This Reuters Health article by Anne Harding reporting on a study in the November edition of Obesity, states that exercise may reduce snoring in overweight children, even if no weight loss results.

 

Besides annoying others, according to the article, snoring is linked to poor sleep quality “which can lead to learning and behavioral problems that are often mistaken for disorders such as ADHD, Dr. Catherine L. Davis of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta noted in an interview with Reuters Health.”

 

 

Dr Davis indicated that prescribing stimulant ADHD drugs like Ritalin only makes things worse.

 

Previous studies have indicated that lack of sleep may be linked to obesity.  So it may be a vicious circle.  Overweight kids snore and get poor sleep quality and poor sleep quality leads to obesity.

 

The message here is clear for parents.  If your kids are poor sleepers and if they snore, an exercise program is in order.  And let’s face it, even if your children don’t have sleep or weight issues, exercise confers so many other benefits that you should be encouraging an active exercise program for your children in any event.