Sleepy Teens Reach for Fast Foods First | WPN World People News

Sleep-deprived teens make poor food choices, a new study finds.

Not only do sleepy teens, on average, eat more food that's bad for them, they also eat less food that is good for them.

While we already know that sleep duration is associated with a range of health consequences, this study speaks to some of the mechanisms, i.e., nutrition and decision-making, through which health outcomes are affected.

The study authors examined data collected from interviews with more than 13,000 teens nationwide in 1996. The 18 percent of teens who said they slept fewer than seven hours a night were more likely to eat fast food two or more times a week and less likely to eat healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Well-rested teens tended to make more healthy food choices.

We are interested in the association between sleep duration and food choices in teenagers because adolescence is a critical developmental period between childhood and adulthood. Teenagers have a fair amount of control over their food and sleep, and the habits they form in adolescence can strongly impact their habits as adults.

One of the next steps in the research is to determine whether the association between sleep duration and food choices is causal.

"If we determine that there is a causal link between chronic short sleep duration and poor dietary choices, then we need to start thinking about how to more actively incorporate sleep hygiene education into obesity prevention and health promotion interventions," expert said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teens get between nine and 10 hours of sleep per night.

Source: HealthDay News