{"id":5474,"date":"2020-04-17T12:05:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T10:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disturbmenot.co\/?p=5474"},"modified":"2021-05-01T15:37:36","modified_gmt":"2021-05-01T13:37:36","slug":"adhd-and-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disturbmenot.co\/adhd-and-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"ADHD and Sleep Issues: How Closely Are They Related?"},"content":{"rendered":"
As attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (<\/span>ADHD<\/span><\/a>) becomes more prevalent than was first believed, it becomes essential to know the symptoms. Hyperactive children classified as bad, naughty, lazy, or even violent usually remain undiagnosed for a long time. <\/span>ADHD and sleep<\/span> issues may not only be related, but one might mask the symptoms of the other, making it unclear if the child should be brought to a specialist.<\/span><\/p>\n The previous, outdated name, attention deficit disorder (ADD)\u2014with symptoms such as disorganization, lack of focus, and forgetfulness\u2014has been replaced by the official term ADHD. Today, there\u2019s no difference between <\/span>ADHD vs. ADD<\/span>; there\u2019s only ADHD. However, sleep problems are also common in children with other developmental disorders, such as <\/span>autism<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Even Hippocrates identified ADHD as a condition. He described patients who had accelerated responses to sensory perceptions but with little consistency, as their emotions would quickly transition into another state. However, Hippocrates attributed this to \u201cthe supremacy of fire over water.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Today, ADHD is defined as a neurodevelopmental disease that affects about 5% of people, both children and adults. The affected children experienc\u0435 inattention, hyperactivity, forgetfulness, poor impulse control, or impulsivity. Furthermore, <\/span>ADHD and sleep problems<\/span> often go together.<\/span><\/p>\n Children with ADHD seem to not listen, make trouble more often, have difficulty keeping their attention on single tasks, struggle following instructions, avoid mental effort for an extended period, lose things, and become easily distracted, which can lead to forgetfulness.<\/span><\/p>\n Official data show that ADHD can affect 3%\u20134% of children in early school age, but sometimes the symptoms appear much earlier. When we\u2019re talking about <\/span>ADHD, insomnia<\/span> could be a single symptom. Usually, among the first symptoms are pronounced impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and an inability to concentrate or show control.<\/span><\/p>\n The condition is more common in boys than in girls. Since boys usually exert more wild behavior, this is the reason the diagnosis is sometimes delayed. With <\/span>ADHD, trouble sleeping<\/span> can also include inadequate and unregulated sleep, irritability and excessive impulsivity, hypersensitivity to stimuli, and intolerance to noise, light, and temperature changes.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s assumed that <\/span>ADHD in children<\/span> has a familial etiology and neurological mechanisms. These are associated with a developmental delay in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, as well as the accelerated development of the motor cortex. This entirely coincides with the main symptoms of ADHD, hyperactivity and attention deficiency, and can probably explain why those with ADHD also have insomnia.<\/span><\/p>\n Usually, parents start to see the first <\/span>symptoms of ADHD<\/span> when their children reach school. These symptoms aren\u2019t the result of low intelligence in the children, but rather of their inability to work and keep their concentration. Secondary symptoms include struggles with memorization due to a lack of attention, trouble regulating emotions, and poor self-control. These can lead to problems with communication and understanding, as well as complicated relationships with family and peers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ADHD and sleep disorders<\/span> are another category of symptoms. Last but not least, children with ADHD experience a lack of confidence and a constant feeling of failure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ADHD is a chronic disease, and between 10% and 60% of affected children continue to exhibit symptoms as adults. <\/span>ADHD symptoms in adults<\/span>, however, can be mild. Interestingly, the prolonged course of <\/span>ADHD and sleep problems in adults<\/span> can continue.<\/span><\/p>\n Proper, timely diagnosis and effective treatment will allow your child to be happy and develop their potential at school and in life. Conversely, undiagnosed and untreated conditions may lead to lower adaptability to different social environments, as well as dysfunctional relationships, less success in school, and risky behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n Sleep disorders and ADHD<\/span> are linked in both children and adults. In recent years, many parents have reported that their children with ADHD also suffer sleep problems, but<\/span> few studies<\/span><\/a> have examined the possible link between them. Most of these sleep disorders include <\/span>insomnia<\/span>, <\/span>sleep deprivation<\/span>, <\/span>bruxism<\/span>, restless legs syndrome, <\/span>obstructive sleep apnea<\/span>, <\/span>somnambulism<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>circadian rhythm disorders<\/span><\/a>, etc. As a note on <\/span>ADHD and sleep patterns<\/span>, children are more likely to experience night terrors than adults.