Among those aged five to 12, 45% had a problem with sleep patterns compared with 37% of those between 13 and 17

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Almost half of school-age children in Australia have problems with their sleeping patterns, according to a new survey.

The findings, released on Wednesday from researchers at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, analysed the answers of a nationally representative sample of 1,654 parents who were asked about the sleeping habits and behaviours of their children, aged between five and 17 years.