Sleep is health, for everyone. Therefore it is not surprising that according to an investigation Children who don't get enough sleep have a higher risk of being overweight, mainly due to the accumulation of fat mass in the body.
We have commented on occasion, few hours of sleep in children favors obesity, and this study, conducted in Dunedin (New Zealand), seems to confirm it.
The study has been carried out with 244 children who were going to be three years old, born between 2001 and 2002, excluding premature babies (less than 37 weeks), multiple births, major congenital malformations, severe postnatal maternal disease or who were not living in the locality in the following two years.
Physical activity and sleep duration were measured at four years, at five and at six with an accelerometer attached to the waist for five consecutive days (including the weekend), together with the record made by the parents of the time each child remained lying, asleep and raised.
Other data extracted using a form were also taken into account, such as food intake (fruits, vegetables and non-basic foods), time to watch television and family factors (parental body mass index, maternal education, birth weight and smoking during pregnancy).
In the results it was observed that each additional hour of sleep between three and five years was associated with a reduction in BMI at seven years and the risk of being overweight at this age was also reduced (61% less risk of being overweight).
Insufficient sleep duration increases the risk of obesity by 58%, although these are results focused on children aged seven years and not on other ages.
Changes in life habits (healthy eating and frequent physical activity) constitute the pillar of treatment and prevention of obesity. In his view, getting appropriate sleep habits in childhood can be a measure of health in the prevention of obesity and in the development of a healthier life.
We must remember that physical activity in children favors a good rest, and that obesity can lead to difficulty sleeping well, which is derived from frequent snoring and waking. This in turn results in the presence of daytime sleepiness, which can reduce school performance.
As we see, there are many factors involved, but a good rest, physical activity and childhood obesity are related. Whenever we favor a healthy lifestyle we will be helping them grow healthy, without problems of overweight or sleep.
