Singapore's kids aren't getting enough sleep: survey

In today's hustle-and-bustle-filled society, insomnia is unsurprisingly starting young, and it's no different in Singapore.  A survey conducted by final-year Nanyang Technogical University (NTU) students in collaboration with National University Hospital (NUH) revealed that lower primary school children here are not getting enough sleeping hours.  Surveying 307 parents with children aged between six and nine years old, the results showed that children get only eight hours of sleep on weekday, while they get nine to 10 hours of sleep on weekends and holidays, TODAY reports.  This contrasts with the recommended nine to 10 hours of sleep per day for their age group.  More surprisingly is the reaction of the parents — nine in 10 don't feel that their child has a sleep problem, while some other consider it to be mild problem.  They really should be taking more interest in their children's sleeping hours though — the lack of rest will be detrimental on academic performance along with physical and emotional health, says one NUH doctor.  Photo: bill honl via Flickr