Not Enough Sleep Disruptive for ADHD Kids

By RICK NAUERT PHD Senior News Editor

Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 3, 2011

A sleep deficit of less than one hour of nightly sleep, over the course of six days, can cause children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to be wary and less attentive.  Researchers writing in the journal Sleep discovered that even moderate reductions in sleep duration can affect an ADHD child’s brain and their neurobehavioral functioning, which in turn appears to harm their academic performance.  Investigators discovered that an average nightly sleep loss of about 55 minutes for six nights was associated with deteriorating performance, including inattention, omission, and depressed reaction time in children with attention deficit disorder.

“Moderate sleep restriction leads to a detectable negative impact on the neurobehavioral functioning of children with ADHD and healthy controls, leading to a clinical level of impairment in children with ADHD,” said lead author and principal investigator Reut Gruber, Ph.D.  The National Institute of Mental Health reports that ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders and is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.  To be diagnosed with the disorder, a child must have symptoms for 6 months or more, and to a degree that is greater than that of other children of the same age.

The study involved 43 children, 11 with ADHD and 32 controls.  They had a mean age of about 9 years.  After their baseline sleep was monitored for six nights, children were asked to eliminate one hour of nightly sleep for six consecutive nights by going to sleep one hour later than usual. During the baseline and experimental periods, sleep was monitored at home using an actigraph. This computerized device looks like a wristwatch. Mean nightly sleep time dropped from 487.75 minutes at baseline to 433.07 minutes for the ADHD group, and from 478.81 minutes at baseline to 444.67 minutes for the control group.  “The reduction in sleep duration in our study was modest and similar to the sleep deprivation that might occur in daily life,” Gruber said.  “Thus, even small changes in dinner time, computer time, or staying up to do homework could result in poorer neurobehavioral functioning the following day and affect sustained attention and vigilance, which are essential for optimal academic performance,” Gruber added that the problem of inadequate sleep in students needs to be prioritized and addressed by the educational system.  “An important implication of the present study is that investments in programs that aim to decrease sleep deprivation may lead to
improvements in neurobehavioral functioning and academic performance,” she said.

Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine
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The Disorder Named AD/HD

People are always asking my opinion on the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.  A great site for information is www.help4adhd.com.  The following article is included on that website.  For additional information and support, I encourage families who have loved ones with ADHD to seek information from www.chadd.org.  Better yet, join CHADD as a member for great benefits.  I hope the article below is helpful for everyone.

The Disorder Named AD/HD

Occasionally, we may all have difficulty sitting still, paying attention, or controlling impulsive behavior.  For some people, the problems are so pervasive and persistent that they interfere with their lives across home, academic, social, and work settings.   Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is a common neurobiological condition affecting 5-8 percent of school-age children 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 with symptoms persisting into adulthood in as many as 60 percent of cases (i.e., approximately 4% of adults).  8,9
 It is characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.  Although individuals with this disorder can be very successful in life, without identification and proper treatment, AD/HD may have serious consequences, including school failure, family stress and disruption, depression, problems with relationships, substance abuse, delinquency, risk for accidental injuries, and job failure.  Early identification and treatment are extremely important.  Medical science first documented children exhibiting inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity in 1902.  Since that time, the disorder has been given numerous names, including minimal brain dysfunction, hyperkinetic reaction of childhood, and attention-deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity.  With the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition (DSM-IV) classification system, the disorder has been renamed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or AD/HD.
The current name reflects the disorder’s inattention characteristics, as well as its other characteristics, such as hyperactivity and impulsivity.

