Sufficient sleep can halve the risk of myopia

my country is a country with a high incidence of myopia in the world. The incidence of myopia among teenagers is very high, which affects their study and life to varying degrees. Recently, a joint research team from Shenzhen University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Potsdam in Germany conducted a study showing that adequate sleep, proper physical activity and limited screen time can significantly reduce the risk of myopia in school-age children. The research results were recently published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.

The research team took 1,423 Chinese school-age children aged 5 to 13 as the subjects, and conducted a questionnaire survey of their parents to understand their sleep, physical activity and screen time. They also analyzed the relationship between these and the risk of myopia in school-age children based on Canada's 24-hour movement behavior guidelines.

The results showed that the proportion of children who met all the guidelines was relatively low, with 32.46% of children suffering from myopia. Among them, the risk of myopia in girls was 30% higher than that in boys; the risk of myopia in children whose parents did not have myopia was reduced by 55%; compared with children living in rural areas, the risk of myopia in children living in cities or towns increased by 83% and 60%, respectively. Children who met the sleep time guidelines in the guidelines had a significantly reduced risk of myopia of 50%; children who met the sleep time + screen time guidelines had a significantly reduced risk of myopia of 53%; and children who met the sleep time + screen time + physical activity guidelines had a significantly reduced risk of myopia of 60%.

Researchers said that adhering to the three guiding principles of the guidelines, namely ensuring adequate sleep, engaging in appropriate physical activity (including sports) and effectively limiting screen time, is important for preventing the occurrence of myopia in school-age children.

Author: Ning Weixia