A new study has revealed that a later bedtime is linked to a higher risk of obesity in children, but parents should not rush their kids to sleep earlier.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that a later bedtime was one factor that stood out that was associated with obesity in children. However, the researchers argued that parents should not rush their kids to sleep earlier as a result.
Instead, Dr. Claude Marcus, a professor of pediatrics at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and an author of the study, recommends that parents focus on maintaining a regular routine when scheduling meal and bed times
The study was part of a bigger research on obesity.
As part of the study, the researchers monitored each child's weight, height and waist circumference from ages one to six, who all had similar measurements when the study began.
Results showed that children who habitually went to sleep late, defined by the researchers as past 9 p.m., had a wider waist and higher body mass index (BMI) by the end of the study.
Dr. Marcus said: "This late bedtime was one factor that really stood out. It was associated with increased weight. However, what we can see is [only]Â an association. If you put your kids to bed earlier, would it change anything? That's something we don't know."
He thinks that staying up beyond 9 p.m. could indicate an overall lifestyle that places children at greater risk of being overweight, rather than their weight gain being directly connected to their bedtime.
He said: "My personal hypothesis is that this is more of a marker of a more irregular life."
Meanwhile, Dr. Nicole Glaser and Dr. Dennis Styne, both pediatric endocrinologists at UC Davis Health in Sacramento, California, pointed out the possibility that obesity and inadequate sleep might be due to other influences, such as "excess screen time, inadequate exercise, or less vigilance overall about health habits on the part of the family."
