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Teen Bedtime: Early Sleep Shields Hearts
1 Feb
Summary
- Adolescents sleeping past midnight face double heart disease risk.
- Consistent early bedtimes may prevent adult cardiac ill-health.
- Social media use exacerbates sleep loss in teenagers.
Setting a strict 10 pm bedtime for adolescents may offer significant protection against developing heart disease in adulthood, according to new research. Adolescents who stay up past midnight face more than double the risk of being diagnosed with heart disease in their 40s compared to peers with earlier bedtimes.
This finding supports previous research linking early, parent-set bedtimes to better cardiac health later in life. The benefits are thought to stem from preventing stress hormone spikes associated with irregular sleep patterns.
Researchers from the University of South Carolina tracked over 4,000 individuals from their teenage years through adulthood. They noted that while teens' biological clocks shift, making them tired later, late-night social media use further contributes to insufficient sleep.
Experts recommend that parents establish and enforce earlier bedtimes, which could notably improve teenagers' sleep quality and long-term cardiovascular well-being. Cardiovascular disease remains a major cause of premature death, highlighting the importance of preventative lifestyle choices.
