. .. How might a lack of sleep contribute to weight control problems?
. .. In several ways, but three stand out:
. .. . .. 1) lack of sleep interferes with many hormones,
. .. . .. which is likely related to a greater risk of obesity
. .. . 2) (duhh!) when you’re awake more hours, you’re
. .. . .. going to eat more, especially if you’re that perfect
. .. . .. eating machine, the standard-issue teenager, and
. .. 3) when you’re tired, you’re less likely to make those
. .. . . wise lifestyle decisions - to exercise, to eat sensibly
. .. . ..– that are related to better weight control.
. .. There are, of course, dozens of explanations as to why North American kids aren’t sleeping as many hours as kids apparently used to sleep a few decades back, but for a simple person like me (“a very simple person”, according to my wife, but I prefer to take that as a compliment), the most important reason is quite evident: modern-day kids are wired to electronic gear.
. .. Thus, a recent survey presented at the American Heart Association’s (abysmally titled) 48th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, the average time a modern teen spends on “screen time” (TV, videos, computers) is 20 hours a week, although a rather large number - roughly one-third - spend over 40 hours a week on screen time, and most worryingly, a sad 6 % spend over 50 hours a week plastered to some type of screen (and in case you’re too tired to figure this out easily, there are only 168 hours in a week, so 40 hours represents roughly 40 % of total time awake for the average teen).
. .. By the way, just in case you’re self-congratulating and thinking, “Those American parents sure are idiots to allow their kids to spend so much time in front of a screen,” I have to point out that this survey was carried out in Montreal, and last time I checked, Montreal was still (reluctantly) in Canada.
. .. So, how much sleep do kids actually need? There are all sorts of formulae out there but I hate sticking people with numbers because then the numbers become the main focus for most people which leaves aside the crucial and equally-vital issue of sleep quality, so all I’ll say is that if your child seems to be acting in a tired manner (especially if he/she is falling asleep at the dinner table more often than their dad), or if your child is sleeping in excessively on weekends, then that should act as prod to try to get your child to sleep more during the week.
. .. “But how exactly does one do that, Mr. Expert”, I hear every one of you cynically asking?
. .. Well, I know this is a delicate matter, and as I said, I don’t have kids of my own at home any longer, so |
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