Sri Lanka is facing a rise in sleep-related issues among schoolchildren, with 63% not getting enough sleep, according to Consultant Community Physician Dr. Chiranthika Vithanage.
Speaking at a news conference at the Health Promotion Bureau, she emphasized the importance of sleep for overall health, revealing that 8.2% of students aged 16–17 sleep for only four hours or less.
Dr. Vithanage also noted that sleep deprivation may contribute to accidents, with 6.6% of female students and 16.4% of male students reporting serious motor vehicle injuries or collisions in the past year.
Discussing violence and unintentional injuries, she highlighted that 23.8% of students experienced physical attacks, 6.1% faced sexual harassment, 10.1% were victims of dating violence, 6.9% encountered cyber sexual harassment, and 34.5% were involved in physical fights.
A concerning 47.9% of students reported harm caused by teachers, while 6.1% were forced into sexual activities, with a higher percentage among males in the past 12 months.
