Anti-Aging Tip: Keep Kids' Room Ventilated

Okay, I know it seems weird to be talking about kids on the Longevity Blog, but here's the thing: increasing life expectancy in a country involves preventing deaths, especially deaths among young people, kids and babies. I want people to re-think anti-aging to include prevention and researchers just figured out an additional way to reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) that tragically claims lives each year.

Most parents have heard of the "back to sleep" campaign that stresses the importance of making sure babies sleep on their backs to reduce their risk of SIDS. Turns out that having good ventilation in the baby's room can also reduce SIDS risk. Both these steps together represent a substantial drop in SIDS risk.

In a California study published in the October 2008 edition of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine showed that running a fan in an infant's room reduced SIDS risk by 72% and having a window open reduced SIDS risk by 36%. There seems to be a strong connection between good ventilation and SIDS.

So do a good deed for today and forward this information to anyone you can think of with young kids: combining "Back to Sleep" with a fan in the room can greatly reduce SIDS risk.

Must Read: National Institutes of Health’s Back to Sleep Campaign

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