Is Sleep As Important As Diet?

By Kendra Hackenberg, Certified Sleep Consultant

The Sleepytime Consultant

. https://www.thesleepytimeconsultant.com/

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Is Sleep As Important As Diet?

Childhood obesity is a huge public health issue, and kids who are obese grow into obese adults, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about the myriad health issues that come along with obesity. But, just in case you’re not familiar, they include diabetes, heart disease, all kinds of cancer, osteoarthritis, and joint inflammation, just to name a few.

What does sleep have to do with obesity? A 2008 study by the National Institutes of Health looked at the average number of daily hours of sleep that kids between six months and two years old were getting, and then compared those results with their occurrences of obesity. The children who got an average of less than 12 hours of sleep a day were over twice as likely to be obese than those who slept for 12 hours or more. A much larger study done in the UK showed similar results.

With all of the health issues, as well as the general quality of life concerns that come along with obesity, it seems to me that sleep should be a major concern for parents.

However, people advise new parents with what is meant to be reassuring advice, but given the evidence, one may find it really upsetting.

“Babies sleep when they want to sleep. Don’t force it.”

“Not sleeping is totally normal for a baby.”

“Just follow your baby’s lead. They know how much sleep they need.”

Can you imagine this same kind of talk if it was concerning a baby’s diet?

“Babies know what’s healthy to eat. Just follow their lead.”

“Eating chocolate is totally normal for babies.”

“Kids will eat when they’re ready. You shouldn’t schedule mealtimes.”

If you heard those words, you would immediately qualify them as bad advice, and you certainly wouldn’t listen to that for your kids.

As parents, we all obviously want our kids to live healthy, active lives, and we want to give them every advantage to ensure they get a good start. Making sure they get enough sleep, and teaching them solid sleep skills, will go a long way toward promoting their overall health down the road.