Sleep duration, sleep regularity, body weight, and metabolic homeostasis in school-aged children.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The goal was to explore the effects of duration and regularity of sleep schedules on BMI and the impact on metabolic regulation in children.

Methods

Sleep patterns of 308 community-recruited children 4 to 10 years of age were assessed with wrist actigraphs for 1 week in a cross-sectional study, along with BMI assessment. Fasting morning plasma levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein also were measured for a subsample.

Results

Children slept 8 hours per night, on average, regardless of their weight categorization. A nonlinear trend between sleep and weight emerged. For obese children, sleep duration was shorter and showed more variability on weekends, compared with school days. For overweight children, a mixed sleep pattern

SUBMITTER: Spruyt K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3025425 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature