Parents concerned about ADHD should not only be attentive to the AMOUNT of sleep their child receives but also to their QUALITY of sleep.
A medical study highlighted in the NY Times revealed that children with sleep breathing disorders were 40 to 100 times more likely to exhibit behavioral problems like ADHD.
Sleep medicine is one of the fastest growing fields in health care today and researchers are discovering new health implications from poor quality sleep in nearly every field of medicine. With recent discoveries into sleeps’ implications, health care providers of all specialties are beginning to view sleep on the same level as nutrition as a component to good health.
In the medical study, one of the study’s lead authors said, “It’s incredible that we don’t screen for sleep problems the way we screen for vision and hearing problems.”
Children with sleep apnea and even milder forms of sleep breathing disorders (SBD) are not likely to “outgrow” their condition as they mature. In fact, it will likely become worse. Poor quality sleep due to sleep breathing disorders has been proven to increase calorie consumption (study) and weight gain which is correlated with increased risk of sleep breathing disorders. The weight of excess tissues around the neck causes the airway to narrow or collapse. The problem begins to spiral out of control in this manner:
Poor sleep –> Increased calorie consumption –> Weight gain –> Occluded airway during sleep (apnea or SBD) –> Poor sleep…….
The article reveals that the drugs used to treat ADHD, like Ritalin, Adderall or Concerta, can cause insomnia. Dr. Vernon Rowe, board certified neurologist and sleep medicine physician Rowe Neurology Institute has long contended that children who snore or experience poor sleep become wired, not tired. “Unfortunately, you can add kids with ADHD to a long list where medical professionals, by using drugs to treat symptoms, may be doing more harm than good because they are not addressing the root cause of the problem.”
As the medical director at the Institute’s Sleep Disorder Center, Dr. Rowe recorded this video message for parents who are concerned with their child’s sleep and or behavior.
Dr. Rowe recorded this video message for parents who are concerned with their child’s sleep and or behavior.