They’re probably not going to like it – but setting young teens a strict bedtime of 10pm could save them from potentially fatal heart disease later in life.
New research shows adolescents who go to bed after that are twice as likely to suffer heart problems when they get older.
The findings support previous research showing that early parent-set bedtimes for youngsters can protect against cardiac ill-health in adulthood.
It’s thought regular bedtimes and proper sleep – even in teenage years – can prevent spikes in stress hormones that, over time, can be bad for the heart.
Researchers from the University of South Carolina in the US tracked more than 4,000 people who signed up to a long-term health study in the mid-Nineties when they were aged 12 to 17.
The results, published in the Public Library of Science journal Plos One revealed that those allowed to stay up past midnight were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart disease in their 40s than teens told to be in bed by 10pm.
In a report on the findings, researchers said changes in their biological clock means teens tend to get tired later than younger children. But the sleep loss problem is also made worse by late-night scrolling on social media.
They said: ‘Adolescents could benefit greatly from parents setting and enforcing earlier bedtimes. It could improve their sleep and their subsequent cardiovascular health.’
New research shows adolescents who go to bed after that are twice as likely to suffer heart problems when they get older
Cardiovascular disease is responsible for an estimated one in four premature deaths in the UK.
It kills 175,000 Britons every year and millions more live with its effects, such as breathlessness, fatigue and swollen ankles or feet.
Getting enough sleep is known to be one of the things that can reduce the risk.
Surveys show up to 60 per cent of children in the UK don’t get the recommended eight to ten hours they need every night to ensure they are alert at school during the day.
