Does Your Child Have ADHD Or Could It Possibly Be Lack of Sleep?
Posted: Tuesday, April 28, 2009
by Asher Ricard
A new study out of Finland has some interesting finds on the effect of the lack of sleep in children. The study found that children who were lacking sleep tended to behave badly.
I am not sure they really needed a study for this. Spend any time with my kids when they have missed a nap or been burning the midnight oil and it is evident that behavior becomes an issue.
However, this study linked the lack of sleep consequences to the same symptoms showed by children diagnosed with ADHD.
The BBC is reporting that of the 280 examined in the Pediatrics study, those who slept for fewer than eight hours were the most hyperactive.
The team from the University of Helsinki and Finland's National Institute of Health and Welfare found that "There is a lot of commonality between the symptoms of a tired child and the symptoms of a child with ADHD."
Lack of sleep has such a huge effect on kids so much so that often times, kids are misdiagnosed or judged as ADHD or hyper.
I have a friend that refuses to set bedtimes for her kids. She feels they are in the preschool age and does not need such rigid scheduling. Then she is confused when people think they are hyper, she is unable to control them and she receives bad school reports.
The best defense for a healthy child is adequate sleep. This study proves that. I can't imagine how many kids are being misdiagnosed as having ADHD when all they really are is sleep deprived.
Granted, this is only a study of 280 kids, but working in childcare over the years, I have seen this first hand. Kids act out when they are tired. They have trouble sitting still.
The best decision my husband and I ever made was setting a bedtime for our kids. It ensures they get adequate rest. As an extra bonus, it gives us time alone.
I know it is hard when you work to put your kids down early. But as kids, they need their sleep. If getting extra sleep means you don't have to increase or put them on medication, which do you think is more beneficial for your child.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Asher,I have known this for years now. Because I ran my business out of my home, I had to put my kids to bed at 7:30 pm and they slept till 7 the next morning. This went on for years. Neither ever had problems with hyperactivity.The real problem is that many women, who are working outside the home, want to spend time with their kids and are not putting them to bed at a proper time. If the child is up till 10 or 11 and then waking at 6 am (or earlier) to get ready for daycare, that child will be tired.They need more sleep than 7- 8 hours.Thank you for a job well done.I wish all working moms could read this!Nancy
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