Link between sleep deprivation and childhood obesity found

by Rich Bowden - Oct 1 2008, 01:30

Scientists at the University of South Australia have found a link between sleep patterns in children and obesity.

Study leader Professor Tim Olds said the team's research had found it was likely that less sleep triggered appetite-stimulating hormones.

"There's strong association between this intermittent sleep deprivation, some days there's very low sleep and the risk of overweight and obesity, so generally speaking kids who are overweight get less sleep than kids who are leaner or normal weight," he said.

"The other theory that seems much more likely is that it's the low sleep that causes the overweight and obesity and we know that when kids and adults are sleep deprived there's a whole lot of hormonal disruption," he added, "In particular there's an increase in hormones that stimulate appetite and a decrease in ones that dampen appetites so that's probably the mechanism involved."

Researchers examined the sleep patterns of 4,000 Australians aged nine to 18 and found the youngest children, on average, received adequate sleep during weeknights, although teenagers were sleeping an hour or two less.

"There's a looming health problem in this unless we put in place a national strategy to help even it out," warned Prof. Olds.

The study, the findings of which are to be presented to the Australasian Sleep Conference in Adelaide, found those children with the biggest imbalance between weekday and weekend sleep appeared to be most at risk of obesity.

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