Many parents struggle with sleep disorders with their ADHD child. Some children will often have insomnia, others may be prone to sleep walking, night terrors, and in studies have shown to get less REM sleep. Sleep apnea is a condition where people snore and may actually even stop breathing while sleeping. It often affects older overweight people, but children certainly get it as well, often being due to excessively large tonsils or adenoids.

Children, like adults, need to get enough sleep in order to be healthy. While most adults will feel sluggish and tired when they do not get enough sleep, many children will actually behave the opposite and act hyperactive throughout the day. However, for many kids it is unknown if sleep disorders cause the behavior to worsen or if it the attention hyperactivity disorder that causes some sleep problems, such as insomnia.

Sleep apnea is typically diagnosed by parents speaking first with their pediatrician and then with a pediatric ears, nose, and throat specialist. (Also known as an ENT). Parents will notice that their child snores excessively or at times while sleeping may even seem as if he or she is gasping for air. An ENT will often have x-rays done of the tonsils and adenoids, as well as possibly refer to have the child monitored by a sleep research center. If it is believed that enlarged tonsils are the culprit, it is likely the tonsils and/or adenoids will be removed. However, there may be other causes for sleep apnea, such as a deviated septum, being overweight, relaxed throat or tongue muscles, and others.

In one study conducted by the University of Michigan, it was found that half of 22 children who exhibited symptoms of ADHD prior to having treatment for their sleep apnea saw improvements in behavior one year later. However, for the other 11 patients there was little to no change in their behavior. Obviously, a much larger sample would be needed in order to conclusively say that there is a link between treating sleep apnea and curing ADHD.

I learned about this study soon after learning that my own son would need to have his tonsils removed because they were excessively large and I was looking for more information about the procedure. I was not surprised when his doctor recommended they be removed, especially because I had my own tonsils removed as a child and so did my mother. (I guess big tonsils runs in our family!) He was diagnosed with ADHD at just three years old and he was 4 years old when they removed his tonsils. I was really hoping that maybe he would start sleeping better at night and that it would have a positive effect on his behavior.

His surgery went very well with no complications, though because of his age and history of sleep apnea they did require we stay overnight at the hospital for observation. While there were no complications, both of us were pretty miserable since he couldn’t do the things he wanted to do (ie: run around and jump around) and I couldn’t keep him occupied enough!

While he no longer had the sleep apnea, by age six he still struggled with insomnia quite a bit. We were able to solve many behavioral problems through changing our parenting techniques and intensive therapy, but still at age six the hyperactivity and distraction were at levels just as high as ever before.

The bottom line? There likely is some relationship between ADHD and sleep apnea as well as other sleep disorders. After all, we all know that getting enough sleep is important and will affect our behavior. Unfortunately there is not enough evidence to support that sleep disorders cause attention deficit hyperactivity disorders or that treating them will diminish the symptoms or characteristics of ADHD. As always, if you have concerns about your child’s sleep patterns and habits, speaking to your doctor is critical in getting the latest up to date information and for choosing the best course of action for your child.

Have any personal stories to share about ADHD and sleep apnea? Share your thoughts in the comments below.