title: Sleep problems and cardiovascular function in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the associations of sleep problems with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure and cardiovascular reactivity in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sleep problems in 285 term-born, healthy 8-year-olds (mean [standard deviation] = 8.1 [0.3] years) were measured with a parent-rated Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children. Ambulatory blood pressure (n = 241) was measured for 24 hours (41% nonschool days) with an oscillometric device. The children (n = 274) underwent the Trier Social Stress Test for Children during which blood pressure, electrocardiography, and thoracic impedance were recorded and processed offline to give measures of cardiovascular and autonomic function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No associations were found between sleep problems and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure. Children with sleep breathing disorders (n = 5) had higher baseline sympathetic vascular activity (p = .014) and higher heart rate (p = .044) and sympathetic cardiac activity (p = .031) in reaction to stress. Children with disorders of excessive somnolence (n = 55) had higher baseline parasympathetic activity (p = .016). None of the associations remained significant after controlling for multiple testing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that in a healthy community sample of prepubertal children, sleep problems are not associated with an unhealthy cardiovascular phenotype at this age. However, associations may be underestimated because of the low prevalence of sleep breathing disorders in this sample and may not generalize to older populations.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Silja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martikainen
authors.forename: Anu-Katriina
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Pesonen
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Kimmo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Feldt
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lahti
authors.forename: Riikka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pyhälä
authors.forename: Kati
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heinonen
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kajantie
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Strandberg
authors.forename: Katri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Räikkönen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002307:Cardiography, Impedance; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009991:Oscillometry; D017678:Sex Distribution; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: blood pressure; cardiovascular reactivity; child; sleep problems; stress