Study Finds Sleep Deprivation Can Lead To Childhood Obesity

Chicago, IL (AHN) - Getting a sound sleep at night reduces a child's risk of getting obese, a new study has found. A study by an American university using 785 children from 10 cities found sleep deprivation caused hunger and those who sleep more were less likely to face childhood obesity.

Scientists also say that tired kids are less likely to exercise and more likely to get lazy and munch on snacks. Children who eat high-fat or sugary junk food and watch television with that extra time awake also face a greater risk of becoming obese.

The new study, led by Dr. Julie Lumeng of the University of Michigan, found each extra hour a third-grader spent sleeping a night reduced the chances of being obese in the sixth grade by 40 percent.

"We found that children who got less sleep were more likely to be obese," Lumeng said.

Sixth-graders who averaged less than 8.5 hours of sleep a night had a 23 percent rate of obesity, while their well-rested peers who averaged more than 9.25 hours of sleep had an obesity rate of just 12 percent, according to the study.

Lumeng also added that third-graders who got less than nine hours and 45 minutes of sleep a night had an obesity prevalence of about 20 percent, while those who got more than nine hours and 45 minutes of sleep had obesity rates of about 12 percent.

Previous studies have found that sleep-deprived adults produced more ghrelin, a hormone that promotes hunger, and less leptin, a hormone that signals fullness.

The study results are published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics.