London, April 4 (IANS): Is your grown-up child complaining of inadequate sleep and hit the sack during the day? Watch out for his/her late night smart phone or tablet use.

According to a survey, six in 10 British adults are not getting enough sleep and electronic gadgets are to be blamed for this.

Today, 59 percent British adults sleep for seven hours or less a night - compared to 39 percent a year ago, they claimed.

“This is a huge rise and the results are extremely worrying because getting less than seven hours’ sleep a night is below the recommended guidelines,” professor Richard Wiseman from University of Hertfordshire was quoted as saying.

This lack of sleep is associated with a range of problems, including an increased risk of weight gain, diabetes and cancer, he warned.

The rise in the use of smart phones, tablets and other gadgets before going to bed is responsible for this.

“The blue light from these devices suppresses the production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin and so it’s important to avoid them before bedtime,” a Daily Mail report quoted Wiseman as saying.

This also affects the sweetness of your dreams so it is better to avoid gadgets two hour before going to bed, he advised.

The survey was conducted on 2,149 adults.