Most parents have an ongoing struggle with regard to an early bedtime. Now scientific research provides evidence that there may be some wisdom in the age-old early bedtime rule for children.<\/p>\n
A new study from University of St George\u2019s London published in Pediatrics<\/em> reveals that sticking to a bedtime could help prevent type 2 diabetes in children. Since this kind of diabetes was so rare in children, it was previously called adult-onset diabetes. But a lack of exercise and sustained consumption of sugary food among children has contributed to an increase in obesity which has further lead to an increase in type 2 diabetes. This is caused when the body is unable to regulate the amount of glucose in the blood and it can’t make enough insulin to convert blood sugar into energy.<\/p>\n Very little research was conducted about sleep duration and its relationship with type 2 diabetes before this study. The researchers gathered data such as body measurements and blood sample results of over 4500 children from a variety of ethnic backgrounds between the ages nine and ten. The results revealed that children who slept on average for just one hour less a night had higher levels of blood glucose and insulin resistance which increased their risk for type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, children who slept longer had lower body weight and fat mass.<\/p>\n A sufficient amount of sleep also helps to keep our appetite in check and is protective against insulin resistance. Thus increasing sleep duration is a simple way in which levels of body fat and type 2 diabetes risk can be reduced. According to the study, a regular bedtime, a focus on sleep hygiene, and increasing the sleep duration to 10 hours in children could promote good health and eliminate the risk of type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n DOI: 10.1542\/peds.2017-0338<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":318,"featured_media":33313,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false},"new_tags":[],"series":[],"subject":[2970,2969,2968],"class_list":["post-17860","research","type-research","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","subject-and-nursing","subject-health","subject-medicine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n