If you worry that your teenage kids don’t get enough sleep, here is another cause of concern. It affects what and how much they eat. In a new study published in the journal Sleep, researchers analyzed the sleep patterns and eating habits of 93 14-to-17-year-olds over three weeks. Then one group was given six and a half hours to sleep each night, while the other group could sleep nine and a half hours. The teenagers who got less sleep ate 72 percent more calories and 32 percent more carbohydrates between 9 PM and 1 AM. And by eating more sugar and carbs due to their staying up later and sleeping less, they put themselves at risk for future metabolic disorders and obesity.
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