Sleep deficient kids tempted more by food

Children who don’t get enough sleep might be more tempted by food, a new study suggests.

Five-year-olds who slept less than 11 hours a night were more eager to eat at the sight or reminder of a favorite snack, compared to those who slept longer, researchers reported in the International Journal of Obesity.

The same children also had a higher body mass index ­ a measure of weight in relation to height ­ than those who slept 11 hours or more.

‘There is now accumulating evidence in both children and adults to suggest that short or insufficient sleep increases reward-driven eating,’ said Laura McDonald, the study’s lead author and a researcher at University College London.

Previous studies have shown that too little sleep significantly increases the chances that a child will be overweight or obese, McDonald and her team point out. But less was known about how sleep affects daily calorie intake.

Written by: Dr Ajay Sati.