Cart is empty
 |
It might be time for parents of kindergartners to be buzz kills -- literally -- if they want their 5-year-olds to get any shut eye.
Caffeinated drinks are the beverage du jour for the 5- to 7-year-old set, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. And, they're chugging enough caffeine to give adults jitters, the journal says in a release.
Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center surveyed more than 228 kids ages 5 to 12, and found that 5- to 7-year-olds average about 52 milligrams of caffeine a day, the amount equivalent to oneCoca-Cola. Their slightly older peers, the 8- to 12-year-olds spiked those numbers up to the equivalent of three Cokes. And, not surprisingly, the more caffeine they drank, the less they slept.
But the researchers found a bright spot: Caffeine didn't lead to bed-wetting, even though caffeine is a diuretic.
The findings suggest parents should keep a closer eye on caffeine consumption, says William Warzak, of the University of Nebraska and co-author of the study.
"Parents should be aware of the potentially negative influence of caffeine on a child's sleep quality and daily functioning," Warzak says in the release.
The researchers found caffeine-charged beverages were readily available to young kids, according to U.S. News & World Report, with soft drinks serving as the biggest culprit.
In a separate study, researchers found that 14 percent of public elementary school students and 38 percent of private elementary school students can buy sugar-sweetened beverages at school, according to the magazine. That study was published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
Subscribe to Mary Beths Blog at Parentdish.com
Read the full article at Parentdish