Past research has shown us that there is a connection between getting enough sleep and maintaining a healthy weight. Now a new study from the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) indicates that how much sleep parents get can affect whether their children will become obese.
Parents of school-age children know their young students will perform better in school if they are well rested. But not getting enough sleep can cause other serious health concerns including unwanted weight gain.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that in 2012, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.
From 1980 to 2012, the percentage of children ages 6-11 who were obese jumped from 7 percent to nearly 18 percent. During those same years, the percent of young people ages 12-19 who were obese went up from 5 percent to nearly 21 percent.
Children who are obese can have serious, long-term health complications including risk factors for cardiovascular disease, pre-diabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and psychological problems such as low self-esteem.
These conditions can carry over into adulthood resulting in hypertension and increased risk of heart attack as well as diabetes which can result in damage to the eyes, kidneys and other organs.
The Harvard School of Public Health explains that sleep deprivation and obesity may be linked by simple behavior changes that result from being tired.
People who are tired are less likely to want to exercise, which decreases the number of calories burned in a day. At the same time, taking in more calories, especially from sugary foods may seem to offset the effects of being tired.
Sleep deprivation is also known to disrupt the balance of hormones that control appetite. This may mean people who don’t get enough sleep are actually hungrier than those who are well rested. At the same time, people who are not sleeping have more waking hours each day when they can eat.
The University of Illinois research team compared protective routines that could be associated with preventing weight gain in children and their parents. In the adults, the routines studied were adequate sleep which was counted as over seven hours, and family mealtime routines. The prevalence of being obese or overweight was studied in 337 preschool children and their parents.
For the children, four routines were considered: adequate sleep (10 or more hours each night), family mealtime routine, limiting TV viewing time to less than two hours per day, and not having a TV in the bedroom.
The study revealed that the only routine that added protection against obesity for children was getting enough sleep every night.
The study also showed that how much sleep children got was directly related to how many hours their parents were sleeping. Parents who tended to work late or stay up late were more likely to enjoy “cuddle time” late at night, leading to children falling asleep while watching TV with mom or dad as late as 10 or 11 p.m.
"Parents should make being well rested a family value and a priority. Sleep routines in a family affect all the members of the household, not just children; we know that parents won't get a good night's sleep unless and until their preschool children are sleeping," said Barbara H. Fiese, director of the University of Illinois' Family Resiliency Center and Pampered Chef Endowed Chair.
Fiese views preventing obesity as a three-legged stool that includes all family members in eating, playing and sleeping well.
She said, "Paying attention to those three pillars of health -- good nutrition, enough exercise, and adequate sleep -- benefits everyone in the family.”
If you have questions about your child’s weight or sleep habits, talk to your health care professional.
Sources:
Science Daily. Parent and child must get enough sleep to protect against child obesity. Web. June 10, 2014.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140609153345.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Childhood Obesity Facts. Web. June 10, 2014.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
National Sleep Foundation. Obesity and Sleep. Web. June 10, 2014.
http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/obesity-and-sleep/page/0%2C3
Harvard School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source: Sleep Deprivation and Obesity. Web. June 10, 2014.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sleep/#1
Reviewed June 11, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith