Staying up late is often a special treat for the kids, but make it a habit and it can be detrimental to their health and wellbeing, new research from the University of South Australia shows. Adults and children who regularly go to bed late are more likely to have an unbalanced diet, spend more time in front of a screen and do less exercise.
By objectively measuring multiple sleep characteristics in Australian children and their parents, the world's first study identified four primary sleep profiles — short sleepers (27 percent), late to bed (17 percent), long sleepers (24 percent) and generally good sleepers. (31 percent) – and found that those who regularly went to bed late were in the lowest socioeconomic position and had the least favorable eating and activity behaviors.
Lead researcher, Lisa Matricciani of UniSA, says the study provides important insights for the health and well-being of the population.
“We all appreciate the importance of a good night's sleep, but too much or too little, going to bed late, or irregular sleep schedules can be a cause for concern,” says Matricciani.
“In this study, we looked at a range of factors that can influence sleep and identified four sleep clusters that can tell us more about people's lifestyles and behaviors.
“The main finding is that adults and children who regularly go to bed late are more likely to eat an unbalanced diet with fewer fruits and vegetables and more junk foods, such as chips and sugary drinks.”
“In addition, this group is also more likely to be less active, with children more engaged in screen time and much less exercise.”
“Notably, the people in the late-to-bed cluster also came from the lowest socioeconomic demographics.”
The study used actigraphy-measured sleep data collected over a 12-month period for the Childhealth CheckPoint study, a one-off study nestled in the well-known Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC).
Participants (1043 Australian children aged 11-12 years and 1337 parents [mean age 43.2 years]) wore a wrist device for seven days to record multiple sleep characteristics – sleep duration, timing, quality and daily variability – supplemented with self-reported information on socioeconomic position , age/puberty, dietary habits (NaSSDA survey), and lifestyle behavior (MARCA).
