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Sleep patterns and obesity in childhood
Alison L Miller1, Julie C Lumeng, Monique K LeBourgeois
1aSchool of Public Health bCenter for Human Growth and Development cDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan dDepartment of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
Insights
Poor sleep in children is linked to obesity, with short sleep duration a consistent factor. Emerging evidence suggests sleep timing and eating behaviors also play a role in childhood obesity risk.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Sleep Medicine
- Public Health Nutrition
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
- Sleep disturbances are increasingly prevalent in pediatric populations.
- The relationship between sleep and obesity in children requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current research on the association between sleep patterns and obesity in children.
- To explore the roles of sleep duration, timing, and chronotype.
- To identify potential biological and behavioral mechanisms linking sleep and obesity.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of recent scientific literature.
- Focus on studies examining sleep duration, sleep timing, and chronotype in relation to childhood obesity.
- Analysis of proposed mechanisms, including dietary intake and appetite regulation.
Main Results:
- Consistent evidence links short sleep duration in early childhood to increased obesity risk.
- Findings for infancy and adolescence are less consistent.
- Sleep timing patterns, such as variable schedules and evening chronotypes, are emerging as potential contributors to obesity.
- Mechanisms may involve eating timing, dietary habits, and hormonal changes.
Conclusions:
- Sleep duration and timing are critical factors in childhood obesity.
- Biological and behavioral pathways mediate the sleep-obesity link.
- Further longitudinal and experimental research in children is needed to elucidate these associations and inform interventions.
Purpose Of Review:
To highlight the recent findings on sleep-obesity associations in children. We focus on sleep duration, sleep timing and chronotype, and describe the potential mechanisms underlying sleep-obesity associations.
Recent Findings:
Poor sleep is increasingly common in children and associations between short sleep duration in early childhood and obesity are consistently found. Less is known about the infancy period, and the findings in adolescents are inconsistent. Sleep timing patterns may also contribute to obesity risk. Variable and shifted sleep schedules and evening chronotypes have recently been linked to adiposity in adults; less is known about children. Further, there is little understanding regarding the mechanisms of association. The timing of eating, dietary intake, obesogenic eating behaviors, and changes in appetite-regulating hormones have been identified as possible mechanisms for sleep-obesity associations and may be promising avenues for future research. Longitudinal and experimental work with children is needed to determine the nature of associations.
Summary:
Beyond sleep duration, sleep timing patterns may contribute to obesity risk. Biological and behavioral processes have been proposed as mechanisms that may explain the association. Understanding the pathways through which poor sleep patterns could increase obesity risk in children may provide novel avenues for intervention.
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