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Press Room
Press Contact
Media are encouraged to contact the NHLBI Communications Office at (301) 496-4236 for:
Interviews with key campaign participants
Copies of the campaign PSA
Additional information about children and sleep
For Kids
Check out our kids section where our Star Sleeper Squad unravels the mysteries of good sleep!
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News Releases
Artwork
Bites and B-roll
Public Service Announcements
Camera-Ready Matte Column
Campaign Backgrounder
About NCSDR
Spokesperson Bio




News Releases

  • New Year's Resolution 2002: Audio News Release (December 28, 2001, 66 seconds)

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Artwork
Download high-resolution images that can be used to accompany articles.

  • PC Users: Right click on the file link and choose "Save Target As..."
  • Mac Users: Click on the file link. Once the image loads in the window, click and hold on the image and select "Download Image to Disk"

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Bites and B-Roll

  • Video news release (VNR) of the Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper Campaign Back to School 2002 initiative (audio & video – 93 seconds)
  • Comments from experts on sleep; campaign partners, parents and kids (audio only – 51 seconds)

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Public Service Announcements
To obtain VHS or Beta copies of the Campaign PSA, please contact the NHLBI Office of Communications at 301-496-4236.

  • 15-second animated PSA:
  • 30-second animated PSA:
  • Print: [camera ready]

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Camera-Ready Matte Column
The following matte column spotlights the need for children to get at least nine hours of sleep each night to perform well in school, sports, and other activities. This column offers parents tips to help get their children to sleep at night, particularly as they prepare to return to school in the fall.

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Campaign Backgrounder

The Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper Campaign

  • The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health launched the Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper Campaign in February 2001, to educate America's children about the importance of adequate nighttime sleep.
  • The Campaign is co-sponsored by Paws, Inc., the creative studio behind Garfield the Cat. Garfield is the Campaign's "spokescat."
  • The goal is to instill in children the understanding that sleep is important at a time when many of the habits affecting their life-long health, well-being, and productivity are being shaped.
  • The message is that at least nine hours of sleep each night is important to doing your best in school, sports, family relationships, friendships – whatever you do.
  • Organizations representing parents, educators, healthcare professionals, and others who have an influence on young children are important partners in this effort.
  • Founding partners were the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Facts About Sleep

  • Sleep problems affect more than 70 million Americans of every age, race, and socioeconomic level.
  • There is a growing body of scientific evidence showing that inadequate sleep results in difficulties with focused attention, irritability, easy frustration, and difficulty modulating impulses and emotions.
  • In children, inadequate sleep may lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, especially in the morning – interfering with a child's ability to pay attention, learn in school, and perform well in after-school activities.
  • Many children with chronic sleep deprivation may not seem sleepy and may even appear to be overactive. Chronic sleep loss in these children may be overlooked or erroneously attributed to hyperactivity or behavior disorders.
  • Children often do not get adequate sleep as a result of involvement in competing nighttime activities such as TV-watching or playing on the computer, poor sleeping environments, or conflicting parental schedules.

The Bottom Line

  • Children ages 7 to 11 require at least nine hours of sleep each night on a regular basis to do their best at whatever they do.

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About NCSDR

The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR), located within the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was established in 1993 to combat a serious public health concern. About 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems; among them, nearly 60 percent have a chronic disorder. Each year, sleep disorders, sleep deprivation, and sleepiness add an estimated $15.9 billion to the national healthcare bill. Additional costs to society for related health problems, lost worker productivity, and accidents have not been calculated. Sleep disorders and disturbances of sleep comprise a broad range of problems, including sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, parasomnia, jet-lag syndrome, and disturbed biological and circadian rhythms.

The Center seeks to fulfill its goal of improving the health of Americans by serving four key functions:

  1. Research
  2. Training
  3. Technology Transfer
  4. Coordination and Advocacy

Research
Sleep disorders span many medical fields, requiring multidisciplinary approaches not only to treatment, but also to basic research. The Center works with neuroscientists, cellular and molecular biologists, geneticists, physiologists, neuropsychiatrists, immunologists, pulmonary specialists, cardiologists, epidemiologists, behavioral scientists, and other experts. Ongoing research is supported by the NIH and other federal agencies.

Training
Training researchers in sleep disorders is rigorous and time-consuming. The Center seeks to support and promote formal training programs on the doctoral and postdoctoral levels. It also plans to expand existing career development paths and create new training programs for scientists in sleep disorders research.

Technology Transfer
The Center seeks to ensure that research results lead to health benefits. It works towards this goal by educating healthcare professionals about sleep disorders and research findings, encouraging medical schools to add sleep disorders to their curricula, working with leading experts to develop clinical guidelines, and sponsoring continuing medical education programs.

Coordination and Advocacy
The Center coordinates the Federal government's efforts on sleep disorders and works closely with other public, private, and nonprofit groups. The Center works to share information among these groups and encourage their cooperation, especially in crosscutting areas. It also seeks to improve communication among scientists, policymakers, and healthcare professionals.

For more information, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/sleep.

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