Less Sleep Can Make Children Fatter!

It seems that Sleep can make children fatter!

A team of researchers in New Zealand set out to investigate whether reduced sleep is associated with differences in body composition and the risk of becoming overweight in young children. The study was reported in the British Medical Journal.

They found that on average, children aged three to five sleep 11 hours a night, but for every hour they sleep less than that between the ages of three and five, they will be carrying an extra pound and a half of fat by their seventh birthday.
The results show that young children who sleep less are at a significantly increased risk of having a higher BMI by age 7, even after controlling for other risk factors that have been implicated in body weight gain.

According to the researchers, the reduced sleep may increase their food intake and may also make them exercise less.

So it is important for parents to ensure that growing children get enough sleep and adequate exercise.

Do Sleep Disorders Cause Weight Gain?

According to researchers at the University of Helsinki, sleep disorders can cause weight gain in middle aged women if they don't get a good night's sleep.

The weight and sleeping habits of around 7,300 women aged between 40 and 60 over a seven year period were examined and it was found that about one in three of women with frequent sleep problems gained at least 11 pounds in weight over the seven years as opposed to one in five of the women who got a consistent 8 hours recommended sleep.

This could be down to the fact that the sleep disorders could affect the chemicals that dictate appetite although, according to the lead researcher Peppi Lyytikainen, more studies need to be done to verify whether it was the lack of sleep that was causing the weight gain or vice versa.