A study at Temple University reports that kids’ obesity and weight gain is linked not only to too much fast food, sugary drinks and lack of exercise, but a daily habit that shifts the hormone balance in the body. And it’s relatively easy to reset that hormone balance to help children lose weight. (And the same works for adults, too!)

Turn off the lights and make bedtime earlier.
Sleep appears to be an important factor in the childhood obesity pandemic. Simply getting more sleep may be a way for children to keep their weight down.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, school-aged children (ages 5 to 12) should get between 10 and 11 hours of sleep a night. Younger children need even more shut-eye. Preschoolers, for instance, should get 11 to 13 hours a night, and toddlers need 12 to 14 hours of sleep every day.

Tips to get your kids (and yourself) to sleep:
1. Create a calming nighttime routine that signals the body that it’s time for sleep.
2. Make sure bedrooms are cool, quiet and dark. Do not watch TV in bed.
3. Eat dinner 3 hours before bedtime.
4. Be consistent with bedtime and rising.

The time between 10pm and 2am is the most valuable sleep time, when the maximum body repair takes place.

So, Early to Bed, Early to Rise!