Lack of sleep during childhood may be contributing to the increasing rates of adult obesity, according to University of Otago researchers.
A new study shows that children who spent less time in bed between ages 5 and 11 years had higher BMIs as adults and were significantly more likely to be obese.
Lead author Erik Landhuis says there has been a worldwide trend for children to get less sleep over the last 30 years.
“It is not clear why lack of sleep might lead to weight gain, but experimental studies have shown that sleep deprivation may disrupt the hormones that regulate appetite. It has also been suggested that tired kids may simply have less energy and are therefore less active”, he says.
Read the research abstract: Pediatrics, Nov 2008
Read more: Press release, Otago University, 3 Nov 2008
Obesity linked to less sleep in childhood
Read more: NZ Herald, 4 Nov 2008
