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Program
Aims To Boost
Children's Sleep Time
Excerpt By Sara Kuzmarov, Reuters
Health
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) has launched a new initiative geared toward alerting parents
and children to the importance of adequate sleep for kids.
Most children
do not receive the minimum of 9 hours sleep per night that their
bodies need, the NHLBI warns. Inadequate sleep can result in poor
attention, irritability and fatigue, which may express itself
as hyperactivity in children. A regular sleep routine can help.
``Not getting
enough sleep is a lifestyle issue. We all know that diet and exercise
are important to health and we are trying to make the point that
sleep is just as important,'' said Dr. Carl E. Hunt, director
of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, in an interview
with Reuters Health.
The center,
which is a division of the NHLBI, hopes to alert children between
the ages of 7 and 11 and their parents, teachers and pediatricians
to the benefits of getting a full night's sleep through its Star
Sleeper initiative.
The initiative
includes programs for children and an interactive Web site. NHLBI's
partners in the effort include the American Association of Pediatricians
and the National Association of Elementary School Principals,
among others.
Establishing
a routine with a regular bedtime will help get children to sleep
on time, the NHLBI recommends, particularly at this time of year
as children switch from their summer vacation schedule to their
school routine.
The institute
also says children will be better prepared for sleep if they do
not have a large meal near bedtime, and if they do not have caffeine
less than 6 hours before bedtime. Also, restful activities without
strenuous exercise will help children prepare for a good night's
sleep.
The Star Sleeper
initiative coordinators hope that alerting children to the importance
of sleep will help them retain their good sleeping habits into
adulthood, Sue Rogus of the National Center on Sleep Disorders
Research told Reuters Health.
Information
on the initiative is available at www.nhlbi.nih.gov,
and for children at http://starsleep.nhlbi.nih.gov.
Reference
Source 89
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