Sleep Deprivation Tied to Obesity in Tweens and Teens
It’s not just food and the lack of exercise that contribute to obesity. We know that genetics play a factor, as does sleep, or lack thereof. A study done by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in 2008 showed that irregular sleep patterns contribute to obesity, and research presented this week at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies came to a similar conclusion: sleep deprivation is tied to a higher body mass index (BMI), one of the markers of obesity.
The new study, from Seattle Children’s Research Institute, measured the movements and assessed sleep patterns and calorie intake of 723 tweens and teens. Each child wore an accelerometer to determine activity level and answered a series of questions regularly on what they ate and drank, as well as how much sleep they got both during the week and on the weekends.
Results showed that boys in middle school experienced the highest BMI related to lack of sleep, followed by males in high school. For girls, a higher BMI was associated with less weekend sleep.
"Sleep has long been recognized as an important health behavior…. We are just beginning to recognize its relationship to overweight and obesity in children and adults alike," said lead researcher Leslie Lytle in a news release.
In the 2008 NCHS study, 33 percent of those who sleep less than six hours were obese, while those who regularly slept seven or eight hours per night were the thinnest with obesity occurring in only 22 percent of the participants.
Sleep deficit effects more than just your waistline. It can be detrimental to your ability to remain alert and attentive, and affect performance. It has been found that people who have slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely to develop a condition that precedes diabetes, increases the risk of high blood pressure and can lead to depression.
If your child has trouble sleeping on a regular basis, there is a simple urine test that is effective in detecting sleep apnea, a common sleeping disorder. You can also try homeopathic remedies that target insomnia, or try some simple non-prescription ways to get a good night’s sleep available here.
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