Sleep Duration and Cardiometabolic Health in Adolescents

Adolescence represents a critical window during which sleep duration exerts profound influences on cardiometabolic health. Insufficient sleep is increasingly recognised as a modifiable risk factor for a spectrum of adverse outcomes, including obesity, dyslipidaemia, elevated blood pressure and impaired glucose regulation. Physiological changes in hormonal secretion, appetite regulation and autonomic function during adolescence render this age group particularly vulnerable to the cumulative effects of chronic sleep restriction. Conversely, both very short and excessively long sleep durations have been linked to altered lipid profiles and increased central adiposity, suggesting a nonlinear relationship. The interplay between sleep quality, circadian timing and behavioural factors such as screen use and dietary habits further modulates cardiometabolic risk. Global trends indicate widespread sleep curtailment among adolescents across diverse settings, underscoring the need for public health strategies that promote sleep hygiene alongside traditional lifestyle interventions to mitigate the onset of metabolic syndrome in young populations.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A large population-based investigation of more than 6 000 participants aged 10–18 years classified individuals into very short, short, recommended and long sleep-duration categories. Those in the very short group exhibited significantly higher odds of overweight, obesity and elevated waist circumference compared with peers obtaining recommended sleep. Paradoxically, adolescents reporting long sleep also showed increased risk of elevated triglyceride levels. Sex-specific analyses revealed that very short sleep was more strongly associated with obesity measures in boys, whereas girls in the very short group demonstrated greater odds of central obesity yet lower odds of hypertriglyceridaemia. These findings highlight that both ends of the sleep spectrum contribute to distinct cardiometabolic perturbations and that these associations may be moderated by sex and developmental stage.

Sleep Duration and Cardiometabolic Health in Adolescents publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in sleep duration and cardiometabolic health in adolescents across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Metabolic syndrome (MetS): A cluster of interrelated risk factors—including central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and hyperglycaemia—that increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Triglycerides (TG): A form of blood lipid derived from dietary fats and carbohydrate conversion, elevated levels of which are linked to cardiometabolic risk.

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C): The “protective” fraction of cholesterol involved in reverse lipid transport, with higher levels generally associated with lower cardiovascular risk.

Insulin resistance: A state in which target tissues respond inadequately to circulating insulin, contributing to impaired glucose uptake and elevated blood glucose concentrations.

Adiposity: The accumulation of body fat, particularly central or visceral fat, which is a key driver of metabolic dysfunction in youth and adults alike.

References

1. Sleep Duration and Metabolic Syndrome among Early Adolescents—A Cross-Sectional Study in Khartoum State, Sudan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023).
2. Association of Sleep Duration with Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Children and Adolescents: A Population-Based Study. Scientific Reports (2019).
3. Associations between sleep duration and insulin resistance in European children and adolescents considering the mediating role of abdominal obesity. PLOS ONE (2020).