Children who sleep a lot are at lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes

According to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics in the US, the more children sleep, the less likely they are to have type 2 diabetes.

To conduct the study, scientists collected body measurements, blood samples and questionnaires for 4,525 children aged 9 to 10 years.

Picture 1 of Children who sleep a lot are at lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes
One sleeps at a shop in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

The results of the analysis, summarizing the data show that children who sleep longer often have less weight and less fat.The length of sleep is also inversely proportional to the amount of insulin, insulin resistance and blood sugar of the child.

This means longer sleep is a very simple way to reduce obesity levels and the risk of type 2 diabetes right from an early age.

Meanwhile, in adults, if sleeping too much or not getting enough sleep are linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

In young children, although many studies only show that they sleep a lot to reduce obesity, not many studies have been done to investigate the relationship between sleep and this disease. So scientists have done this research to find a connection.

Not only do they reduce their risk of diabetes, the study authors also believe that prolonging sleep at an early age can even yield potential benefits until adulthood.