(NaturalPath) According to a study out of the Ohio State University and published in The Journal of Pediatrics, preschoolers who are regularly tucked into bed by 8 p.m. are far less likely to become obese teenagers than young children who go to sleep later in the evening. The other side of the coin is that bedtimes after 9 p.m. appeared to double the likelihood of obesity later in life.
“For parents, this reinforces the importance of establishing a bedtime routine,” said the lead author. She continued to say, “It’s something concrete that families can do to lower their child’s risk and it’s also likely to have positive benefits on behavior and on social, emotional and cognitive development.”
The study used data from the 977 children enrolled in the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. The children were divided between pre-8 p.m. bedtime, between 8 and 9 p.m. and after 9 p.m. The age of teenager used in this study was the average age of 15.
The results of the study were that only 1 in 10 of the children with the earliest bedtimes were obese teens, compared to 16 percent of children with mid-range bedtimes and 23 percent of those who went to bed latest.
The researchers found that later bedtimes were more common in children who were not white, whose moms had less education and who lived in lower-income households.
The author noted that while putting a child to bed early doesn’t guarantee he or she will fall immediately into a deep sleep, establishing a consistent bedtime routine makes it more likely that children will get the amount of sleep they need to be at their best.
The researchers note that it may be difficult to get your child to be that early due to other factors but that the majority of young children are biologically pre-programmed to be ready to fall asleep well before 9 p.m.
Finally, the author notes that this study doesn’t take into account other obesity factors such as physical activity or nutrition as it focused on sleep.
So, try and get a consistent bedtime for your preschool children and the earlier the better for their health down the road.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.