Sleeping too little and going to bed late can easily lead to early puberty.

Insufficient sleep and going to bed late are associated with a higher risk of early puberty, especially in girls. Girls who typically sleep this way are 3.5 years earlier than average.

Doctor examining a child patient - Photo: Provided by the hospital.

Dr. Wen-Yu Lin and colleagues from the Family Medicine Department of Taipei Medical University Hospital (Taiwan) conducted a study on 2,238 children (1,492 girls aged 6-14 and 746 boys aged 9-17) from hospitals in Taiwan.

Parameters such as sleep duration, bedtime, sleep onset time, and overall sleep quality were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

Insufficient sleep was defined as less than 9 hours of sleep for children under 12 years old and less than 8 hours for adolescents, and late bedtime was defined as going to bed after 9 p.m. for children under 12 years old and after 10 p.m. for adolescents. Children were monitored every 3 months.

Central precocious puberty (or simply precocious puberty) is diagnosed based on the early development of secondary sexual characteristics, bone age, and specific endocrine criteria.

The results showed that 742 children experienced precocious puberty and 1,496 developed normally. Girls who experienced precocious puberty generally got less sleep (less than 1,329 hours) and went to bed later (1,576 hours) compared to other girls with normal sleep patterns.

Girls who experience early puberty have gone through a period of 3.5 years of severe sleep deprivation, while boys have longer sleep durations. Therefore, parents should advise their children, especially girls, to maintain sufficient sleep and go to bed early to avoid early puberty (which will affect their mental and physical development later in life).

MAI VAN BON

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngu-it-va-ngu-tre-de-day-thi-som-20250820225936416.htm