Researchers looked at the sleep patterns of nearly 600 children ages 7 and under. The average time spent sleeping was just over 10 hours.
The researchers found that children who slept less were more likely to be overweight or obese. For example, those who got an average of 9 hours of sleep or less had a 3.34 percent increase in body fat than kids who slept more. That's regardless of physical activity or television watching.
Experts recommend that children ages 2 to 5 sleep between 11 and 13 hours per night. And school age children should get between 10 and 11 hours per night.
You can read more in the journal Sleep.
