Sleep Deprivation Connected to Obesity in Preteens

What You Need to Know

A study of 800 kids' sleep patterns found:

• 3rd graders who slept less than the recommended 10 hours were more likely to be overweight by 6th grade, regardless of Body Mass Index.
• 6th graders who slept less than the recommended 9 hours were more likely to become overweight during the same school year.
• Every added hour of sleep in third grade meant a 40% drop in kids' risk of excessive weight gain by 6th grade.
• Every added hour of sleep in 6th grade meant  a 20% less chance of becoming overweight.

How You Can Help

Make sufficient shut-eye a standard in your home:

• Establish a routine enabling your child to go to bed at the same time nightly, and awaken at the same time daily.
• Make some private time between you and your child a part of that routine, just before bedtime, to make the nightly routine feel more special and personal. Use this time to talk about the day or read together.
• Encourage daily physical activity, but make sure your children are simmering down during the 2-3 hours before bedtime.
• Can caffeinated beverages, especially after 4pm.
• Rather than keeping TVs, video games, or computers where your child may be tempted to indulge for “just one more minute,” keep them in common areas of your home.
• Keep bedrooms cool, dark, and quiet for bedtime.

For more on this topic, please see the full article:

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Lack_Sleep_Tied/