Delayed, Irregular Sleep Midpoint Affects Belly Fat, BP Link in Teens

MONDAY, March 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For adolescents, a delayed and irregular sleep midpoint during school days and on-break weekdays impacts the association of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) on blood pressure, according to a study published online March 6 in Hypertension.

Natasha Morales-Ghinaglia, from the Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey, and colleagues studied 303 individuals from the Penn State Child Cohort to examine whether deviations in sleep midpoint modify the association between visceral adiposity and elevated blood pressure in adolescents. Across a seven-night period, actigraphy-measured sleep duration, midpoint, variability, and regularity were calculated.

The researchers observed significant interactions between VAT and sleep irregularity, but not sleep midpoint, on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Significant interactions were also identified between VAT and schooldays sleep midpoint on SBP and DBP, while a significant interaction between VAT and on-break weekdays sleep irregularity was seen for SBP only.

"These data support that an irregular sleep-wake phase, independent of sleep apnea and insufficient sleep, may contribute to the development of cardiovascular sequelae associated with central obesity," the authors write. "Our findings are highly significant from a translational standpoint to public health prevention and clinical care, as they inform behavioral and pharmacological sleep and circadian interventions in youth."

One author reported receiving grants, including from Pfizer.

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