<\/span><\/p>\n It was demonstrated that there\u2019s also a behavioral component. As such, there may be <\/span>mental symptoms<\/span>, such as anxiety or <\/span>depression<\/span>, that can disturb sleep. Sometimes, there are no real problems with sleep other than a refusal to sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Children with ADHD often have trouble falling asleep, and when they do sleep, they move around a lot\u2014walking, talking, etc. The time it takes a child to fall asleep varies from two to three hours for a child with ADHD to only about 40 minutes for a child without the condition.<\/span><\/p>\n Sleep problems can be related to ADHD in one of four ways:<\/span><\/p>\n More than 25% of all children, especially those with ADHD, will develop a <\/span>sleeping disorder<\/span> at some point. They have a significant but diverse impact on family dynamics, school success, and other health issues. The most common sleep disorders are the following:<\/span><\/p>\n The symptoms caused by a specific <\/span>sleep disorder and ADHD<\/span> could be associated with restless legs syndrome. The symptoms include unpleasant sensations like the feeling of bugs crawling on the skin. All these sensations are relieved by physically moving the limbs. This phenomenon is worse in the evening or at night and involves an overwhelming desire to move.<\/span><\/p>\n Studies<\/span><\/a> show that up to 44% of people with ADHD have this syndrome, indicating that the amount of movement at night is strongly related to the degree of hyperactivity during the day. <\/span>ADHD and<\/span> the <\/span>sleep deprivation<\/span> associated with this syndrome can negatively impact a child\u2019s quality of life.<\/span><\/p>\n Children with ADHD may have difficulty breathing at night, ranging from light <\/span>snoring<\/span> to complete <\/span>sleep apnea<\/span>. The underlying <\/span>causes of ADHD<\/span> could be the following:<\/span><\/p>\n The relationship between respiratory disorders associated with a drop in oxygen levels in the blood and hyperactivity has not been established in children who have <\/span>ADHD and sleep apnea<\/span>. However, <\/span>one study suggests that<\/span><\/a> ADHD can be removed in 81% of children if their snoring is effectively treated. Typically, <\/span>snoring<\/span> occurs in up to a third of children with ADHD, compared to only 10% of controls.<\/span><\/p>\n Again, children with these sleep difficulties are seldom overly sleepy. Instead, they will experience dizziness, sweating, developmental delays, and learning or behavior difficulties.<\/span><\/p>\n As we mentioned above, many parents of children with ADHD report that their child struggles at bedtime or has trouble sleeping. <\/span>A new study<\/span><\/a> by the <\/span>American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry<\/span><\/a> suggests that the problem may be related to the child\u2019s \u201cinternal clock,\u201d which determines the time the child falls asleep each night.<\/span><\/p>\n When reviewing the available medical literature, trends in the data suggest that some sleep disorders may be more common in children with ADHD. In the case of <\/span>ADHD, toddler sleep<\/span> will often be disrupted. However, most studies show no difference in total sleep time or the time it takes to fall asleep when comparing unmedicated ADHD children to non-ADHD children. At the same time, these observations were made:<\/span><\/p>\n Since sleep problems have been shown to contribute to or exacerbate the difficulties in children with ADHD, most specialists state that treating sleep disorders in children can lead to improvements in their behavior. <\/span>Studies<\/span><\/a> show that sleep affects the parts of the brain that control thinking, decision making, and impulsivity, which are all thought to be impaired in children with ADHD.<\/span><\/p>\n Sleep and ADHD<\/span> are connected unquestionably, and untreated ADHD leads to significant impairment in interpersonal, occupational, and cognitive domains, including IQ scores and test scores that are lower than controls. Therefore, it\u2019s essential for children experiencing inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity to be evaluated for ADHD, as well as sleep disorders, when appropriate.<\/span><\/p>\nIs ADHD a Disability?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Can Lack of Sleep Cause ADHD Symptoms?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Sleep Problems and ADHD<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Restless Legs Syndrome<\/b><\/h3>\n
Snoring, Sleep Apnea, and Hyperactivity<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Does Lack of Sleep Make ADHD Worse?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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What Are the <\/b>ADHD Sleep Medication<\/b> Options?<\/b><\/h2>\n