Children ‘missing out on sleep’
Children questioned for the BBC’s Newsround programme admit video games, mobile phones and the television are keeping them up at night.
The programme sent a questionnaire to 1,000 children aged between nine and 11 at schools across the UK.
Of those, most said they went to bed at about 2130 but a quarter said bedtime was 2200 or later.
Health experts have linked a lack of sleep to problems with concentration, behaviour and school work.
Half of the children who took part in the questionnaire said they were not getting enough sleep and could do with more, the programme-makers say.
A similar number of children said they were staying up to play on computer games or their mobile phones or to watch television.
‘ADHD link’
More than half of the children taking part said they had a television in their bedroom.
Lewis, who is 10 and from Liverpool, told Newsround he shares his bedroom and there are a lot of distractions at bedtime.
"I play on my games. It takes me until 10 o’clock to go to sleep. I am tired in the morning," he said.
For children aged 10, experts recommend at least 10 hours of sleep a night.
Of the children who filled in the questionnaire, 314 out of 1,083 said they went to bed at 2130, 272 said 2100.
A total of 277 said they stayed up until 2200 or later.
Scientists have linked a lack of sleep in children to problems with concentration and schoolwork.
Energy levels can be lower and sleep-deprived children can be irritable or behave badly.
A recent study by academics in Finland suggested a good night’s sleep could reduce hyperactivity and bad behaviour among children.
They said adequate sleep could improve behaviour in healthy children and reduce symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
They said it was estimated that a third of US children do not get enough sleep.
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