Our kids need more sleep

Up to two-thirds of children in the UK are not getting enough sleep and have missed up to 4,500 hours by their seventh birthday.

Research published today also shows a dramatic shift in nightly routines with one in 10 of 500 parents surveyed admitting they had never read their children a bedtime story.

Instead, children are falling asleep to TV shows, computer games or videos, said a Silentnight Beds survey.

One in eight children sleep less than the amount recommended for adults - the figure rising to 25 per cent for children whose parents are out at work.

Professor Jim Horne, of Loughborough University, an expert in sleep deprivation, said: "Bedrooms are changing from places of rest and tranquillity to places where there are lots of things to keep children awake."

Meanwhile, a growing body of scientific evidence indicates sleep deprivation may harm neurological development and affect a child's mental performance, leading to school-related problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.