Night Lights Organization Helps Children Sleep

In a world that may undervalue the importance of sleep, where only 50% of us actually get enough of it, there’s an organization dedicated to promoting the fact that good sleep is essential to good health. Dr. Gary Zammit knows all too well the therapeutic value of getting adequate sleep; it’s his life work.

He is the President and CEO of Clinilabs, a clinical trials organization in New York, and the Sleep Disorders Institute, a diagnostic treatment center for adults and children suffering from a variety of sleep disorders. A widely recognized expert in sleep medicine, he has been the principal investigator in more than 60 Central Nervous System (CNS) clinical trials. Dr. Zammit sees day in and day out how sleep deprivation can affect us and how it can be an obstacle in our healing process. For this reason he has decided to start an organization called Night Lights. And, as the name implies, the Night Lights organization wants to help give comfort, security, and the chance for a good night’s sleep to children recovering from illnesses by providing items that might be missing in the home.

Night Lights is based in New York City and focuses its efforts in the surrounding communities in the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut area. They work with the hospitals and physicians who treat children with illnesses and who have required a hospital stay. When these children are released and brought home to recuperate sometimes there is a lack of an ideal sleep environment. “Children dealing with serious illnesses are already vulnerable to poor sleep due to their medical problems,” according to Dr. Zammit. If you factor in the stress of a hospital stay, the movement from one sleep environment to another, and the psychological stress of coping with recovery at home chances are a restful, healing sleep will be hard to come by.

Night Lights wants to visit the homes of these children to see where they can provide items for the bedroom that could aid in a good night’s sleep. Night Lights will help by providing bedding, pillows, mattresses, pajamas, cribs, and any of the basic comforts that are taken for granted. Sleep can elude even the healthiest person from time to time, but a sick child, with the cards already stacked against them, shouldn’t have to start off without everything necessary to help them get enough rest.

Sleep is so important to our health, and even more so to a child recovering from an illness. Our bodies depend on adequate sleep to enjoy proper brain function and rejuvenate and repair our cells, so we can grow strong, fight off and even cure sickness. Without the ability to get the right amount of sleep our bodies can’t heal.

There are several factors that contribute to a lack of good sleep, as Dr. Gary Zammit can attest to. From complicated nervous system disorders to a lack of very basic necessities, Dr. Zammit knows first hand how a variety of barriers can get in the way of our health and well being by robbing us of our rest. According to Dr. Zammit; cancer, respiratory disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, immune disorders, psychiatric conditions like depression or anxiety or trauma, sleep disorders like sleep apnea, many medications, stress, and situational conditions are just some examples of medical conditions that can disrupt sleep. With regard to the latter, as anyone who’s ever had a hospital stay can confirm, hospitalization itself can be one cause of sleep disturbance.

Sleep is not a luxury; it is a core component in our health and well being as Dr. Zammit is trying to promote with his clinics and with Night Lights. “Sleep is essential to good health, and our goal is to provide good sleep to children who need sleep to heal at a time that they may be most vulnerable to sleep disruption.” Dr. Gary Zammit.

According to a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation the recommended amount of sleep required for kids is more than they actually get.

• Recommended amount of sleep during a 24 hour period for infants (3-11 months) is 14-15 hours; for toddlers, 12-14 hours; preschoolers, 11-13 hours, and school-aged children, 10-11 hours
• The Sleep in America poll shows infants sleep 12.7 hours; toddlers, 11.7 hours; pre-schoolers, 10.4 hours, and school-aged children 9.5 hours.

From this poll it was also discovered that “about one-quarter of infants, toddlers and preschoolers appear sleepy or overtired during the day, according to their parents/caregivers”.

After speaking with Dr. Zammit and his Marketing and Communications Manager, Jeanine Estrada, I was moved by their dedication to this effort. They work hard to try to promote this organization as a philanthropic effort for the community, but they are finding it difficult to identify the children and families to provide these services to. They welcome the names of any children or family who could be in need of these items. It truly is a “Labor of Love” as Dr. Zammit puts it. Sometimes just providing comfort, warmth, or a new pair of pajamas can make a big difference. No child should have to go without the basic necessities for a good night’s sleep. We want to help our children to recover from their illnesses so they can enjoy a happy, healthy and energetic life.

To read more about Dr. Zammit and his work with clinical trials and the treatment of sleep disorders visit http://www.clinilabs.org where you’ll find a wealth of information on company’s background and the services it provides as well as links to the Sleep Disorders Institute website (www.sleepny.com). If you’d like more information on Night Lights you can give Jeanine Estrada a call at 212-981-2716. Jeanine is the Marketing and Communications Manager for Clinilabs, and she can also be reached by email at .