| You probably wouldn't think of your hyperactive child | | | | in a different way than adults do. Sometimes their way |
| as being sleepy, but new evidence suggests he could | | | | of showing sleepiness ends up looking a lot like ADHD. |
| be. According to Ronald Chervin, M.D., associate | | | | Sanjay Patel, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at |
| professor of neurology and director of the Sleep | | | | Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, says, |
| Disorders Center at the University of Michigan, a | | | | "Children rarely act sleepy. What happens instead |
| significant number of children may be receiving | | | | often times is that they actually act sort of hyperactive |
| treatment for ADHD when being treated for a sleep | | | | or irritable. You can get kids who look just like they |
| disorder would solve the problem. | | | | have ADHD when the cause is really sleep apnea." |
| Exactly how many isn't known, as the topic hasn't | | | | Why would a sleep-deprived child act this way? Well, it |
| been studied enough. But there's a large enough | | | | could be their way of trying to stay awake. As no |
| minority to make it worth pursuing. | | | | self-respecting child would ever admit to being sleepy, |
| Sleeping without breath | | | | they may instead try to create more stimuli in their |
| Between one and three percent of preschool and | | | | environment by shifting their attention, fidgeting, getting |
| school-aged children suffer from sleep apnea, a | | | | up, or causing a commotion. It's actually consistent with |
| breathing disorder that makes it difficult or even | | | | other observations. Most people wouldn't immediately |
| impossible for a person to sleep and breathe at the | | | | imagine that a stimulant (such as Ritalin) would help |
| same time. When we sleep, the muscles in the upper | | | | someone who is hyperactive, but it does. And why is |
| part of our throat relax, staying open just enough to | | | | that? Well there's some evidence that hyperactive |
| allow air to continue flowing. In people with sleep | | | | children are extra sleepy. |
| apnea, the passage is so narrow that when these | | | | Signs to look for |
| muscles relax, the airway closes completely. Their | | | | So how can you tell if your child is one of the small, yet |
| breathing stops for 10 to 20 seconds or more until their | | | | significant minority whose ADHD-like symptoms are |
| brain senses trouble and wakes them up just enough | | | | caused by a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea? The |
| to start their breathing again. The downside to this is | | | | most important clue is whether the child snores and |
| that the person never gets the restorative sleep their | | | | stops breathing, then suddenly starts again. Also watch |
| body needs because they are constantly being | | | | for labored breathing, a loud snort or gasping noise as |
| awakened. | | | | the child resumes breathing, and strange sleeping |
| Sleep apnea in children is usually caused by enlarged | | | | positions. |
| tonsils and/or adenoids obstructing the child's airway. | | | | Other signs of sleep apnea in children include: |
| The most common and most effective treatment is to | | | | * heavy sweating during sleep |
| remove them. According to the American Academy | | | | * behavior problems |
| of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the | | | | * difficulty waking up |
| primary reason that nearly 400,000 American children | | | | * headaches, especially in the morning |
| have their tonsils and adenoids removed each year is | | | | * irritability |
| to treat sleep apnea. And here's where the ADHD link | | | | * breathing through the mouth |
| comes in: Preliminary research conducted by Chervin | | | | Sleep apnea, whether in children or adults, is a very |
| and his colleagues shows that a good number of | | | | treatable disorder. It's hard to believe, but those who |
| children no longer qualify for a diagnosis of ADHD | | | | suffer from it usually have no idea what goes on while |
| after they have been treated for sleep apnea. | | | | they sleep. By the time they wake up, their body has |
| Sleepy kids | | | | already acted to fix the problem. A few minutes spent |
| The major sign of sleep apnea in adults is excessive | | | | watching for the signs of sleep apnea in your child |
| daytime sleepiness. But sleepiness is very hard to | | | | could mean the difference between a life with good |
| identify in children because they show their sleepiness | | | | quality sleep, and a life without it. |