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Sleep patterns and cardiometabolic risk in schoolchildren from Cuenca, Spain

Lidia Lucas-de la Cruz1,2, Noelia Martín-Espinosa3, Iván Cavero-Redondo1,2

  • 1Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Faculty of Nursing, Cuenca, Spain.

Plos One
|January 24, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Short sleep duration and later bedtimes in children are linked to increased metabolic syndrome risk. Improving children's sleep hygiene is crucial for their cardiometabolic health.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Metabolic Health

Background:

  • Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a growing concern in children, with sleep's role remaining unclear.
  • Existing research on sleep and MetS in pediatric populations shows inconsistent findings.
  • Understanding sleep's impact on childhood MetS is vital for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between sleep characteristics and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Spanish children.
  • To analyze the influence of sleep duration and bedtime on MetS index and its components.
  • To identify specific sleep patterns associated with increased cardiometabolic risk in children aged 8-11.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 210 Spanish children (8-11 years) from 20 schools.
  • Utilized actigraphy for objective sleep pattern assessment.
  • Employed correlation coefficients, ANCOVA, and propensity score analysis for data interpretation.

Main Results:

  • Children with shorter time in bed (< 9h 15mins) exhibited poorer cardiometabolic profiles.
  • Later bedtimes (after 23:15h) were associated with worse cardiometabolic risk index values.
  • Short sleep duration emerged as a significant risk factor for cardiometabolic risk in this cohort.

Conclusions:

  • Short sleep duration and late bedtimes are potential risk factors for metabolic syndrome in children.
  • Sleep hygiene interventions, integrated into parenting programs, are recommended for improving children's metabolic health.
  • Further research is warranted to confirm these findings and explore causal mechanisms.

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