NIH OFFERS NEW RESOURCES TO
BETTER UNDERSTAND SLEEP
High School Curriculum Joins Garfield Star Sleeper
Campaign As Latest in Materials for Adolescents and
Children
Ask parents about their child’s sleep habits,
and they are likely to respond with a sigh –
or a roll of the eyes. Ask a teenager whether he or
she gets enough sleep, and you’re likely to
hear a resounding No! To help parents and their children
understand and fully appreciate the importance of
sleep, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH)
Office of Science Education and National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute (NHLBI) have developed a new supplemental
curriculum for use in high school biology classes.
“Sleep is as important as physical activity
and healthy eating to our overall health, safety,
and performance,” said Dr. Carl E. Hunt, director
of the NHLBI’s National Center on Sleep Disorders
Research (NCSDR), which coordinates sleep research
and sleep education programs throughout NIH and the
Federal Government. “Inadequate sleep not only
makes us tired, but it can make it difficult to concentrate,
to learn, and to control our impulses and emotions.”
The free curriculum, Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and
Biological Rhythms, which meets National Science
Education Standards, encourages students to explore
the scientific processes of sleep, the importance
of adequate sleep, and the negative consequences of
sleep deprivation. The first step: students keep a
“sleep diary” to study their own sleep
habits and learn about the rhythmic nature of sleepiness.
Reaching youth with messages about the importance of
adequate sleep is an educational priority of the NCSDR.
Experts recommend at least nine hours of sleep per
night for adolescents as well as younger, school-aged
children. Without it, students’ performance
in the classroom and in after school activities can
be impaired, and their risk for sports-related and
other injuries increases. In fact, for teens behind
the wheel, sleep problems can be deadly.
“Young drivers, especially young men, are at
high risk for serious car crashes related to drowsy
driving,” Dr. Hunt notes. “Unfortunately,
many teens regularly sacrifice hours of sleep to accommodate
life’s increasing demands – school work,
jobs, extracurricular activities, and socializing
-- at a time when maturational changes delay the natural
timing of feeling tired in the evening.”
The new curriculum complements existing NCSDR educational
programs and materials for children and adolescents
and their parents, teachers, and healthcare providers.
Among the most popular is the award-winning “Sleep
Well. Do Well Star Sleeper Campaign,” which
is cosponsored by Paws, Inc., and features Garfield
as its “spokescat.” Launched in February
2001, this campaign aims to educate children ages
7 to 11 about the importance of getting at least nine
hours of sleep each night.
Most recently, the Star Sleeper campaign produced educational
materials on sleep for third-grade classrooms. The
materials were produced in collaboration with Time
For Kids, a developer of in-school products that is
part of Time, Inc., and distributed to approximately
44,000 third-grade teachers and the 750,000 students
in their classes. Other educational tools produced
by the campaign include a Garfield Star Sleeper Fun
Pad, filled with games that incorporate healthy sleep
messages and Mission Z, an interactive Web site with
information about the importance of sleep, as well
as tips and resources for parents, teachers, and pediatricians.
A Garfield “Star Sleeper” plush doll dressed
in bunny rabbit slippers and pajamas is also available.
While the high school curriculum and Star Sleeper
campaign materials target youth and their parents
and teachers, a Working Group on Sleepiness and Adolescents,
co-sponsored by the NCSDR and the American Academy
of Pediatrics, will soon release recommendations for
pediatricians on treating sleepiness in adolescents.
- Resources
The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR),
part of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI),
was established in 1993 through a U.S. congressional
mandate to support sleep-related research and educational
programs, and to coordinate related activities among
the NIH, other federal agencies, and nongovernmental
organizations. NIH annually funds more than $197 million
in sleep-related research.
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