Do children who get less sleep really weigh more?

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Zzz, you do it when you sleep. When you are getting older, you realize the meaning of this word, but when you are younger, you think sleeping is the worst thing to do! Some children even cry because their parents force them to sleep. But, in actuality, if they don't sleep, they will weigh more. It is said that children who don't get enough sleep at a younger age weigh more than they should five years later. The researchers at
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois did a study on children, who get enough sleep and who don't get enough sleep. This study was started in 1997, and the researchers asked families who participated to keep detailed diaries of the children's activities. This information was looked upon again five years later. The children who didn't get enough sleep ended up being overweight about five years later. Two people, Emma Adam and Greg Duncan, say that adding an extra hour of sleep to children ages 3-8 reduces the possibility of being overweight from 30-36% of children that age. Adding an extra hour of sleep to children ages 8-13 reduces the possibility of being overweight from 30-34% of children that age. This study suggested that children who are ages 5-12 should get at least 10-11 hours of sleep, while adolescentsshould get atleast 8-9 hours of sleep. (That means I should sleep earlier on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I only get 7.5 hours of sleep those days which triggers migraines.....GRRRRRR!!!)

I think that children need to get more sleep because that halts so many things they can do. The study didn't really mention why kids tend to be overweight if they don't get enough sleep, but they formed a couple of hypotheses:
-the children might stay up later and eat more
-the children may be too tired during the day and won't have the enregy to exercise
In addition, I think parents should give their children a specific bedtime according to thier age and how much sleep they need. In this case, I absolutely agree with the article. Schools can decide a child's "rise-and-shine" time, but they can't decide when the child should go to bed.

This study also affects me, as I mentioned earlier, because I too don't get enough sleep on certain days because I have to go to school earlier for orchestra. Because of this, I end up getting headaches which later trun into migraines. Earlier this week, I had a test in Math and an essay for Language to type on Wednesday (I think) so I ended up sleeping at eleven o'clock-ish. The next day I had to wake up at five-thirty for orchestra. I really didn't get enough sleep, only around 6.5 hours, and I had a major migraine on Thursday. This study really is true in all ways. Not getting enough sleep doesn't only affect one's weight, it affects their whole entire body!

Source: CNN Health News
HYPERLINK: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/02/06/children.sleep.reut/index.html

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