Children with insufficient sleep get more attracted by food
Posted on: 31/Aug/2015 2:45:39 PM
A new study established that children who lack sleep get more tempted by food items. This research was reported in the International Journal of Obesity. It was found that 5-year old`s who slept less than 11 hours a night were more eager to eat at the sight or reminder of a favorite snack as compared to those who slept longer.
The same children also had a higher body mass index (BMI - a measure of weight in relation to height) than those who slept 11 hours or more. The study`s lead author and a researcher at University College London, Ms Laura McDonald, observed that there is now accumulating evidence in both children and adults to suggest that short or insufficient sleep increases reward-driven (`hedonic`) eating.
Ms. McDonald and her team further pointed out that previous studies have shown that too little sleep significantly increases the chances that a child will be overweight or obese. However, there was less knowledge about how sleep affects daily calorie intake.
