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Health Alert: Lack of sleep may make kids eat more

427 views · Published 28 January 2015 · 1:49 · Indexed 23 September 2026

Channel: LOCAL 12 · 2015 · News & Politics

CINCINNATI (Liz Bonis) -- The number of kids who are overweight has doubled in the past 30 years, while the number of overweight adolescents has quadrupled.

This has the medical community concerned.

In 2012 more than one third of children in the U.S. were overweight or even obese.

A recent study in the journal pediatrics found that a contributing factor is lack of sleep.

"Sleep is important for so many things, said Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician at Childrens Medical Group in Atlanta and a Medical Editor of HealthyChildren.org. Ranging from good growth, helping your immune system, heart health, good behavior and the ability to focus and concentrate and learn well in school."

"Not enough sleep may mean not suppressing the appetite making you want to eat more and taking in more calories and carbohydrates in general, said Dr, Shu.

Overeating can cause a whole host of health problems.

"Too much eating can eventually cause problems like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, said Dr. Shu. Everything's interrelated, we want everything to be in balance and that includes your nutrition your sleep and your exercise and so we do recommend that kids get the sleep recommended for their age, at least an hour of exercise a day and to eat a healthy diet."

So how much sleep do children need? According to the CDC newborns should be sleeping on average 16-18 hours a day. Preschool aged kids, 11-12 hours and school aged children should sleep about 10 hours a night.

Doctors also say to make sure to monitor what your children are eating.

No amount of sleep can battle the bulge if they are not getting a healthy diet.

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Health Alert: Lack of sleep may make kids eat more

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