Sleep duration and cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents: A systematic review

Abstract

An association between short sleep duration and cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes is well demonstrated in adults. However, findings on the association in children and adolescents have been inconsistent. In this review, we searched PubMed, Embase and ISI Web of Science for eligible publications until March 16, 2020. We identified 37 reviews/meta-analyses on the association between sleep duration and cardiovascular risk factors and 15 studies on the association between sleep duration and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and adolescents. We found strong evidence on the association between short sleep duration and increased adiposity markers and high blood pressure, some evidence on the association between short sleep duration and insulin resistance, but inconsistent findings on the association between sleep duration and blood lipids, inflammation and MetS. Although more studies are needed to further assess the association between sleep duration and selected cardiovascular risk factors, our findings support interventions to improve sleep duration and quality as a potential means to promote cardiovascular health in children and adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescents; Cardiovascular risk factors; Children; Metabolic syndrome; Short sleep duration.