Exploring Arterial Health, Perceived Stress And Sleep Patterns In Adolescents

BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests poor sleep hygiene may be linked to greater arterial stiffness, stress, and alterations in the sleep wake cycle in adults. Varying sleep patterns where one’s midpoint of sleep is changing on weekends compared to weekdays is also directly associated with changes in sleep-wake cycle. However, little is known about the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors, stress, and sleep in adolescents. PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between sleep health and arterial stiffness, blood pressure and perceived stress in high school seniors. METHODS: 84 high school seniors were recruited (69% female, 18 ± 1 years of age, Body Mass Index 24 ± 5 kg/m2). Sleep health was assessed via Actigraph GT9X Link accelerometers over 7 consecutive days. Sleep satisfaction was assessed through the 19-item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Perceived stress was assessed using a 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity (cfPWV) and blood pressure were measured using VICORDER® to determine arterial stiffness, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate relationships among variables with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: SBP (p = 0.87), DBP (p = 0.73), and MAP (p = 0.93) was not significantly correlated with any sleep dimensions. Sleep satisfaction (p = 0.50), efficiency (p = 0.54), and duration (p = 0.94) were not significantly correlated with cfPWV. However, sleep impairment (p = 0.02) and sleep regularity (p = 0.03) were negatively correlated with cfPWV. PSS-10 was significantly correlated with average sleep midpoint on weeknights (r = 0.28, p = 0.012) and on weekends (r = 0.29, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Greater sleep impairment and sleep regularity were associated with lower cfPWV. Higher perceived stress was associated with going to bed later either on weekdays or weekend days. Individuals who maintain better sleep hygiene and earlier bedtimes may have lower arterial stiffness, indicated by lower cfPWV and perceived stress levels. NHLBI R15HL159650