While previous studies have shown that lack of sleep can cause a variety of health problems in children and teens, new research has found that the timing of sleep is also important, with night owls getting less exercise and more screen time than early risers, according to a new study published in the journal SLEEP.
Researchers from the University of South Australia looked at the sleep patterns and activity levels of 2,200 children between the ages of nine and 16 over the span of four days. They found that the kids who stayed up late and slept in were 1.5 times as likely to become obese, got an average of 27 minutes less physical activity a day and spent 48 more minutes playing video games or watching TV, when compared to children who were early risers.
"The children who went to bed late and woke up late, and the children who went to bed early and woke up early got virtually the same amount of sleep in total," explained study co-author Carol Maher.
"Scientists have realized in recent years that children who get less sleep tend to do worse on a variety of health outcomes, including the risk of being overweight and obese. Our study suggests that the timing of sleep is even more important."
Adding to the challenge is the fact that teenagers tend to have different sleep patterns than children and adults, naturally staying up late and sleeping in longer, but: "our findings show… that the adolescents who don’t follow this sleep pattern do better," concluded Maher.
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