South Yorkshire kids 'struggling to cope in school' because of lack of sleep
Children here are missing out on 570 hours of sleep every school year
New figures show children in South Yorkshire are finding it hard to concentrate in school because they are not getting enough sleep.
According to a new survey, kids in Sheffield are sleeping for 3 hours less than the recommended amount each night - meaning three quarters find it hard to focus in class.
Vicki Dawson works at The Children's Sleep Charity, based in Doncaster. She says problems sleeping can have a 'massive impact' on school:
"One of the main signs of sleep deprivation is hyperactivity which makes it really difficult to concentrate.
"There are many factors that can affect sleep. Electronic devices can have a big impact, but also lifestyles nowadays tend to be more hectic, for example lots of children attend after school clubs, and we see a lot more children with higher levels of anxiety than we maybe would have seen in the past. All these things can contribute to lack of sleep."
Clare Early's son suffered with sleep deprivation when he was younger. She says this can have an impact on the whole family:
"My son didn't use to sleep at all. He has very severe disabilities, so when he was younger I used to visit the doctor about it but they used to brush it off and say children with disabilities don't sleep, so I just carried on without sleep for about 8 years.
"It affected the whole family, my eldest son was nearly diagnosed with ADHD because he was acting like a Tasmanian devil, he was on the go all the time - but it was because he wasn't getting enough sleep like the rest of us."