Lack of Sleep Increases Kids' Risk of Obesity

Lack of sleep leads to fatter kids. Just one more good reason to get the rugrats to bed early. Researchers have found that every additional hour of sleep your third grader gets per night reduces his chances of being obese in sixth grade by 40%. The less sleep children got, the greater their chances of becoming obese. For third graders, sleeping at least nine hours and 45 minutes per night significantly decreased their risk of future obesity. The longer they slept, the more they lowered their risk.

While sleep is only one factor contributing to obesity risk, researchers believe it is a significant one. Experts offer some tips to help promote good sleep habits in elementary school children:

• Consistency. Since the biological clock resets every morning, it's important to have a consistent wake-up time and a consistent bedtime.


• Weekends. Be flexible but avoid letting children stay up too late on the weekends.


• Over-scheduling. Limit activities that crowd out sleep. For example, one sport per season or no late evening activities.


• Temperature. People sleep best in a cool bedroom.


• Caffeine. Limit or eliminate chocolate or caffeinated soda which can keep children away if eaten after lunchtime.


• Electronics. Ban TVs, cell phones, computer games, etc. from the bedroom where they provide ready distractions from sleep.


• Wind down. Spend the last 30 minutes before bed quietly chatting with your child, reading or listening to soothing music to cue the body to relax.

You might try these sleep tips yourself. They'll help anyone get a good night's sleep, not just children.