Sleep Duration and Telomere Length in Children

Abstract

Objective To test the association between sleep duration and telomere length in a pediatric population. Study design We analyzed cross-sectional data for 1,567children from the age 9 study wave of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a population-based birth cohort of children born between 1998–2000 in large American cities (population > 200,000). We measured telomere length using quantitative PCR, and children’s typical nightly sleep duration was reported by their primary caregivers. Using linear regression models, we estimated the association between sleep duration and telomere length in both unadjusted models and adjusting for a number of covariates. Results We found that children with shorter sleep durations have shorter telomeres than children with longer sleep durations. Each hour less of nightly sleep duration is associated with having telomeres that are 0.015 log-kilobases per chromosome shorter (p < 0.05). We found no difference in this association by race, sex, or socioeconomic status. Conclusions We provide preliminary evidence that children with shorter sleep durations have shorter telomeres. This finding is consistent with a broader literature indicating that sub-optimal sleep duration is a risk for increased physiological stress and impaired health. Future research should address the limitations of our study design by using longitudinal study designs and telomere measurements, measuring sleep duration via polysomnography or actigraphy, and assessing the intermediate biological mechanisms of the link between sleep and telomere dynamics.

Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Children

“…(1) In another striking example of the central role of sleep on health, recent research suggests that telomere length, a marker of a chromosome’s viability and a proxy for aging, is significantly shortened in children with chronically insufficient sleep. (2)…”

Utilization of a rodent model to examine the neurological effects of early life adversity on adolescent pain sensitivity

“…Given these characteristics, TL has been used as an indicator of biological aging and neurological wellbeing, and studies have intricately connected individual telomere pathophysiology to disease prognosis and therapeutic efficacy (Cassidy et al, ; Klapper et al, ). Of particular importance, epidemiological studies have linked telomere shortening to ACEs (Chen et al, ), sleep disturbances (Jackowska et al, ; James et al, ), as well as pain thresholds and sensitivity in chronic pain patients (Hassett et al, ). Interestingly, we would have predicted that early life stress, SD, and surgery, would have reduced TL, but we found the opposite; TL was actually increased in MS groups.…”

Stress, Telomeres, and Psychopathology: Toward a Deeper Understanding of a Triad of Early Aging

“…Several studies support associations between poor sleep and telomere attrition. For example, self-reported sleep quality, insomnia, shorter sleep duration, and sleep apnea are associated with shorter TL (Carroll et al 2016, James et al 2017, Prather et al 2015. Sleep apnea in women is associated with shorter offspring TL at birth (Salihu et al 2015).…”