Associations of Short Sleep Duration with Prehypertension and Hypertension Among Lithuanian Children and Adolescents: a Cross-sectional Study

Background: Recent epidemiological studies have found that the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) has significantly increased among children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between short sleep duration and prehypertension and hypertension in Lithuanian children and adolescents aged 12 to 15 years.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2010 to April 2012. The participants with high BP (≥90th percentile) were screened on two separate occasions. Self-reported sleep duration was evaluated using questionnaires. Data on 6,940 subjects aged 12-15 years were analyzed. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals for the associations were estimated using multivariate logistic regression models. Short sleep duration was defined as <8 hours per day (h/day).

Results: The prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension in the current sample was 12.6% and 22.5%, respectively. The percentages of the subjects with sleep durations of <7 (h/day), 7-<8 h/day, and ≥8 h/day were 8.7%, 21.0%, and 70.3%, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, physical activity, and smoking, significant associations were found between short sleep duration and high BP, including prehypertension (7-<8 h/day: aOR=1.77; 95% CI, 1.48-2.12; <7 h/day: aOR=2.18; 95% CI, 1.70-2.79) and hypertension (7-<8 h/day: aOR=1.99; 95% CI, 1.72-2.31; <7 h/day: aOR=2.28; 95% CI, 1.85-2.80) (all P values<0.001), compared to participants who were sleeping longer (≥8 h/day).

Conclusions: Prehypertension and hypertension were associated with short sleep duration among Lithuanian children and adolescents aged 12 to 15 years.