My Overweight Child: Study Says Sleeping Late May Help Teens Stay Slim

Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Study Says Sleeping Late May Help Teens Stay Slim

Childhood obesity has often been associated with the failure of young people to get up and get active -- but a new study from China reports that sleeping in on weekends and holidays may actually help young people stay slim..

Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong studied more than 5,000 children ages five to 15 years old
The researchers discovered that overweight children tended to get less weekend and holiday sleep than did those at normal weight.
The overweight children in the study also spent more time doing homework and watching television, which may also be risk factors for being overweight.
Previous studies have linked irregular sleep/wake schedules and insufficient sleep with being overweight.

“What is unique about this study is that it is the first to show that extending sleep on weekends may help with avoiding weight gain,” said Kristin Knutson, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.

The study by Professor Yun Kwok Wing is published in the journal Pediatrics.

Labels: sleep