According to the Guardian, which analyzed the data from NHS Digital in the UK, the lack of sleep in children is a mounting health crisis across the United Kingdom and beyond. Now, according to the experts, sleeplessness is triggering the obesity, reckless use of social media or gaming before bedtime, and mental health issues, all of which are affecting increasingly more kids and teenagers in the world.
“Sleep issues are a huge problem – it’s a hidden public health crisis. There is a lot of sleep anxiety being diagnosed at the moment; it’s a new area that we are looking at, dealing with more children who have anxiety and it is coming out in sleep issues,” said Rachael Taylor, a consultant at The Sleep Sanctuary, cited by The Guardian.
Also, Mandy Gurney, founder of the Millpond Sleep Clinic in London, said that sleep issues among school-aged children are on the rise, and so are the prescriptions for melatonin supplements.
Lack of sleep in children is turning into a health crisis affecting both kids and teenagers
“We feel that the rise in sleep problems is very much based on anxiety. There is school pressure, peer pressure, social media pressure,” added Gurney.
On the other hand, the technology is also a very potent cause of lack of sleep in children. In this regard, Vicki Dawson the head of the Children’s Sleep Charity, an NHS-funded institution, blames technology for the sleeplessness that affects kids and teenagers across the UK and in the world, as well.
“A good sleep routine is key in supporting a better sleep pattern. Diet can play a role too. We see children and young people who are consuming a lot of sugar and even energy drinks to try to compensate for the sleep deprivation that they are experiencing. This then has an impact on night-time sleep,” also said Vicki Dawson.
Finally, according to Michael Farquhar from the Evelina Children’s hospital, “we have two main epidemics among children. One is obesity, and the other is mental health, and underpinning both of these is sleep,” as he said. “We always thought sleep was a consequence of obesity, but there is an increasing understanding that sleeplessness contributes to obesity,” Farquhar added.
In conclusion, the lack of sleep in children is a mounting health crisis, triggering obesity and mental issues, among others, affecting kids and teenagers worldwide, as reported on The Guardian, based on the latest NHS reports.