Night owls are more likely to be overweight

Recent research has made it clear: adequate sleep is an important aspect of leading a healthy and slim life, no matter what our age.

Now there’s more interesting information about sleep and its connection to health and weight: a study published in the journal SLEEP indicates when we go to sleep is just as important as how much sleep we get.  Researchers in Australia studied the sleep patterns of adolescents between the ages of 9 and 16.  They found children who were up late at night were more likely to be obese than their counterparts who went to bed early and got up early, even though both groups got the same total amount of sleep.

Why?  The night owls were three times as likely to log sedentary time, usually in front of the television or computer. Hmm…what do you do in the wee hours of the night?

Put your kids to bed early tonight.  Then turn in early yourself, because this is one healthy task the whole family can take on with sheer pleasure.  (You may not enjoy slogging to the gym this time of year, but you’d be crazy to turn down a date with your goose down comforter for a full night of glorious sleep).