(Marinette, Wis.) - Recognizing May as Better Sleep Month, Bay Area Medical Center launched a "Sleep Well Do Well" program at Lincoln Elementary and Menominee Catholic Central on May 20 and 21 to educated students about the importance of sleep.

Teri Doughty, REEGT, RPST, supervisor of BAMC Sleep Disorders Center, and Ekaterina Timokhina, an UW-Marinette exchange student from Russia, designed the program.

Children learned that they needed at least nine hours of sleep each night for their health, safety and best performance in school. The program also highlighted good sleep habits, appropriate bedtime snacks and activities, and the right bedroom conditions for a good night's sleep. Information was accompanied by fun activities using the Garfield cartoon character and guessing how much sleep animals need.

" The kids were excited in learning that an African elephant needs only three hours of sleep a day, while a brown bat needs as many as 20. They really paid attention and enjoyed the concept," says Doughty.

The lesson ended with the presenters and students singing a bedtime song in Russian.

" This blend of a different culture certainly made the program sound
different and new and got the children acquainted with foreign traditions," says Timokhina.

According to the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, close to 70 million Americans including children are affected by sleep problems.

Inadequate sleep in children can lead to attention difficulties, easy
frustration, difficulty controlling emotions, and interference in a child's
ability to learn and perform well." Parents need to realize the importance of sleep," says Doughty. "Symptoms related to sleep-deprivation are often overlooked or wrongly attributed to
attention-deficit or behavior disorders.

" Watch if your child snores loudly either frequently or always, stops
breathing for brief intervals during sleep, or has trouble staying awake
during the day. Talk to your pediatrician if this occurs."

For more information on the "Sleep Well Do Well" program our sleep
concerns, contact the BAMC Sleep Disorders Center at (715) 735-8070.