Anyone who has had children who reach their teenage years, (or perhaps pre-teen), has probably noticed that their sleep habits change a bit.

This is not to say that as parents we relinquish control, but increased school assignments, social activities, clubs and sports sometimes make both parent and child wish the day was 10 hours longer.

Therefore, even if the reasons stated in this article do not apply, children can become a bit sleep deprived.

Teenagers often get as little as four hours of sleep a night because they secretly play video games or watch TV until the early hours.

One in three secondary school pupils survives on short bursts of “junk sleep” and turns up exhausted for lessons the next day, according to a survey.

The Sleep Council warned that its results showed parents were being too lenient compared to previous generations by failing to impose a strict “lights out”.

I believe this is an age old problem as I can remember many years ago (yes, many) when I was still in school there would be children who had to tough out the day due to lack of rest. I don’t think this problem is something for which only today’s generation of parents should be taken to task.

Teenage years can be a bit rough on parents and children alike. Proper rest is not only beneficial to a childs education but also their overall ability to cope with the day to day peer pressure they face. Parents are the ones who need to grab all the “junk sleep” they can just to keep up with the pace. That study will be for another day I am sure.