Does Going to Bed Early Mean Better Health for Kids? You Bet!
Does going to bed on the early side make children healthy? A new study says that it does!
According to the October 1st edition of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s journal, “SLEEP,” doctors recorded the bedtimes and wake-up times of over 2,200 youth and compared it with their weight and how they spent their free time over a span of four days.
Courtesy of:mychildhealth.net
The study, funded in part by the University of South Australia, said that mornings were more productive for youth than at night-time.
Youth do more activity if they wake up early, according to SLEEP, because it gives them energy for the day and also boosts their metabolism to live a healthier lifestyle.
The study shows that early sleepers/early risers said good night 70 to 90 minutes earlier than their counterparts. It also showed that they woke up about 60 to 80 minutes earlier. The early birds also received 27 minutes more of physical activity.
The study also shows that children who went to bed and woke up early received the same amount of sleep as the kids who went to bed late, and woke up late.
Even with this research, the study shows that youth are tempted to stay up late because they want to watch prime-time television shows. Also, the time period is when more youth hang out with their friends and not do productive physical activity.
The study also shows that late sleepers/late risers spend 48 more minutes playing video games or watching television than those who went to bed and awoke early. It also shows that their BMI (Body Mass Index) was higher, and are more considered to be overweight.
For more information on the SLEEP journal’s study, please visit the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s website at www.aasmnet.org.