A schoolgirl asleep at her desk. Even half an hour less sleep a night can affect children’s ability to learn. Photograph: Getty

Morgan Fichter is a 10-year-old from New Jersey in the US. Her father, Bill, is a police officer on duty until 3am. Her mother, Heather, works part-time, devoting herself to taking Morgan and her brother to their many activities.

Morgan plays football, but her first love is competitive swimming. She is also a violinist in the school orchestra, with two practices and a private lesson each week, on top of the five nights she practises alone. Every night, Heather and Morgan sit down to her homework, then watch the Learning channel.

Morgan has always appeared to be an enthusiastic, well-balanced child. But once she spent a year in the classroom of a very critical teacher, she could no longer unwind at night. Despite a reasonable bedtime of 9.30pm, she would lie awake in frustration until 11.30pm, sometimes midnight.

During the day, she was crabby and prone to crying easily. Occasionally, she fell asleep in class. Heather began to worry why her daughter couldn’t sleep. Was it stress, or hormones?

Concerned about Morgan’s well being, Heather asked the paediatrician about her daughter’s sleeping habits. “He didn’t seem interested,” she ­recalls. “He said, ‘So, she gets tired once in a while. She’ll outgrow it.’”

The opinion of the paediatrician is typical. According to surveys by theNational Sleep Foundation, 90% of American parents think their child is getting enough sleep.

The kids themselves say otherwise: 60% of children in high school report extreme daytime sleepiness. A quarter admit that their grades have dropped because of it. Depending on which study you look at, anywhere from a fifth to a third are falling asleep in class at least once a week. … Continue Reading