Lack of sleep has long been associated with increased body weight in adults. A study in the medical journal BMJ finds that also true of children.
Children aged three to seven were observed.
They slept an average of eleven hours a night, but the fewer hours of sleep they got the greater their risk of having a high BMI or body mass index.
Each additional hour of sleep per night was associated with a 61-percent reduction in the risk of being overweight.
Researchers suggest reduced sleep may increase food consumption and decrease physical activity during the day.
