Sleeping in may keep your kids slim!!

[mc_squared]

Are your lazy children sleeping in on the weekends? Don't worry, it may keep them slim

 

 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 9:13 AM on 14th November 2009

 

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If you're fed up with your children lazing in bed at the weekends, perhaps you should think again.

 

Those extra hours of sleep could be keeping them trim, research suggests.

 

Scientists who studied children aged five to 15 found those who slept in on Saturdays and Sundays were much less likely to have weight problems.

 

Sweet dreams: Children who sleep in on weekends are less likely to be obese according to research

 

Studies show sleeping just a few hours a night can upset the body's metabolism, leading to increased calorie intake and a greater threat of obesity-related illnesses.

 

Experts wanted to see if catching up on sleep at the weekends helped kids to overcome this.

 

They quizzed the parents of more than 5,000 schoolchildren, gathering information on diet, lifestyle, weight and sleeping routines.

 

Most children averaged just over nine hours during school time. But a significant proportion got less than eight hours a night.

 

When researchers looked at weekend and holiday sleeping patterns, they found those that caught up on their sleep on their days off managed to stay slim. But those that didn't lie in were more likely to have expanding waistlines.

 

They believe the weekend snooze is crucial for school-age children to catch up on the sleep they miss out on during a busy week.

 

The extra sleep helps to regulate calorie intake by reducing snacking during waking hours.

 

The researchers, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said: ' Overweight and obese children tended to wake up earlier and had shorter sleep durations throughout weekdays, weekends and holidays than their normal-weight peers.

 

'Our study suggests sleeping longer on weekends or holidays could lower the risk of being overweight or obese.'

 

The findings, published in the journal Paediatrics, add to earlier research that showed a link between regular sleep deprivation and obesity.

 

But this is believed to be the first time researchers have found lying in at the weekends is important to help 'reset' a child's sleeping patterns and could help in the battle against childhood obesity.

 

Although forecast obesity rates were recently downgraded, it is still expected that nearly one in three boys aged two to eleven will be overweight or obese by 2020.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1227691/Are-lazy-children-sleeping-weekends-Dont-worry-slim.html#ixzz0WquIXmKD

[Saffire]

Sleep is very underrated. Our culture condemns people who sleep any longer than 7 hours at night, or who take naps. It's weird. And teenagers especially need more sleep than adults.

[Pseudonym]

Sleep is very underrated. Our culture condemns people who sleep any longer than 7 hours at night, or who take naps. It's weird. And teenagers especially need more sleep than adults.

THIS

 

 

I only manage to get 5 hours of sleep a night most nights, and then if I nap later in the afternoon I get scolded for it. When the fuck am I supposed to sleep?