Poor Sleep in Teen Years Linked to Heart Risks in Adulthood
TUESDAY, Oct. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Poor sleep during the teen
years may be linked to an increased risk of heart disease later
in life, a new study suggests. Canadian researchers looked at
more than 4,100 adolescents and found that they slept an average
of 7.9 hours per night on weeknights and 9.4 hours per night on
weekends. Nearly 20 percent of them reported poor quality sleep
during the week and 10 percent reported poor sleep on the
weekends. About 6 percent of the kids said they used medications
to help them sleep, according to the study published in the CMAJ
(Canadian Medical Association Journal). Sleep disturbance, which
was described as frequently waking up during the night, early
wakening, difficulty falling asleep, restlessness and bad
dreams, was related to certain factors. These factors included
consumption of more fried foods, soft drinks, sweets and
caffeinated drinks; low levels of exercise; and greater amounts
of "screen" time (playing