Children in ADHD often also have sleep disorders, such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea, and trouble sleeping at night can double up on the effects of ADHD. Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder where a person may find it hard to breathe at night, leading to trouble sleeping, increased tiredness during the day, and periods of low oxygen throughout the night. In children, this can lead to symptoms similar to those described of kids with ADHD: emotional dysregulation, cognitive deficits, and behavioral issues. Sometimes these symptoms are not seen as indicative of a sleep disorder in kids with ADHD, and some may go undiagnosed.
It is well known that a percentage of children of ADHD also have some sort of sleep disorder, and this research aimed to get a more concrete statistic and also classify which sleep disorders appear to be the most common. After assessing over 600 kids with ADHD, it was found that 70% had a sleep disorder of some sort! The most common sleep disorders, were insomnia (40.2%) and obstructive sleep apnea (23.4%). Factors like ADHD subtype, sleep-related behaviors, and comorbidities (having other disorders/conditions as well), appear to be associated with sleep problems.
Because poor sleep is known to negatively affect behavior, mood, and learning, it is important to recognize how common sleep disorders are in kids with ADHD. These researchers advocate for routine sleep screenings and appropriate sleep interventions to help kids with ADHD sleep better at a young age!
If you want to read more, click here!
Thank you!
Afrah Rafi
UConn KIDS Research Assistant