Lack of Sleep for Baby Means Extra Weight

Published: 5/30/2008

We are learning more and more that sleep has major effects on health. Among other things, inadequate sleep increases levels of the hormone that causes hunger, leading to over-eating. Lack of sleep has been associated in adults with weight gain, obesity, heart problems, and diabetes.

Several recent studies have found a connection between skimping on sleep and overweight in children too. The first study ever to look at infant sleep patterns and their impact on childhood obesity asked the question: Is it possible that the amount of time a baby sleeps has an effect on his or her weight later?

In this study researchers noted the average sleep time of 915 infants over a 24-hour period at three points in time—at age 6 months, a year, and two years. They then looked at the weight of those same children as toddlers. They found that infants who had a total sleep time of less than 12 hours a day were twice as likely to be overweight by age three. This “adiposity effect” was even stronger in the toddlers who watched more than two hours per day of television.

What’s the take-home? Getting enough sleep could be the key to your child maintaining a healthy weight. And maintaining a healthy weight in childhood is key to maintaining a healthy weight as an adult. 

Help your kids get the recommended 14-15 hours a day of sleep for babies three to eleven months, 12-14 hours a day for toddlers one and two years of age, and 11-13 hours for kids three to six.

It’s possible that some of the children followed in this study were sleeping less because of stressful lives, and stress itself is a known contributor to both weight gain and sleeplessness. Still, putting your children to bed early enough to get a good night’s sleep is a big step toward good health.

Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, April 2008