A full night's rest is often difficult for children to achieve.

With school, homework, extracurricular activities, family, television, friends, and video games all vying for the child's time each day, the average child rarely gets enough sleep.

Children need much more sleep than adults do.

For young people, sleep is an important time when proper growth and development take place.

During sleep, growth hormones are released which are a critical part of healthy physical and mental development.

This natural process is disrupted in children who fail to get adequate rest on a daily basis.

A child's behavior is a common barometer of whether she has had enough sleep.

Crankiness, difficult behavior, inability to concentrate or remember things, and uncooperativeness are frequently signs of inadequate rest.

Parents can help a child get enough sleep by making an effort to cut back on the number of activities in her busy day, and building in a winding-down hour before bedtime.