Actigraphic Sleep Health During Adolescence Predicts Young Adult Cardiovascular Health

Background: Adequate sleep duration among middle-aged and older adults predicts better future cardiovascular health (CVH). It is unclear whether adolescent sleep health predicts young adult CVH, particularly using objective sleep measures. Objectives: The authors examined whether actigraphic adolescent sleep health predicted young adult CVH. Methods: Data were from a diverse U.S. population-based sample of 307 youth (57% F) from the Future of Families (FF) and Child Wellbeing Study, the FF- CHAYA (Cardiovascular Health Among Young Adults) Study, and the FF-Sleep Sub-Study. At age 15 years, adolescents wore wrist-actigraphy devices for ∼1 week. Multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics examined whether age 15y average actigraphic total sleep time (TST), sleep timing, sleep maintenance efficiency, and variability (individual SD) of these measures predicted age 22y CVH score (0-100), calculated as the average of nonsleep factors from the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) including objective CVH markers (modified LE8 [LE8_m]). Results: Later age 15 sleep onset (b = −1.11; 95% CI: −2.06 to −0.15; β = −0.12) and offset (b = −1.08; 95% CI: −1.96 to −0.21; β = −0.12) predicted lower (worse) age 22 LE8_m score. Higher sleep maintenance efficiency (b = +0.66; 95% CI: 0.18-1.15; β = +0.14) predicted higher age 22 LE8_m score. Greater variability in TST (b = −1.97; 95% CI: −3.87 to −0.07; β = −0.11) and in sleep onset (b = −1.93; 95% CI: −3.72 to −0.14; β = −0.11) predicted lower age 22 LE8_m score. Age 15 average TST and variability in sleep offset did not predict age 22 LE8_m score (P ≥ 0.10). Conclusions: Earlier, more efficient, and less variable adolescent sleep predicted better young adult CVH. Interventions to protect future CVH should consider improving adolescent sleep health across multiple dimensions.