Most of a child's brain development happens when they are asleep, particularly in the first two years of life, and adequate sleep is believed to support emotional, physical and mental development.
However, research by the British Nutrition Foundation found one in three primary school pupils got less than nine hours’ sleep a night, below the recommended level.
‘We get a huge amount of information about the need for exercise, or for healthy eating, but when it comes to sleep, we don't know a huge amount,’ says Ruth Silverman, neuro development pathway lead at Sussex Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. ‘If we understand why it's important, it becomes easier to make changes to make it better.’
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