Previous research shows that parent-set bedtimes help lower adolescents’ risk of important cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. However, there is a gap in the research regarding whether this practice affects CVD risk factors later in life. Using nationally representative data from Waves I and IV of Add Health, researchers examined the effects of three parent-set bedtime categories (10:00 PM, 11:00 PM, and midnight) during adolescence on CVD risk later in life, with sleep health as a potential mediating factor in this association. CVD risk was calculated using a 30-year Framingham Risk Score derived from age, sex, smoking status, diabetes status, antihypertensive medication use, systolic blood pressure, and body mass index. Sleep health was assessed using self-reported sleep duration and insomnia symptoms, which were combined into a composite sleep health score.
Of the 4,151 participants, 38% slept fewer than the recommended number of hours, 10% reported insomnia symptoms, 28% had parent-set bedtimes at or after 11:00 PM, and 18% had no set bedtime. Adolescents with parent-set bedtimes at or after midnight, or with no set bedtime, were more likely to go to bed after midnight, have shorter sleep durations, and fall into the high CVD risk category in adulthood (20%). Sleep health partially mediated this relationship. This study highlights the importance of parent-set bedtimes, emphasizing that earlier bedtime enforcement may support adolescents’ sleep health and reduce their future CVD risk. Read the full article here.
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Addo PNO, Liese AD, Zhang J, Weaver G, Brown MJ (2025) Parent-set bedtime in adolescence is associated with future cardiovascular disease risk: Evidence from the Add Health study. PLOS ONE 20(12): e0339044. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0339044