Sleep Disorders In Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)!

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurological condition characterized by inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity.

Sleep disorders are uncontrolled in children who have ADHD.

Sleep disorders can be a symptom of a disorder such as ADHD, anxiety disorders, depression, a side effect of medication, induced lifestyle such as caffeine, alcohol, obesity, or a primary sleep disorder.

Whether obstructive sleep apnea can cause ADHD and learning disorders? During sleep, your throat muscles relax causing snoring.

In obstructive sleep apnea, your breathing stops between snoring. Therefore oxygen to the brain is reduced and disrupts the sleep cycle. The condition causes hypertension, depression, heart problems, and brain damage in adults.

In children, obstructive sleep apnea has effects on physical growth, development and respiration. Neurocognitive deficit also occurs in children with sleep related breathing disorder.

Therefore impairments in verbal and non-verbal intelligence, psychomotor efficiency, memory, concentration and psychosocial functioning occur. Symptoms of impulsivity, distractibility and hyperactivity which are similar to ADHD are reported.

The common cause of sleep related disordered breathing in children is upper airway obstruction. Due to this problem, snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea are resulted.

Snoring is reported as common childhood problem. Take your child to the sleep specialist to conduct a test to identify the risk factors and sleep disorders.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the treatment which improves the condition of sleep apnea. Obesity is the risk factor for sleep related breathing disorders.

Lack of sleep can result in mood changes, inattention, decreased motivation, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior and impulsivity. These symptoms overlap with those commonly associated with ADHD.

Several days of sleep deprivation can lead to development of ADHD symptoms and child’s hyperactivity levels increased with each night of poor sleep.

Television can have great effect on children. ADHD children are often hypersensitive to problems and conflicts and tend to worry about incidents in the programs.

Some experts say that medications can cause sleep disorders in children with ADHD. But, large percentage of children with ADHD who are not on medications also exhibit sleep disorders.

Sleep problems associated with ADHD:

• Sleep apnea
• Restless leg syndrome
• Bedwetting
• Night awakenings
• Snoring
• Difficulty falling asleep and relaxing
• Restlessness

Helping ADHD child:

• Developing good sleep habits and rituals solve sleep disorders.
• Teach your child with ADHD how to self calm fall asleep.
• Use techniques like breathing, relaxation and self hypnosis to teach children how to train themselves to fall asleep.
• Medications which are stimulant can interfere with sleep. You should not give the medication too late in the day.
• Exercise during daytime is important to prevent sleep disorders.
• Avoid beverages and caffeine before three to four hours before bedtime.
• Video games before bedtime is a huge distraction to the ADHD child so try to wind up and limit the physical activity three to four hours before bedtime.