If your child has ever had trouble sleeping, you’ve probably lived first-hand what researchers have proven: when a child doesn’t get enough sleep they can develop problems with behaviour, attention, learning or memory.
While much of the research in this area has focused on children’s brain development, there has been growing evidence in recent years that shorter sleep times may also be connected to physical health problems such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In fact, one study of teenagers showed that with each hour of sleep lost, the odds of becoming obese went up.
That’s not to say that a child who doesn’t get enough sleep will become overweight or develop diabetes, but lack of sleep can create changes in a child’s normal development and may affect their energy levels, eating habits and willingness to take part in physical activity—all things which play a role in a child’s overall health.