Parent reports of sleep disturbances in stimulant-medicated children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

In a study of the severity of sleep disturbances in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who are taking stimulant medication, parents of 20 children diagnosed as having ADHD and on medication, 20 unmedicated children with some other psychiatric diagnosis (OPD), and 20 nonclinical control children responded to a 40-question structured interview to report the frequency of their children's sleep disturbances occurring during a 1-month interval. Parents of children in the ADHD group reported significantly more problems than parents of children in the other groups on variables within all three categories of behaviors: (a) settling and going to sleep, (b) disruptions during sleep, and (c) morning activities. From 25% to 50% of these parents reported very frequent difficulties in their children settling and going to sleep. These findings indicate that monitoring sleep-related behaviors and providing adjunctive therapies for sleep-related disturbances would be beneficial for many families with ADHD children who are taking stimulant medication.

The effect of OROS methylphenidate on the sleep of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

“…Earlier studies that investigated the effects of stimulants on sleep have produced mixed results. Several studies reported a substantial number of complaints of sleep disturbance associated with single or multiple daily doses of MPH (Stein et al, 1996;Day and Abmayr, 1998;Corkum et al, 2008), whereas other studies found no such complaints (Kent et al, 1995). Results of studies using objective measures, including actigraphy and polysomnography, have also been inconsistent.…”

Short Sleep Duration and Behavioral Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Healthy 7- to 8-Year-Old Children

“…8,24,25 Moreover, early school starting hours have been linked with shorter sleep duration and inattentiveness at school. 11 Contrasting findings also exist: longer mother-reported sleep duration was related to behavioral symptoms on Conner's ADHD scale.…”

Excessive Sleepiness in Adolescents and Young Adults: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment Strategies

“…This disorder persists into adolescence and young adulthood in 10% to 60% of affected individuals. 52 The relationship between sleep problems and ADHD in children has been examined in multiple studies, using a number of approaches, [53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66] but similar data in adolescents and adults are largely unavailable. Reviews of clinical complications of ADHD in adolescents include some anecdotal references to sleep disturbances, [67][68][69] but studies of childhood ADHD and sleep are rare and have included small numbers of subjects between 12 and 18 years of age.…”