A NEW sleep report has revealed that on average Glaswegian children are getting eight hours of sleep per night.

This is three hours less than the recommend 11 hours of sleep that they should be getting in order to help them grow and function effectively at school.

As a result of not getting enough sleep, 78 per cent of children report that they find it difficult to concentrate at school on a regular basis.

The sleep study conducted by Travelodge surveyed 1,500 children aged between eight to 15-years-old. Key findings revealed 45 per cent of young Glaswegians don’t follow a regular bed-time routine. On average Glaswegian children are going to bed at 10.37pm on a school night.

Three quarters (75 per cent) of Glaswegian children surveyed reported that they have not been taught the importance and benefits of sleeping.

Further research findings revealed that 60 per cent of children in Glasgow feel more grown up if they stay up longer. In order to delay going to bed, a quarter of young Glaswegians offer to do household chores such as washing up after dinner.

Over half, (55 per cent) strike up a conversation with their parents so that they can stay up late. Six out of 10 (61 per cent) children in Glasgow regularly argue with their parents about what time they should go to bed.

Interestingly, three out of 10 (30 per cent) parents in Glasgow allow their children to stay up longer on a school night as a reward if they have been good or as a bargaining tool.

The research also revealed that seven out of 10 children in Glasgow are going to bed with at least one smart device such as a mobile phone or tablet. This is detrimental to the quality of sleep children are getting as electronic lights can delay the release of melatonin, disrupting the sleep cycle and making it harder to fall asleep.

A third (33 per cent) of sneaky young Glaswegians also admitted that they regularly pretend to go to sleep and wake up after their parents have gone to bed and play with their smart devices.

Interestingly, the report also revealed that a third (33 per cent) of children in Glasgow stated that they don’t know what happens to their body whilst they are sleeping and are clueless to the core benefits of a good night sleep.

Dr Pat Spungin, child psychologist & family life specialist, said: “There is very little information available to parents about the importance of a good night's sleep. Parents should be concerned about the effects of sleep deprivation on their children, as lack of sleep has a negative effect on a child's mood, concentration and attention. Research also shows that children who are sleep deprived do less well academically, show more problem behaviour and have lower levels of social skills.”

The sleep study also revealed that on average children in Glasgow are dreaming two to three times during the week. The most popular dreams children are having is becoming an astronaut like Tim Peake, a world class footballer like David Beckham, an entrepreneur like Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg and a TV personality such as Dermot O'Leary or Kim Kardashian.

Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswoman, said: “As a family-friendly hotel chain we regularly speak to parents and children to seek their views on how we can enhance their sleep experience whilst staying in one of our 559 Travelodge hotels. A key requirement from children has been to have their own individual bed therefore we have replaced the traditional sofa bed with individual beds across all of our family rooms. The new cozy beds are a big hit with children and provide the perfect launch pad to go to the land of nod and attain a good quality night’s sleep.”

Listed below are Travelodge’s five top tips to help children get a good night sleep:

1. Set a bedtime routine and wakeup time

2. Create routine and set aside time for children to wind down properly

3. Limit screen time – devices should be put away an hour before bedtime

4. Ban devices, TV’s and computers from the bedroom

5. Create a calm environment which is cool, quiet and dark