Teens who sleep early have healthier hearts as young adults

Teenagers who sleep early and follow regular sleep routines may build better heart health for adulthood. A new study, presented at SLEEP 2025, links adolescent sleep health to cardiovascular well-being in early adulthood. The findings focus on when and how teens sleep – not just how long.

At age 15, teens who fell asleep and woke up earlier, had more efficient sleep, and maintained a consistent sleep schedule were more likely to score higher in cardiovascular health at age 22.

These associations remained even after adjusting for lifestyle factors like physical activity, diet, and body mass index.

The power of sleep patterns

While total sleep time is often emphasized, this study showed it did not predict future cardiovascular health. Instead, factors like bedtime consistency and sleep quality made a measurable difference.

The researchers analyzed data from 307 adolescents from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study.

“Given the importance of sleep health for physical health and well-being in the short-term, we were not surprised to see a lasting association between adolescent sleep timing, sleep maintenance efficiency, and sleep variability with cardiovascular health in young adulthood,” said Gina Marie Mathew, senior post-doctoral associate at Stony Brook Medicine.

Early sleep linked to healthier heart

The analysis showed that earlier sleep onset (β = −.12) and earlier waking time (β = −.12) both predicted better cardiovascular scores. Teens with higher sleep maintenance efficiency (β = +.14) also had better outcomes.

Greater variability in sleep duration and bedtime predicted poorer cardiovascular scores. Even slight instability in sleep maintenance efficiency suggested a trend toward lower heart health scores, although not as strongly.

“Future research and recommendations should emphasize the importance of multiple dimensions of sleep health, including earlier sleep timing, higher sleep maintenance efficiency, and lower sleep variability as protective factors for long-term heart health,” noted Mathew.

Teen sleep and adult heart health

When participants turned 15, they wore wrist actigraphs for a full week to monitor their natural sleep patterns.

These wearable devices allowed researchers to gather continuous, real-time data on how long the teens slept, what time they went to bed and woke up, how well they stayed asleep, and how consistent their sleep schedules were throughout the week.

The goal was to capture objective measurements of sleep timing, quality, and variability rather than rely on self-reported sleep habits.

Seven years later, when the participants reached age 22, the researchers evaluated their heart health using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 framework, with the sleep component intentionally excluded.

This comprehensive health assessment included diet quality, physical activity levels, nicotine use, body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol levels.

These factors were compiled into a single composite cardiovascular health score, ranging from 0 (indicating poor heart health) to 100 (indicating ideal heart health).

Moving beyond sleep duration in guidelines

Current health guidelines suggest that teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 should aim for 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to support healthy growth and development.

However, findings from this new research suggest that the duration of sleep may not be the only – or even the most important – factor when it comes to long-term heart health. What seems to matter more is how consistent, well-timed, and high-quality that sleep is across the week.

This perspective is part of a broader shift in sleep science, which now views sleep as a multi-dimensional behavior rather than a simple matter of hours logged. Interventions aimed at improving adolescent well-being should reflect this shift.

Rather than focusing solely on getting teens to sleep longer, strategies should also prioritize bedtime stability, fewer night-time awakenings, and routine consistency. Helping teens sleep better – not just more – may be key to protecting their health now and in the years to come.

Better sleep now, healthier hearts later

The study received funding from several grants provided by the National Institutes of Health, particularly those centered on child health, growth, and long-term development.

The key takeaway is straightforward yet powerful: by helping adolescents establish healthier sleep habits now – through better timing, consistency, and quality – we may significantly reduce their risk of heart problems in adulthood.

The research abstract was formally published in the journal SLEEP.

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