Children under 5 who do not get at least 10 hours of sleep at night are almost twice as likely to be overweight or obese later in childhood, a new study reports. And naps during the day don’t count.
The study, published Monday in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 1,930 children under 14. The data included detailed diaries from two random days, in which parents recorded the amount of time a child spent in various activities, among them sleeping.
The study adds to an existing body of evidence suggesting that sleep plays an important role in weight regulation, perhaps because tired children are not as active or because sleep affects hormones that influence hunger and appetite, said the paper’s lead author, Janice F. Bell, an assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle.
“What we’re saying is that adequate sleep at age 0 to 5 is probably more important than we think,” Dr. Bell said, adding that the good news is that “it’s a modifiable risk factor — it’s something we can change.”
By RONI CARYN RABIN
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