Children are not getting enough hours sleep at night

Children are not getting enough sleep at night, according to a parental survey which finds youngsters are getting less than recommended guidelines.

According to the Sleep Foundation, children aged from 6 to 13 years of age should be getting a minimum of 9 hours sleep at night.

But a quarter of parents with children in this age group admit their youngsters don’t get this with the average child getting just seven and a half hours.

Taking too long to settle, waking up during the night and noise and disturbances in the neighbourhood were the key reasons

The poll from www.hillarys.co.uk, found the effects of too little sleep left children grumpy and affected their concentration and focus at school.

Spokesperson for www.hillarys.co.uk, Emma Gillings said: “Many parents may not realise just how much sleep their children need – the standard 8 hours for adults does not apply to children. Clearly, the children and the parents all suffer from a lack of sleep and this could actually have lasting effects, such as with their school work.

“Keeping a calm and relaxed bedtime routine is essential to making sure your child gets a good night of sleep. It might be easier said than done, but it’s worth sticking to. Simple common-sense things, like making sure the room is the right temperature, removing stimuli like tablets or phones and making sure there is as little light as possible in the room, can make a real difference.”