Day 5 Message For Parents
Sleep & Obesity In Young Children A study published in the November 2007 issue of the journal Pediatrics shows that more sleep for youngsters may lower their risk of obesity significantly. The researchers have found that every additional hour per night a third-grader spends sleeping reduces the child's chances of being obese in sixth grade by 40 percent.
Dr. Julie Lumeng of the University of Michigan, who led the research, said that "the less sleep they got, the more likely the children were to be obese in sixth grade, no matter what the child's weight was in third grade".
If there was a magic number for the third-graders, it was 9 hours, 45 minutes of sleep. Sleeping more than 9 hours, 45 minutes lowered the risk of obesity significantly. Of the children who slept 10 to 12 hours a day, only 12 percent were obese by sixth grade. If you think about it, the kids can't eat while they're sleeping - and - if well rested, they are less likely to be stressed or exhausted which is when many kids turn to unhealthy "comfort foods" (candy, sodas, burgers, fries, chips, energy drinks, etc).
If your children consume these all-to-common energy drinks, we encourage you to read the labels - the levels of caffeine are extremely high. In place of these unhealthy energy drinks, consider offering fresh juices, spring water along with Farmacy Pro Power and smoothie mixes from The Wholefood Farmacy. These healthy drinks offer clean, natural energy with substantial nutrition.
All in all, the study gives parents yet another reason to encourage
regular bedtimes, restrict caffeine and remove the TV from the
bedroom. Experts offer these ideas for promoting good sleep habits in
elementary school children:
WAKE TIME: The biological clock resets in the morning, so it's just as important to have a consistent wake-up time as a consistent bedtime. Avoid over scheduling that interferes with sleep time.
WEEKENDS: Avoid letting children sleep extremely late on weekends, but be flexible enough to allow a little fun.
TEMPERATURE: A cool bedroom is better.
CAFFEINE: Soda or chocolate at lunch may keep some children awake at night, so limit or rule out caffeine.
ELECTRONICS: Keep TVs, cell phones, computer games and other electronics out of the bedroom.
BEDTIME ROUTINE: Encourage reading, chatting about the day or other soothing activities in the 30 minutes before bed.
Thank you,
The Wholefood Farmacy Team | 
