The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) today launched a major five-year educational initiative to reach young children their parents, teachers, and health care providers with the message that adequate nighttime sleep at least nine hours each night is important to their health, performance, and safety.
At a press conference attended by Garfield the Cat, three Garfield sleep contest winners, 80 D.C. elementary school children, and others, NHLBI Director Dr. Claude Lenfant announced that the campaign is bringing together national and local organizations concerned about children's health and education to implement educational strategies to create greater public awareness of the importance of sleep for young children. The goal is to instill in children - and the adults who most influence them - the understanding that sleep is important to doing your best in whatever you do, including school activities, sports and other extracurricular activities, and good family relationships and friendships.
According to Lenfant, "We want young children to understand that they need at least nine hours of restful sleep each night and to establish a good night's sleep as a lifelong habit. Adequate sleep is associated with good health and performance, as well as fewer accidents, an even more critical issue when children reach adolescence and need to be aware of the dangers of drowsy driving."
Lenfant also announced that Garfield creator Jim Davis and his studio, PAWS, Inc., are co-sponsoring this initiative. "Garfield has tremendous appeal to people of all ages, and messages from Garfield about the importance of sleep should have particular resonance for young children, as well as their parents," he said.
Sleep problems are estimated to affect about 70 million Americans of every age, race, and socioeconomic level, and there is a growing body of scientific evidence showing that inadequate sleep results in tiredness, difficul
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Contact: NHLBI Communications Office
sommere@nih.gov
301-496-4236
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
26-Feb-2001