A recent study finds that newborns who sleep well are better protected against overweight and obesity. These are rather rare works, focusing on the quality of sleep during the first months of babies' lives.
For a very long time, humans have known that sleep well is a guarantee of good health mental and physical. Research to support the subject does not cease to emerge. A recent study showed, for example, that the Moon does not affect the sleep of men and women in the same way. Other studies have also concluded that sleep disturbance in adolescents increases the risk of depression in adulthood.
Harvard University piloted a study published in the journal Sleep on October 22, 2021. The researchers looked at the quality of sleep during the first months of life and its consequences. No fewer than 298 babies born at Massachusetts General Hospital between 2016 and 2018 participated in the study.
However, the conclusion is unprecedented:newborns who sleep longer and more regularly (without interruption) would have less risk in terms of overweight and obesity. Scientists have reported that one hour of extra sleep between one and six months of age resulted in a 26% lower risk of being overweight at this age.
Researchers say they obtained objective measurements using actigraphy sensors previously placed on the children's ankle. At the same time, the parents had to fill in the sleeping and waking times in a logbook. These schedules were then correlated to the data obtained over three consecutive nights . In addition, the researchers determined the height and weight of the newborns before concluding whether they were overweight or obese. The figure obtained was then greater than or equal to the 95th percentile World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts.
It should be noted, however, that the nature of this correlation is not yet defined and that nothing indicates that it is indeed a cause and effect relationship . Nevertheless, researchers believe that longer and more regular nights allow better regulation of food as well as healthier hunger management. However, these factors are important in limiting excesses and their usual consequences. Researchers now want to continue their observations on larger samples that are more representative of different types of populations.
