Preschoolers That Have Early Bedtimes Have Lower Risk Of Teenage Obesity

A new study has found that preschoolers who are in bed by 8 p.m. have lower chances of being obese when they become teenagers. Meanwhile, preschoolers who have bedtimes after 9 p.m. double their chances of becoming obese in their teenage years. This study was published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

"For parents, this reinforces the importance of establishing a bedtime routine," said lead author Sarah Anderson, as per EurekAlert. Anderson is an associate professor of epidemiology at the Ohio State University College of Public Health. 

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From Preschoolers To Teenagers

The researchers looked into the records of 977 children who were part of the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development and were from 10 different areas in the United States. Their mothers gave information on the children's usual weekday bedtime routine - either 8 p.m. or earlier, between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. and after 9 p.m. The children were around four-and-a-half years old.

They were tracked when they were teenagers with an average age of 15. According to the Daily Mail, the researchers found that one in 10 of the children with the earliest bedtime became obese while 16 percent of those with a bedtime between 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. became obese. Among those who slept after 9 p.m., 23 percent became obese.

Bedtime And Obesity

EurekAlert reported that the researchers also looked into the interaction of mothers and children because the "emotional climate" may affect bedtimes. However, the quality of the mother's relationship with her child did not change the observation of a significant connection between bedtime and obesity.

"Bedtimes are a modifiable routine that may help to prevent obesity," the authors said in their conclusion, as stated in the study's abstract. The New York Times quoted Dr. Anderson as saying that "there is a great deal of evidence linking poor sleep, and particularly short sleep duration, to obesity, and it's possible the timing of sleep may be important, above and beyond the duration of sleep."

What time do you send your preschoolers to bed? Write your comments below.