Early bedtime for toddlers helps fight obesity

Earlier bedtimes for toddlers leads to lower numbers of obese teenagers, a sleep expert has claimed.

Putting children to bed early, not only staves off crankiness but it also prevents preschoolers becoming teens with unhealthy weights.

And the first study on the issue backs up on sleep times, and obesity backs up what Irish paediatric sleep expert Lucy Wolf, of the Sleep Clinic, sees on a daily basis.

The US study of early child care and youth development had examined the relationship between toddlers’ bedtime and obesity in adolescence of 977 four-and-a-half-year-old children.

Associate professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University and author of the study from the Journal of Pediatrics, Sarah Anderson, found an association emerged between earlier bedtimes for children and healthier weight at the age of 15.

Guidelines recommend toddlers receive nine-and-a-half to 11-and-a-half hours of sleep nightly.

Later bedtimes were related to increased risk of obesity. Only 10% of children who went to bed at 8pm or earlier were obese.

Significantly, 16% of children who went to bed between 8pm-9pm were obese, while 23% of children who went to bed at 9pm and later were obese.

This was the same for both boys and girls. While bedtime does not represent how much sleep children get, experts believe the earlier children go to bed, the more likely they are to get extra sleep.

Ms Wolf explained: “This recent study is helpful for parents so start to link up the health benefits of good sleep practices.

“Earlier bedtimes are protective against obesity.

“As a practitioner I am always promoting the importance of early and regular bedtimes, as we know that this activity lays a solid foundation of better and longer sleep duration.

“We also know that there is a relationship between appetite and sleep-with lost sleep disrupting the chemicals in the body that regulate appetite and metabolism.

“I see first hand when the young child’s sleep is improved the knock-on effect is improved appetite as well as behaviour. Now we can see both together having a positive impact on our teenagers weight. We also know that the loss of one hour can have a direct impact on mood and behaviour and academic performance.

“It is great to help parents become informed and to continue to prioritise their young children’s sleep now in an effort to ensure that they will be at their optimum in early childhood and beyond.”