Poor sleep habits can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adolescents. As a result of poor quality sleep, many young adults lack energy and adopt poor lifestyle habits like using caffeine to stay awake, spending too much time on screens.
A lack of quality sleep can affect your short-term memory and learning abilities according to CNN’s The Chart. Adolescents are encouraged to get between 8.5 to 9.5 hours a night of sleep consistently, and their families should participate informing good lasting habits.
Among the participants, 20% of the adolescents reported their sleep quality as “fairly bad” or “very bad.” From blood work obtained during the study, it was determined that the participants with the most disturbed sleep had increased odds of elevated non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as hypertension.
The average time of sleep was not a factor in the increased cardiovascular risk, but rather the amount of sleep disturbances, like waking up to go to the bathroom, or being too hot or too cold to sleep well. Encourage good sleeping habits early on to avoid an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
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