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ADHD and Sleep
February 2, 2009 |
Tiredness, difficulty concentrating and irritability, these symptoms can earn kids
the diagnosis of ADHD, but it may be something more.
Dr. Jose Colon is a pediatric neurologist at the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. He says, “There are some studies that have shown that up to fifty percent
of children with ADHD also have a sleep disorder.” When children are identified
with the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD,
sometimes exploring the child’s sleeping habits are overlooked.
For some parents it’s obvious that their children are not sleeping well, but not
always. “Children don’t always speak our language. An adult that has had a bad night’s
sleep, they’re tired and they’ll say, “Ahh, I’m tired.” But kids don’t always yawn.
They don’t always say that "I’m tired." They actually have the opposite, says Dr.
Colon. A sleepy child may be hyperactive, impatient or have problems concentrating
and those are the same symptoms that meet the criteria for ADHD but they could also
be a sign of a sleep disorder.
Dr. Colon adds, “If you have a child that isn’t responding to traditional ADHD medications,
it’s important to take a couple of steps back and make sure that nothing else is
either causing the attention problems or contributing to further problems with attention
hyperactivity and impulse control.”
Physicians suggest that parents should work hand-in-hand with their child’s school
to help recognize the problem or perhaps speak with a specialist like Dr. Colon.
“If there’s a particular problem in school it’s not always enough to say there’s
a problem, try to find out why there’s a problem, try to find out what the exact
problem is.”
If your child is showing the signs of ADHD or is diagnosed with it, a sleep assessment
should be included as part of the overall picture.
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