Children need better sleep habits

DULUTH, Minn. -- Those parental pleas for children to go to bed can now be delivered with a little extra heft.

Beginning with elementary schools in Duluth, the National Institutes of Health is undertaking a publicity campaign to persuade children to get more sleep.

For years, the NIH has targeted specific groups, including drivers, soldiers and astronauts, with the message that they need solid sleep to be healthy and perform well. Now the message is being brought to children ages 7 to 11.

"Whatever children do, they will do it better if they are well rested," said Carl Hunt, director of NIH's National Center on Sleep Disorders Research.

Hunt said research shows that children who regularly get nine hours of sleep perform better in school, experience better moods, suffer fewer accidents and are less likely to become obese.

Also, sleep-deprived children -- unlike adults -- often act hyperactive, leading to misdiagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Hunt said most children get between seven and eight hours of sleep. The NIH hopes to improve their sleep habits before they become teen-agers, he said.

Research shows that children experience a biological change in their sleep patterns as they enter puberty. They tend to stay up later, which can affect their performance in school.

Hunt said the institute is working with elementary school principals to bring the program into schools nationwide. But he said it is equally important to get pediatricians to spread the message to patients and their parents.

Besides recommending that children get more hours of sleep, the program offers a number of tips on how kids can get better sleep. It suggests not sleeping with a pet in the room, reading before bedtime and avoiding food or soda right before going to sleep.