Sleep disorders and daytime sleepiness in children with attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder.
OBJECTIVE
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD), in spite of being hyperactive, still benefit from treatment with stimulant medications. We hypothesized that children with ADHD are in fact sleepy during the day, and we sought to test it objectively.


METHODS
Single blind comparative study


METHODS
University medical center


METHODS
Thirty-four children with a previous diagnosis of ADHD (mean age +/- SD, 12.4 +/- 4.6 years) and 32 matched controls (mean age, 12.0 +/- 3.6 years).


METHODS
N/A.


METHODS
All participants underwent a full-night polysomnographic study followed by a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT).


RESULTS
Sleep latency, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency were comparable between the groups, yet children with ADHD were significantly sleepier during the day than those in the control group (mean MSLT score of 21.9 +/- 5.5 minutes versus 27.9 +/- 2.0 minutes, P < .005). Of the children with ADHD, 17 (50%) had signs of sleep-disordered breathing, compared with 7 of the control group (22%, P < .05). Five of the ADHD group had periodic limb movements during sleep (15%) versus none in the control group. Children without sleep-disordered breathing or periodic limb movements during sleep had the lowest nocturnal sleep efficiency and total sleep time.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that children with ADHD demonstrate objective daytime somnolence, which may explain the beneficial effects of treatment with stimulant medications. Primary sleep disorders, especially sleep-disordered breathing and periodic limb movement disorder, should be looked for in children with ADHD.
Golan
Natali
N
Sleep Laboratory, Rambam Medical Center and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Shahar
Eli
E
Ravid
Sarit
S
Pillar
Giora
G
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017286:Polysomnography; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000453:epidemiology; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008774:Methylphenidate