| Children who have symptoms of Attention Deficit | | | | diagnosed with ADHD, and the rest served as a |
| Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) actually may be | | | | control group. The ADHD-diagnosed children had |
| sleep-deprived, according to researchers at the | | | | significantly higher levels of sleepiness during the day |
| Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Sleep | | | | than those in the control group, the researchers found. |
| Laboratory. | | | | Half of the test subjects with ADHD (vs. 22 percent of |
| Doctors should consider that possibility before | | | | the control group) suffered from some degree of |
| prescribing Ritalin and other ADHD drugs, they suggest. | | | | sleep-disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea, which |
| An estimated 8 percent of US children suffer from | | | | is characterized by interruptions in breathing that last 10 |
| ADHD, according to the US Centers for Disease | | | | seconds or more, occurring at least five times per hour |
| Control, and more than half of them are being treated | | | | during sleep. |
| with drugs. | | | | Limb Movement Disorder |
| ADHD is characterized by overalertness and | | | | Fifteen percent (vs. none in the control group) had |
| nervousness, with affected children being fidgety and | | | | Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), which is |
| overstimulated. | | | | relatively uncommon among children. |
| Paradoxically, the use of stimulant medications like | | | | Studies have shown that treatment of these sleep |
| Ritalin seems to be the most effective method for | | | | disorders in children often leads to substantial |
| treating ADHD symptoms in the majority of children. | | | | improvements in behavior and cognitive achievements, |
| Fighting to Stay Awake? | | | | Pillar said, as well as a significant reduction in irritability, |
| Dr. Giora Pillar wondered whether some children | | | | bad moods, anger and fear. |
| diagnosed with ADHD might simply be sleepy. Their | | | | For example, school performance, which is low in |
| excessive motor activity could be a tool to stay alert, | | | | children with sleep apnea, has been found to improve |
| he conjectured, which might explain the effectiveness | | | | markedly following the removal of adenoids and tonsils |
| of stimulants that increase activity in the central | | | | to correct the disorder. |
| nervous system. | | | | Enforce Good Sleeping Habits |
| "Sleepy children, unlike sleepy adults, may demonstrate | | | | The researchers urge parents of hyperactive and |
| hyperactivity and attention-deficit behavior rather than | | | | attention-deficit children diagnosed with sleep disorders |
| excessive daytime sleepiness," Pillar explained. | | | | to have breathing irregularities and limb movements |
| "This theory is supported by parental reports that | | | | treated, to enforce good sleeping habits, and to avoid |
| children, when extremely tired, tend to be cranky, | | | | giving them caffeinated drinks at night. |
| overactive, angry and aggressive," he pointed out. | | | | Only if these steps do not work, they say, should |
| Sleep Apnea | | | | parents consider medication for ADHD. |
| Pillar and colleagues studied 66 children with an | | | | The researchers' findings originally were published in |
| average age of 12. Of these, 34 already had been | | | | the February 2004 issue of the journal Sleep. |