Obesity is when abnormal or excessive body fat is stored in one’s body. It is a medical condition that may increase the risks of other health problems, i.e., heart disease, high BP, or even heart disease. Many parents are worried about their child’s sleep habits. Covid has made teens drop some typical sleeping and screen time rules. It didn’t take much time to creep the teen’s bedtime from later to even later. Parents today are still trying to restore their kids’ usual sleep patterns as pre-COVID. If we are to answer, can lack sleep in teens lead to obesity? The link between poor sleeping habits (irregular sleep schedule) and poor health is entrenched.
Obesity & Lack of Sleep
According to some studies, teenagers who usually sleep less than others of the same age will eventually be overweight or obese in their later life. Being obese can also lead to cardiovascular disease and even type 2 diabetes, and sleep can be a potential risk factor or a marker of obesity in the future.
The meta-analysis and systematic review of the research recommend that teens are advised and recommended getting eight to ten hours of sleep. Short sleepers of all ages gain more weight and are 58% more likely to become obese. The researchers have also shown a consistent relationship between the increased risks of getting obese and the less amount of sleep. Obesity is increasing planetary; the World Health Organization has declared it a global endemic.
Causes of Insufficient Sleep
The researchers have stressed that despite healthy eating, if you are not getting enough sleep, you are risking yourself for obesity. Poor sleep is a striking risk factor for both physical and mental health. Chronic sleep deprivation, also known as insufficient sleep syndrome, is experiencing sleeplessness. It is one of the most common problems among adolescents now a day. The causes of inadequate sleep may include:
Puberty Hormones
Hormonal time shifts when the teenager’s body moves a clock ahead for about one or two hours. While they follow their new body clock, school starts simultaneously, which doesn’t allow them to sleep. The sleep debt caused this way leads to chronic sleep deprivation.
Use of Screen-based Devices
If a teen develops a habit of using smartphones or screen-based devices nearly around their bedtime, it has a high chance of reducing their sleep time.
Hectic Schedules
The after-school schedule of teens includes homework, sports, socializing, etc., which can cut their sleeping time.
Leisure Activities
The need to stimulate their entertainment drives by watching television, playing video games, or chatting keep them out of bed.
Social Attitudes
Teens want to be accepted socially, and in western culture, keeping yourself active is valued instead of sleeping. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder that causes an irresistible urge to move the leg, affecting the teenager’s sleep.
Vicious Circle
An over-aroused brain is less likely to fall asleep, and teenagers’ brains are always very active. Light exposure to the lights that their phones or computers emit can prevent the right amount of melatonin from being produced. The less the production, the less sleep would be.
Prevention For Lack of Sleep
Prevention to prevent the lack of sleep in teenagers and hence obesity, you need to follow some suggestions:
- Encouraging your children to sleep early every Sunday or sleeping late on a Sunday night and waking up early on a Monday morning will disturb their sleep patterns.
- Decide the appropriate usage time of their electronic gadgets and screen time.
- Avoid early morning classes and training sessions.
- Help them develop a better after-school schedule.
- Asses their weekly schedules to see if they are over-committed.
- Help them adjust their body clock; you can even consult a doctor for it.
