With a steady rise in ADHD diagnoses, experts warn that ADHD may be a sleep-related issue for many children. Especially in this era of technology with children having access to their phones, computers, and iPads into the wee morning hours, sleep is a bigger issue than ever.
ADHD and Sleep
Pediatric ADHD and sleep experts at UT Southwestern’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute say that “when adults don’t get enough sleep, they’ll appear sleepy, children don’t do that.” Dr. Syed Naqvi says that children “show ADHD-like behaviors instead, they are hyperactive or inattentive.”
Dr. Naqvi addresses sleep issues with his patients for improved behaviors when children get more and better quality sleep. Many ADHD medications can make it extra difficult for children to sleep making their symptoms worse during the day due to daytime tiredness.
DIY Takeaway: Make sure your child is getting enough (at least 8 hours) and good quality, uninterrupted sleep. The best way to ensure this is to take their electronics away a night.
ADHD Diagnoses and Medications
Dr. Preston Wiles, ADHD expert at the same Brain Institute, says that the stark rise in ADHD diagnoses is “concerning” He believes the rise is in part due to the lack of qualified professionals who take the time to perform a comprehensive assessment and understand the child’s behaviors and what they mean. “Pills can be a poor substitute for taking the time to truly understand what is going on with behavior,” Dr. Wiles says.
ADHD has been proven to be a neurodevelopmental brain pattern that can be seen on qEEG Brain Mapping. With these advances in science and technology, there should be no question if a child has ADHD or not. It can easily be seen.
DIY Takeaway: Find a qualified professional who knows what to look for in a child’s brain pattern and then knows how to improve it.
Recent research studies prove the relationship between sleep deprivation and increased ADHD symptoms. Check out the New Research on the Complex Interaction of Sleep and ADHD. A studies that shows that the brain pattern of sleep deprivation adds to the brain pattern for ADHD to create a cumulative effect. This effect makes symptoms worse, much worse in some cases. Thus, by improving sleep and the brain pattern for ADHD symptoms improve, many times significantly. ADHD and sleep are intertwined and should be addressed together for best results in improving behavior, productivity and relationships. Our brain-based neurofeedback therapy works as a non-medical solution to many of ADHD’s worst symptoms.