With childhood obesity rates high, many studies have investigated lifestyle factors that can make a difference — which ones increase the risk and which ones reduce it.
Beyond diet, a lack of sleep has been linked to weight gain both in adults and children, so it’s important that kids get enough shuteye, even with their — and your — busy schedules.
Since a child’s wake-up time is usually determined by when school or day care starts and can’t be easily altered, an earlier bedtime is needed to ensure kids get the sleep they need, according to research published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
After following nearly 1,000 kids from birth to age 15, researchers found that attention to sleep needs to start in the preschool years. For instance, 4-year-olds who went to sleep before
