Children who Sleep Less Consume More: Study

One thing's for certain. We all need a good amount of R & R to get us through a day of running errands, work or school.

While adults should take in an average of 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night according to the National Sleep Foundation, the number is much higher for newborns and children. In fact, they need extra rest to help function throughout the day, ranging anywhere from 12 to 18 hours of sleep. 

A recent study shows that children who aren't getting enough rest may also be at an increased risk for obesity.

More specifically, the study found that 16-month-old children who slept for less than 10 hours a day consumed around 10 percent more calories on an average than children who slept closer to 13.

"The key message here is the shorter sleeping children may prone to consume too many calories," said Abi Fisher of the Health Behaviour Research Centre at the University College of London, via U.S. News and World Report. 

The study involved 1,303 British families. The sleep of their child was monitor at 16 months old and again at 21 months for diet.

Findings showed that those who slept less than 10 hours a day consumed an average of 1,097 calories, while those who slept closer to the recommended amount consumed an average of 982 calories.

Though the exact reason for this difference is unclear, previous findings have also shown that a lack of sleep or certain sleep disorders can contribute to a higher risk of becoming over weight or obese. 

"We know shorter sleep in life increases the risk of obesity so we wanted to understand whether shorter sleeping children consume more calories," Fisher said, via The Telegraph. "Previous studies in adults and older children have shown sleep loss causes people to eat more but in early life parents make most of the decisions about when and how much their children eat-so young children cannot be assumed to show the same problems."

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the International Journal of Obesity.