Schools Sleep Survey
Research type
Research Study
Full title
SURVEY TO INVESTIGATE PREVALENCE AND NATURE OF CHILDREN’S SLEEP PROBLEMS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN SHEFFIELD
IRAS ID
367101
Contact name
Heather Elphick
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
BrainTrain Ltd
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Sleep is a restorative process, fundamental to physical and psychological health. The impact of sleep disturbance on children’s health is wide-ranging with sleep deprivation leading to difficulties with mood, psychosocial problems and a detrimental impact on the child’s cognitive ability and learning. Parents of children with sleep difficulties can suffer high levels of stress and anxiety, decreased ability to work or to drive safely, relationship and financial problems. These stresses lead to an increased demand on NHS primary care services and to prescriptions of drugs such as antidepressants.
The prevalence of sleep problems in childhood is thought to be rising, but although surveys have been carried out in Australia and Germany, no data is available from school children in the UK. Survey responses from the Australian and German surveys indicated that around 30-40% children of primary school age had a sleep problem, of which 10% were moderate to severe. The children with more severe problems were more likely to have mental health problems, poorer quality of life and their parents also had mental health problems. These surveys are now over 10 years old and there has been no similar survey of the UK population.
We propose to circulate a survey to primary schools in Sheffield to investigate the prevalence of sleep problems and some associated factors. Sheffield has 133 primary schools that serve 45,700 students for the school year 2024/25. An on-line survey will be distributed to all 133 schools, and parents will be encouraged to complete the survey. We will use these responses to describe the current issues with sleep in children of this age group in Sheffield.
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/PR/0048
Date of REC Opinion
13 Feb 2026
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion