Is duration of sleep a cardiovascular risk factor?

Article Outline

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Sleep abnormalities have been shown to be related to obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adults. In this issue of The Journal, Flint et al evaluated 40 obese children and found a relatively high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea and also found that children with a shorter duration of sleep had higher fasting insulin levels and greater insulin resistance. In addition, obstructive sleep apnea was associated with higher triglyceride levels and insulin resistance. In a multiple regression analysis, duration of sleep appeared to be the most important independent variable. These findings suggest that promoting a longer duration of sleep could be useful in lowering risk of cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents. These relationships are further reviewed and put in broader context in the editorial by Amin.