Irregular sleep timing contributed to higher blood pressure even if teens got the recommend total hours of rest, finds new study in Hypertension journal. A new study found that the link between excess weight and higher blood pressure in adolescents was stronger among those who also had irregular sleep patterns.

Irregular sleep patterns contributed to elevated blood pressure in teens who had more visceral fat (excess weight in the belly/abdominal area).The researchers suggest that school schedules and extracurricular responsibilities often clash with teens natural tendency to go to bed later and sleep later, which may lead to irregular timing of sleep and a cascade of consequences for heart health later in life.

Staying awake later into the night and sleeping in on the weekends are hallmarks of adolescent behavior, however, erratic sleep patterns may have consequences for future heart health by increasing blood pressure among teens who have more abdominal fat, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

Pediatricians should pay close attention to youth who are experiencing weight gain or have already become overweight and examine their sleep patterns, since a more regular sleep schedule may help them with weight loss and improve their long-term heart health, said Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, Ph.D., senior author of the study, an associate professor at the Penn State College of Medicine and sleep psychologist at the Sleep Research & Treatment Center of Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Healthy sleep is a key factor in total cardiovascular health, as defined by the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, which also includes physical activity, not smoking, healthy weight and healthy levels of cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. According to the Association’s cardiovascular health metrics, teens ages 13-18 should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night.