Childhood insomnia increases risk of suffering from high cholesterol in teen years

Researchers say how much sleep a child gets in their early years will predict problems with cholesterol in their teenage years.

The effects of different sleep patterns on health, was examined by a doctoral student from the University of Helsink in a study that included 1,049 adolescents.

Liisa Kuula-Paavola, study author, made some fascinating discovery through the research. Between 2006 and 2015, participants were tested for their sleep habits, intelligence and lipid profiles. A technique called actigraphy was used to measure their sleep quality.

A child who slept less or had irregular sleep patterns was likely to have a 'detrimental lipid profile' in their teen years, the Daily Mail reported. This causes higher levels of 'bad' cholesterol and low levels of 'good' cholesterol.

The risk was seen to be especially high for girls.

"We found that in girls, longer and better quality sleep was associated positively with cholesterol markers," Kuula-Paavola is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

"Sleep and metabolism are intertwined," she went on to say.

"TGs (a protein secreted by the thyroid gland), which may further transform into LDL-C, are highly sensitive to food intake, and as sleep deprivation affects appetite, it is possible that irregularity in sleep patterns leads to unhealthy dietary choices and increased appetite.

"Based on our findings, and previous reports on inhibition and risk-taking, it is possible that insufficient sleep has an adverse effect on self-control, which reflects on choices a person makes during wake,' she said in the report.