sleep tips
Children who don't get a full night's sleep are more likely to become overweight, according to a Canadian study.
Altered hormone levels may promote feelings of hunger
Angelo Tremblay and his colleagues at Laval University in Quebec City found that children who slept less than 10 hours a night had a 3.5 times greater risk of becoming overweight compared with those who slept for 12 or more hours a night.
Mind you I've yet to meet children who sleep for 12 or more hours a night!
The results are from a study involving 422 children between five and 10 years old. Twenty per cent of the boys and 24 per cent of the girls were overweight.
Hormone changes during sleep might help explain the findings. Less sleep lowers levels of leptin, a hormone that decreases hunger, and increases levels of the hunger-promoting hormone ghrelin.
Tremblay, says the study results are a reminder that adequate sleep is vital to a healthy lifestyle.
He suggests TV and computers might be luring kids away from their beds, but educating them about healthy sleep habits is preferable to banning these possible pitfalls.
Mmmm.....
sleep tips
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