Study Links Sleep Deficit In Teens To Future Heart Problems, Obesity

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Losing sleep as a young person may raise your risk of heart disease later in life.

A new study in the Journal of Pediatrics has discovered a link between young teens who don't sleep enough and cardiac risk factors including high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and obesity.

Experts say keeping a routine and sleeping soundly can help.

"Regularity is key," sleep scientist Dr. Matthew Walker said. "Going to bed at the same time, waking up at the same time no matter what."

Dr. Walker wrote a book on sleep. It's published by Scribner, an imprint of Simon and Schuster which is a division of CBS.

"What we've discovered is that deep sleep provides the best form of natural blood pressure medication that you could ever wish for," he said.

Walker says to avoid using smart devices to determine your quality of sleep, since the technology to effectively do so isn't quite there yet.