Preschoolers who turn in late turn out to be heavier teens, concludes a new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
Researchers from Ohio State University College of Public Health tracked almost a thousand preschoolers starting in 1995. They found that among children who went to bed at 8 p.m. or earlier, only 10 percent became obese teenagers. For children who went to bed at 9 p.m. or later, 23 percent became obese teens.
The later kids stayed up, the greater the risk. In general, researchers found that for each hour preschoolers stayed up past 8 p.m., obesity rates rose about 6 percent by their teenage years.
Previous research suggests that children who lack sleep experience changes in hormonal balance, which can impact appetite and metabolism.
