Association Between Sleep Duration and Hypertension Among Chinese Children and Adolescents

Background: Short sleep duration was reported to be associated with an increased risk of hypertension among adults. The present study aimed to investigate this association in children and adolescents. Hypothesis: Short sleep duration is related to higher risk of hypertension among children and adolescents. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 4902 children and adolescents age 5 to 18 years. Blood pressure (BP) was measured at the research center and classified using the population-based percentiles. Sleep duration and related information were determined through questionnaires. Results: The prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension were 20.3% and 15%, respectively. The median sleep duration was 8.77 +/- 1.07 hours (mean +/- standard deviation). A short sleep duration (< 9 hours) was associated with a higher risk of hypertension when compared with the group sleeping longer (9-10 h), among boys age 11 to 14 years old (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.04-2.15), adjusting for age, body mass index, waist circumference, and physical activity. The linear regression stratified by age indicated that for boys age 11 to 14 years the inverse association existed after adjustment with the coefficients -1.04 mm Hg and -0.55 mm Hg per hour of sleep for systolic BP and diastolic BP, respectively. Conclusions: Short sleep duration (< 9 h) is independently associated with hypertension among Chinese boys age 11 to 14 years old.