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The Relationship Between Blood Pressure and Sleep Duration in Turkish Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
Cengiz Bal1, Ahmet Öztürk2, Betül Çiçek3
1Eskişehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics, Eskişehir, Turkey.
Insights
Short sleep duration (≤8 hours) is a significant risk factor for high blood pressure in children. This study highlights the importance of adequate sleep for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels in adolescents.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Sleep Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Hypertension is a growing concern in pediatric populations, mirroring adult trends.
- Identifying modifiable risk factors for hypertension in children is crucial for cardiovascular disease prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between sleep duration and blood pressure levels.
- To evaluate sleep duration as a risk factor for prehypertension and hypertension in normal weight Turkish children aged 11-17 years.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 2860 Turkish children and adolescents (11-17 years).
- Blood pressure measured according to established guidelines.
- Sleep duration categorized into four groups: ≤8 hours, 8.1-8.9 hours, 9.0-9.9 hours, and ≥10 hours.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension was 35.0% and 30.8% in boys and girls sleeping ≤8 hours, respectively.
- Each hour increase in sleep duration was associated with a decreased risk of prehypertension and hypertension (OR 0.89 and 0.88, respectively).
- School location and sleep duration were key factors for prehypertension/hypertension; household income was significant only in boys.
Conclusions:
- A sleep duration of 8 hours or less is an independent risk factor for prehypertension and hypertension.
- Promoting adequate sleep duration is vital for preventing high blood pressure in adolescents.
- Sleep duration should be considered in the management and prevention of pediatric hypertension.
Objective:
As in adults, hypertension is also an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in children. We aimed to evaluate the effect of sleep duration on blood pressure in normal weight Turkish children aged between 11-17 years.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted in the primary and secondary schools of the two central and ten outlying districts of Kayseri, Turkey. Subjects were 2860 children and adolescents (1385 boys, 1475 girls). Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured according to the recommendations of the Fourth Report of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. Sleep duration was classified as follows: ≤8 hours, 8.1-8.9 hours, 9.0-9.9 hours or ≥10 hours.
Results:
For short sleeper boys and girls (participants with a sleep duration ≤8 h) the prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension was 35.0% and 30.8%, respectively. In univariate binary logistic regression analyses (age-adjusted), each unit increment in sleep duration (hours) in boys and girls, decreased the prehypertension and hypertension risk by 0.89 [odds ratio (OR)] [confidance interval (CI); 0.82-0.98] and 0.88 (OR) (CI; 0.81-0.97), respectively (p<0.05). In multiple binary logistic regression analyses [age- and body mass index (BMI)-adjusted] the location of the school and sleep duration categories were shown to be the most important factors for prehypertension and hypertension in both genders, while household income was the most important factor, only in boys.
Conclusions:
A sleep duration ≤8 h is an independent risk factor for prehypertension and hypertension in Turkish children aged 11-17 years.
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