The suggestion by sleep experts that children should be taught in school about the importance of a good night's sleep, has won the support of the people in London.

Dr Chris Idzikowski from the Edinburgh Sleep Centre and other experts in the field say, children should be taught the value of good quality sleep in school, with just the same emphasis as given to teaching them about healthy food and exercise.

Currently, teaching anything about sleep is not a requirement for schools, as it has not appeared on the curriculum, yet. Even so, the people of London have been extremely supportive of promoting the importance of a good night's sleep.

Six out of 10-Londoners i. e 62% believe sleep should be included in the National Curriculum.

Around eight out of 10-people i. e 83% believe for child to do well at school, it is important he or she gets good sleep every night, while around two-thirds or 68%)are concerned about the amount of quality of sleep their child is getting.

Independent sleep consultant Dr Neil Stanley said: 'Sleep is a basic and fundamental human requirement and is vitally important for good physical, mental and emotional health. It''s crucial for memory, learning and growth which means that it is necessary for children to get enough sleep.'

According to Dr Chris Idzikowski, while childen are taught about nutrition and regular exercise is made a regular part of their weekly activities, we barely touch upon the third critical ingredient for a healthy lifestyle i. e. sleep.

Only 9% of parents say they have received advice about the benefits of good sleep for children from their teachers, with only 5% of them receiving sleep advice in their own school days.

A group of doctors and specialists advise teaching youngsters the value of sleep, arguing it is a basic human requirement, and extremely essential for remaining physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. They say poor sleeping habits during childhood spell a variety of health problems in later life.

A survey commissioned by the Sleep Council of over 2,000-adults revealed almost half the parents of children under 5, were not a three-year-old required 12-hours' sleep, a third didn't know 6 to 12-year olds needed 10-hours.

The Sleep Council raising awareness about the importance of sleep, has launched a petition on the 10 Downing Street website asking parents to support calls for the subject to be taught in schools, including publishing a new guide for parents called 'The Goodnight Guide for Children'.