Earlier bedtimes for preschoolers ‘can help avoid obesity in later life’

The importance of early bedtimes for preschool children has been underlined by a new study showing that poor sleeping habits can increase their risk of obesity in later life.

Conducted by Ohio State University, the research examined data from 977 children, finding that half went to bed between 20:00 and 21:00, while one-quarter sleep earlier than this and the remaining quarter slept later.

Only one in ten of the children with the earliest bedtimes were found to be obese when they reached their teens, compared to 16 percent of children with mid-range bedtimes and 23 percent of those who went to bed latest.

This aligns with prior research showing that the majority of young children are biologically predisposed to be ready to fall asleep well before 21:00.

It was also shown that levels of maternal support affected obesity risk, with children who slept latest often found to belong to poorly-educated families or to come from less wealthy backgrounds.

Sarah Anderson, the study's lead author and associate professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University, said setting a healthy bedtime is "something concrete that families can do to lower their child's risk and it's also likely to have positive benefits on behavior and on social, emotional and cognitive development".