Sleeping more than this minimum amount lowered their risk even more—by up to 40 percent. “The less sleep they got, the more likely the children were to be obese in sixth grade, no matter what the child’s weight was in third grade,” said Dr. Julie Lumeng, who led the research. Naps:The Key to a Happy, Healthy Child 7 to embrace the idea of naps and enjoy the many physical, emo- tional, and social benefi ts that they bring. How Much Naptime Does Your Child Need? The actual number of hours that your child sleeps is an incredibly important factor for his health and well-being. A sleep study com- pleted by Dr. Avi Sadeh at Tel Aviv University demonstrated that even a one-hour shortage in appropriate sleep time will compro- mise a child’s alertness and brain functioning and increase fatigue. Dr. William C. Dement, known as the world’s leading authority on sleep, takes that one step further and says, “. . . the effects of delaying bedtime by even half an hour can be subtle and perni- cious [very destructive].”
