Lack Of Sleep May Put Pounds On Kids

Sleeping fewer than 10 hours a night may make a child significantly more likely to become overweight than a child who sleeps away half the day. Lack of sleep seems to play a larger role in weight gain than time spent watching television and lack of physical activity.

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Kids who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be obese than those who gets plenty of sleep. This ensures that adequate sleep is important for controlling weight. According to the research, sleep deprivation increases the levels of hunger hormone and decreases the hormone levels that make kids feel full.

Lack of sleep lowers the leptin levels, a hormone that stimulates metabolism and decreases hunger. Lack of sleep increases the ghrelin concentration, a hormone that increases hunger.

Due to the decreased levels of leptin, your kid feels he needs adequate amount of food if he already has been consumed. Due to increased levels of ghrelin, kids tend to feel hungry during sleep hours. This results in increased risk of overweight in kids.

Sleep problems in kids:

Sleep problems in kids can range from trouble falling asleep to sleep terrors during night. Children can have sleep problems due to video games, television, siblings and worries about their school work. [Common toddler sleep problems and solutions]
Improper sleep routine of not sleeping at proper time and not waking up at proper time in the morning can cause sleep problems in kids.
Changing the kid’s bed or changing the room can keep them awake at nighttime.
If your child has enlarged tonsils or adenoids, they can cause blockage of airways which make them to snore. Snoring can result in sleep apnea, a severe sleep disorder. If your kid snores regularly, he stops breathing hundreds of times during night. Therefore, he wakes up to restore his breath which can result in sleep disruption.
Your kid can wake up in the night crying due to nightmares or night terrors and regular nightmares or night terrors can disturb their sleep. These events can occur due to stress or due to horrible television shows or movies that are watched by the kid before bedtime.
Bedwetting can also cause lack of sleep in kids because the dress worn by kids becomes wet and causes inconvenience to sleep at night with the same dress.

Prevent sleep problems in kids:

Establish a sleep routine so that your kid sleeps at same time in the night and wakes up at the same time in the morning.
Minimize the usage of television, video games and other works that disturb their sleep.
Once your kid is accustomed to a place for sleep, do not change it as they cannot easily make their minds.
If your child is snoring, consult the doctor to find whether tonsils or adenoids are present. If present, they should be removed by surgery for a good night sleep. Daily exercise can cut the risk of snoring in children.
If your child is worried with night terrors or nightmares, you should reach him and soothe him immediately to make him calm.
If your child wets the bed regularly, keep a pair of clothes beside your bed so that you can change the dress immediately and remove their inconvenience to sleep.