A new study revealed a link between shorter-than-recommended sleep times and high blood pressure. Researchers found that kids who went to bed late were more likely to have high blood pressure. Also, the more the kids didn’t follow the recommended levels, the more they were likely to experience high blood pressure during the day.
Lack Of Sleep Can Lead To High Blood Pressure in Children
A recent study found that children and teenagers may be at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure if they get fewer hours of sleep. The study was published in Pediatrics on Wednesday. For the study, the researchers took data from more than 500 children and teens with hypertension. This revealed the link between shorter-than-recommended sleep times and high blood pressure.
The data was collected from children and teens seen at a clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Amy Kogon, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and the lead author of the study said that while the study doesn’t prove that shortened sleep times cause hypertension, however, doctors usually don’t think of sleep when they counsel parents about high blood pressure. Kogon is a pediatric kidney specialist.
Kogon said, “We usually target things like diet and exercise. This is another thing parents might want to think about, particularly if the child has high blood pressure.”
Kogon said that as many as a third of elementary school kids get less than the recommended amount of sleep. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the recommended hours of sleep for children between 6 and 12 is 9 to 12 hours per night. On the other hand, children between 6 and 12 should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Children under the age of 6 should sleep for 10 to 13 hours per night.
Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia studied the medical records of 539 kids with an average age of 14.6 years who were referred to pediatric kidney clinics because of high blood pressure readings. The kids were asked when they went to bed and when they got up in the morning. They were also asked to wear ambulatory blood pressure measuring devices, which took readings every 20 minutes while they were awake and every 30 minutes during sleep, according to a report in NBC News.
The study found that kids who went to bed late were more likely to have high blood pressure. Also, the more the kids didn’t follow the recommended levels, the more they were likely to experience high blood pressure during the day. The findings were consistent regardless of the kids’ ages, sexes and BMI categories.
The study also found that too much sleep also caused blood pressure issues. Normally, blood pressure drops by around 10% during sleep, but that was less likely when kids slept longer than the recommended amount.
Ways to help kids sleep better
Consistent Bedtime Routine
Consistent routines can help to signal a child’s body that it is time to wind down. Activities like reading a book, taking a warm bath or listening to calm music can help them fall asleep easily.
Ensure that the bedroom is dark, cool and quiet. Using blackout curtains, white noise machines and comfortable bedding can help create an ideal sleep environment.
Exposure to screens before can affect the production of melatonin which is the sleep hormone. Encourage activities like reading or drawing instead of watching TV or playing on tablets.
Regular exercise helps kids fall asleep faster and get deeper sleep. Ensure physical activities are scheduled earlier in the day.
Avoid giving children caffeinated beverages and sugary snacks, especially in the afternoon and evening.
