Child Behaviour Linked to Lack of Sleep
Behavioural Problems Caused by Sleep Deprivation
Apr 28, 2009
Medical News Today reports (April 28, 2009) that “Children whose average sleep…was shorter than 7.7 hours had a higher hyperactivity and impulsivity score and a higher Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) total score, but similar inattention score than those sleeping for a longer time.”
Sleep Deprivation Growing in Many Countries
Adults and children in many countries are not getting enough sleep; according to Medical News Today, “in the United States a third of children are estimated to suffer from inadequate sleep.”
Experts have hypothesized that not getting a good night’s rest may show up in children as poor behaviour rather than as tiredness. A recent Finnish study suggests that the hypothesis is accurate.
Children’s Sleep Monitored
The researchers at the University of Helsinki and National Institute of Health and Welfare, Finland, studied 280 healthy children aged seven and eight. None of the children in the study had been diagnosed with ADHD or sleep disorders.
Parents were asked to complete questionnaires about the sleeping patterns of their children. They were also asked to keep a log of how long their children slept during a seven-day period.
The children wore devices called actigraphs when they went to bed to measure movement and to keep track of how long they actually rested. Parents typically overestimated the amount of sleep their children were getting when compared with the actigraph figures.
The parents were also asked to assess the behaviour of their offspring, using procedures typical of those used to make an ADHD diagnosis.
Link between ADHD and Lack of Sleep Shown
The study was led by Dr. Juulia Paavonen. She is quoted in a news release as saying: “We were able to show that short sleep duration and sleeping difficulties are related to behavioural symptoms of ADHD.
“The findings suggest that maintaining adequate sleep schedules among children is likely to be important in preventing behavioural symptoms.
“It may well be that inadequate sleep is increasing some of the behavioural problems that have been seen in children with attention deficit disorders.”
More Sleep Studies Needed to Establish Link
Dr. Paavonen said it is important for other studies to be done to confirm her findings.
Meanwhile, sleep expert Neil Stanley, of the University of East Anglia, in the United Kingdom told BBC News: “It has been acknowledged for a while now that there is a lot of commonality between the symptoms of a tired child and the symptoms of a child with ADHD.”
He suggests that much of what has been diagnosed as ADHD may be due to lack of sleep. “Maybe parents should try and get sleep sorted out,” he told the BBC. “If the child is still showing symptoms, then that’s probably the time to look at pharmacological interventions.”
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