Less than eight hours sleep 'could lead to problems at school'

Lack of sleep can affect a child's academic ability, the Age reports.

A report by psychologist and sleep researcher Michael Gradisar has revealed kids struggle with complex activities after getting less than eight hours sleep a night.

Dr Gradisar said his findings contradicted previous studies which showed youngsters could tolerate a lack of sleep and still function properly.

He claimed children who had not had a decent night's sleep showed an impaired ability to encode, store and retrieve information, with particular implications for subjects like maths and spelling.

"Kids learn a whole range of different abilities at school and we have shown that some of these abilities are susceptible to sleep loss," Dr Gradisar said.

It was also reported more children than expected displayed signs of problematic sleep, with some students taking almost an hour to drop off.

Elsewhere, the Belfast Telegraph recently reported that a new mattress could be the answer to sleepless nights.

A Vi spring mattress is designed to allow for the perfect alignment of the body.

Classic Bed Company is the UK's premier bed store for ultimate comfort and luxury offering Tempur, Vi Spring, Willis Gambier, French sleigh beds and contemporary beds online