The Symptoms

Typically, AD/HD symptoms arise in early childhood, unless associated with some type of brain injury later in life.  Some symptoms persist into adulthood and may pose lifelong challenges.  Although the official diagnostic criteria state that the onset of symptoms must occur before age seven, leading researchers in the field of AD/HD argue that the criterion should be broadened to include onset at any time during childhood.  The symptom-related criteria for the three primary subtypes are adapted from DSM-IV and summarized as follows:

AD/HD predominantly inattentive type: (AD/HD-I)

• Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes.
• Has difficulty sustaining attention.
• Does not appear to listen.
• Struggles to follow through on instructions.
• Has difficulty with organization.
• Avoids or dislikes tasks requiring sustained mental effort.
• Loses things.
• Is easily distracted.
• Is forgetful in daily activities.

AD/HD predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type: 

(AD/HD-HI)
• Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in chair.
• Has difficulty remaining seated.
• Runs about or climbs excessively.
• Difficulty engaging in activities quietly.
• Acts as if driven by a motor.
• Talks excessively.
• Blurts out answers before questions have been completed.
• Difficulty waiting or taking turns.
• Interrupts or intrudes upon others.

AD/HD combined type: (AD/HD-C)

• Individual meets both sets of inattention and hyperactive/impulsive criteria.




For the complete article, go to:  http://www.help4adhd.org/en/about/what/WWK1.

Published on ADDitudeMag.com

Calming Techniques for Adults with ADHD

When everyday hassles like traffic jams or long meetings inflate your ADHD stress levels, use these tips to stay calm and collected.

by Sandy Maynard

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Everyone gets mad sometimes.  Given our penchant for impatience and impulsivity, we adults with attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD) lose our cool more often than most.
Fortunately, I’ve found simple, yet effective, ways to stay calm in the face of everyday hassles, like traffic jams, boring meetings, rude salespeople, parking tickets, long waits for customer service, and so on.

My Lost Luggage

Not long ago, I flew home to Washington, D.C., after a long, exhausting trip. What a relief to be home again, I thought, as I eyed the baggage circulating on the conveyor belt. But relief turned to frustration, and then to anger, as I realized that, no matter how much I wanted my suitcase to materialize, it wasn’t going to. The airline had lost my luggage. Again. I was furious.

As I trudged to customer service, I did just what I tell my clients to do in such situations — I took several slow, deep breaths. I kept on deep-breathing (in through the nostrils and out through the mouth), and managed to be civil as the man behind the counter explained that my suitcase wouldn’t be delivered to my home until after midnight.

I was still fuming when I boarded the Metro train, although I was pleased with myself for not causing a scene at the airport. As I took my seat for the ride home, I thought about how my former client, Richard, would have handled the situation.

Richard is doing well now, but he was a real hothead when he first came to see me. He lost his temper in all sorts of everyday situations, especially those over which he had little control.

Long meetings at work drove him crazy (long-winded boss). Ditto for rush-hour commutes (traffic), long family trips in the car (bickering kids), and discussions with his wife about money (different priorities). Once, while trying to assemble a storage cabinet, he got so frustrated (crummy instructions) that he threw the thing across the room.

Preempting Problems

Richard and I started our work together by identifying ways in which he could exercise at least some control in such situations. He realized that he was more likely to keep his cool on family trips if he got plenty of rest beforehand. Similarly, he found that having a snack before a meeting helped him stay calm, no matter how long his boss droned on. Robert also realized just how vital maintaining his sense of humor was to his well-being. He started collecting Dilbert cartoons, and even added sense of humor to his packing lists.
Richard found breathing exercises especially effective. He got into the habit of taking 10 slow, deep breaths before getting into his car, sitting down for meetings, and so on. The more he practiced this simple technique, the better it worked.

When I finally arrived home, I realized that the key to my apartment was in my still-missing suitcase. Now on the brink of tears, I took yet another deep breath and phoned maintenance, which isn’t known for its speedy service when tenants are locked out. With all the good cheer I could muster, I explained my plight, concluding with, “I’ll be the frazzled-looking lady half passed-out on the lobby sofa.”

The maintenance man laughed. “Hang in there, Sandy,” he said. “I’ll be right over.” And he was.

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This article comes from the February/March 2007 issue of ADDitude.