Want to keep your child's weight in check? Send them to bed early

2010 estimates by the World Health Organisation showed that 43 million children worldwide are overweight or obese! The number is expected to increase to about 60 million over the next decade. Don't let your child become another statistic. You can reduce their obesity risk simply by sending them to bed early…

Setting an earlier bedtime for your children could help keep their weight in check. This is according to a new study by Scientists from Temple University in Philadelphia.

Revealed: The link between sending your child to bed early and a reduced obesity risk

According to a report by Ctvnews, scientists found that fast food, too much screen time and fizzy drinks aren’t the only factors to blame for the childhood obesity epidemic. Lack of sleep is also an important factor.

For the purposes of the study, scientists enlisted 37 children aged eight to 11. More than a quarter of the subjects were overweight or obese.
During the first week of the study, the children slept their normal amount. During the second week, the children randomly had their sleep time reduced or lengthened. And in the third week, they were given the opposite sleep schedule.

The findings of the study published in the journal Pediatrics showed that when children slept longer, they ate around 134 fewer calories a day and lost half a kilo in weight.

Head researcher Dr. Chantelle Hart believes the “findings from this study suggest that enhancing school-age children’s sleep at night could have important implications for prevention and treatment of obesity.”

Well there you have it. Obesity is preventable. And it starts by as tucking your little ones into bed early.