SOARING LEVELS OF obesity in children may be linked to the fact that they are
sleeping fewer hours at night. Increasingly, children are being kept awake until
late in the evening by televisions, computers, mobile phones and other gadgets
in their rooms. Dr Shahrad Taheri of the University of Bristol argues that there
is emerging research which shows that a lack of sleep disturbs normal metabolism,
which may contribute to obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular
disease. According to the data, even two to three nights of shortened sleep
can have a profound impact.
One study shows that insufficient sleep at the age of 30 months was associated
with obesity at the age of seven; another study demonstrates that sleep patterns
can alter levels of hormones that affect appetite. In fact, a hormone released
by the stomach to signal hunger was almost 15 per cent higher in those children
with a five-hour sleep quota. A lack of sleep is also likely to lead to a
decrease in the exercise a child does, as they simply feel too tired. "Sleep
is probably not the only answer to the obesity pandemic," says Dr Taheri.
"But its effect should be taken seriously, as even small changes in energy
balance have been shown to be beneficial.
So what's the answer? "Removing gadgets from bedrooms and restricting
their use can help promote good sleep," suggests Dr Taheri.
