Some children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may just be tired. According to research in the journal Pediatrics, some cases of ADHD stems from not getting a good night's rest. One quarter of 5- to 7-year-old children with the disease snored or suffered sleep apnea—a condition where breathing is blocked repeatedly while sleeping. Children who were treated for sleep apnea showed a complete or near complete disappearance of ADHD.
David Gozal, a professor at the University of Louisville, who led the study, also found that children who snored had a milder form of ADHD than those with sleep apnea.
Gozal is worried that children are being treated for ADHD far too quickly. As a consequence, sleep disorders are being overlooked. In fact, too many children are immediately given treatment for ADHD without regard to other treatments that may work more effectively.
