Go to bed!: Sleep as a risk factor for adolescent hypertension

Background: Adolescent sleep is an underappreciated risk factor for hypertension. Blood pressure is regulated by circadian processes, which are affected by bedtime and sleep duration. Aim of review: We review the literature associating low sleep duration and late bedtimes with high blood pressure and consider potential interventions to improve adolescent sleep and its effects on blood pressure. Key scientific concepts of review: Both intrinsic factors, such as race and sex, and extrinsic factors, such as school start time and sleep hygiene, impact adolescent sleep patterns. Inadequate and delayed sleep is associated with an increased risk of hypertension in adolescents, likely compounded by other behaviors associated with poor sleep, and multiple approaches are needed to address this growing problem.