. At age 15, teens who fell asleep and woke up earlier, had more efficient sleep, and maintained a consistent sleep schedule were more likely to score higher in cardiovascular health at age 22. These associations remained even after adjusting for lifestyle factors like physical activity, diet, and body mass index.
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Thursday, June 26, 2025