Can beds and a good night''s sleep reduce obesity risk?
08/02/2010
Elizabeth Mewes
The importance of beds has been highlighted by new research that has identified a link between children getting enough sleep and having a lower chance of becoming obese.
A study published in Pediatrics has found four year olds with good sleep routines, who eat family meals and who watch less TV, had a 40 per cent lower risk of becoming obese.
Sarah Anderson, an assistant professor of epidemiology and lead author of the study, has claimed that getting enough sleep can have an effect even in groups with a high risk of becoming overweight.
"This is important because it suggests that there''s a potential for these routines to be useful targets for obesity prevention in all children," she said.
Marni Jameson, a syndicated columnist, recently called for parents to decorate their children''s rooms in order to prioritise relaxation, using colours that are not overly-stimulating and objects unrelated to sleep being removed.
