Lack of Sleep Makes Children Obese

Lack of sleep contributes to childhood obesity perhaps as much as the wrong diet and lack of exercise. According to a press release on Newswise.com, an article in the November Journal of Pediatrics details a study completed at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. Previous studies involving adults have shown that weight increases as sleep decreases.

Studies done in Japan and England involving children have also shown that children who do not get adequate sleep are at risk for obesity, however the researchers at the University of Michigan C. S. Mott Children's Hospital state that those studies were limited to those of the same race and socioeconomic level. Researchers at the C. S. Mott Children's Hospital wanted to test U. S. children who were of varied race and socio-economic status.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development provided the records on 785 nine to twelve year old children who had suffered from sleep disorders. Body Mass Index and the number of sleep hours the child received nightly were compared. The children who had the highest BMI and were overweight were the same ones who reported getting the fewest hours of sleep per night. As previously stated, the criteria for this study was a racially and socio- economically diverse population.

The children studied were 50 percent male and 81 percent were white. The surprising result was that with every hour more the 6th grade children slept at night, the percentage that they were likely to be overweight dropped by 20 percent. However, in 3rd grade children, with each hour more of sleep the child received at night, the percentage they were likely to be overweight dropped by 40 percent

Two possible reasons for this was proposed by the lead researcher, Julie C. Lumeng, M. D. and assistant research scientist at the U-M Center for Human Growth and Development. The first reason is that children who sleep less may have less energy for exercise and energetic play as opposed to more sedentary activity. The other reason could be that children who are sleep deprived may self medicate with food when they then are understandably tired and emotionally stressed.

Another very important factor stated by Lumeng is the relationship between lack of sleep and the hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism. Many factors are involved in this, such as: the way the body stores fat, the way the body metabolizes glucose, and the body's insulin levels. These hormones do not function well without the person getting the proper amount of sleep.

The final conclusion of the study states that children should get the adequate amount of sleep recommended for their age group by the National Sleep Foundation. Preschoolers require 11-13 hours of sleep each day. Elementary age school children should have 10-12 hours of sleep each day. Pre-teens should sleep 9-11 hours each day and teens require 8 ½-9 hours daily.

Sources used: Newswise.com
Pediatrics November 2007 Vol.120 Issue 5