Sleep quality, social jet lag and cardiovascular risk in young adults

In recent years, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been associated with lifestyle, such as diet, physical activity, stress and sleep. The deprivation of the sleep is an important point to understanding how this can increase the risk of CVD, especially in young adults, who are more affected by sleep quality. PURPOSE: The aim of the article is to associate sleep quality and cardiovascular risk factors in university students. METHODS: This is an observational study with 98 university students from public and private institutions in Fortaleza. Sociodemographic, economic, lifestyle data, food frequency questionnaire, family history, anthropometric data, blood pressure, biochemical parameters, and sleep questionnaires (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Munich Chronotype Questionnaire - MCTQ) were collected. RESULTS: The results showed that excess of weight was associated with worst sleep quality scores (15,7 + 5,0, p < 0.05), higher levels of CPR (ρ = 0.437, p < 0.05) and %HbA1c (ρ = 0.377, p < 0.05). It was found a significant association between worse sleep quality scores and BMI (ρ = 0.205, p < 0.05), triglycerides (ρ = 0.202, p < 0.05) and CRP (ρ = 0.302, p < 0.05). No significant associations were found between sleep quality and blood pressure, waist circumference, total cholesterol, fasting glucose, HDL-c and LDL-c. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded there is a close association between sleep quality and biochemical changes related to cardiovascular disease, being overweight an aggravating factor.