Children not getting enough sleep, says study

Thousands of children are not getting enough sleep, according to new research

Results by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) found that one in three primary school pupils and seven in ten secondary school students get fewer than nine hours of sleep a night, which is under the right amount of sleep recommended by the NHS for these ages.

The recommended amount of sleep ranges from 9.5 to 11.5 hours for those in primary school, and nine to 9.5 hours for those in secondary education.

Almost half of primary school students said that, on the night of the survey, they used screens just before bed, which some people think can affect getting a good night's sleep.

Only about one-third of secondary and primary school students said that they felt well rested or wide awake when they woke up, and one in three secondary school students said it took them more than ten minutes to get out of bed after their alarm went off.

Experts think that not getting enough sleep could be affecting not only how children feel, but also the food that they eat.

Why is sleep important?

Sleep helps us to think and maintain our day-to-day health.

The BNF says that not sleeping could have an affect on the way we eat, which is backed up by some previous studies.

A study from King's College London found that sleep-deprived people eat more.

Researchers from the university found that areas of your brain associated with reward become more active when you're tired. In other words, you become more motivated to seek out food.

Dr Lucy Chambers, a senior scientist at the BNF, says a lack of sleep can lead to young people and adults "feeling grumpy and irritable", but regular poor quality sleep can have an impact on diet including "more frequent snacking on less healthy foods".

Research from British Nutrition Foundation survey of around 6,000 children and young people aged six to 16 years old