NSF Survey Shows that American Children may not be Getting Enough Sleep

A recent survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) shows that American children may not be getting enough rest, with results suggesting that electronic devices may be to blame.

For the survey, over 1,100 parents were asked to estimate how many hours their children sleep every night on average, each child being between the ages of six and 17. All of the children were divided into four age groups based on the following-those who were six to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 14 and 15 to 17.

Survey results showed that children typically received lower sleep than the foundation recommended at 10 to 8.5 hours per night. Instead, those ages six to 10 typically got an average of 8.9 hours, while the 11 to 12 and 13 to 14 age groups only received 8.2 and 7.7 hours of sleep, respectively, when the recommended amount is 8.5 hours. Those 15 to 17 only got an average of 7.1 hours a night.

The researchers said they believe that the children's lack of sleep could be due to overuse of electronic devices. In fact, close to 72 percent of the children had at least one kind of electronic device in their bedrooms-ranging from television to video games. The researchers also reported that children who had devices in their bedrooms typically slept an average of half an hour less in comparison to children without any devices in their bedrooms.

"If you look at these gadgets within an hour of bedtime, what happens is melatonin - the brain hormone that puts you to sleep - has been suppressed for the last hour," said Sleep expert, James Maas, via Today. "Now, it's going to take you much longer to go to sleep."

For more information regarding the NSF's "Sleep in America Poll 2014: Sleep in the Modern Family," click here.