IF YOU are sleep deprived

— getting less than seven hours’ sleep a night — you’re more likely to be irritable towards your partner, research at Ohio State University has revealed.

It seems to me that while we understand that sleep deprivation in small children is closely linked to their behaviour, we have often failed to make the same connection in adults.

how many times have you heard someone say of a toddler throwing a tantrum that they must be tired — yet how many times have we forgiven a partner for being tetchy by assuming the same?

I wonder what it could do for relationships up and down the country if, instead of sitting up for hours watching TV, we all made sure we got a decent night’s sleep?