Was shorter sleep linked to ADHD-like symptoms in healthy schoolchildren?

Details

Pediatric, clinical, and research data suggest that insufficient sleep causes tiredness and daytime difficulties with focusing attention, learning, and impulse modulation in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including those who also have primary sleep disorders. This study examined whether sleep duration was associated with ADHD-like symptoms in healthy, well-developing school-aged children.

The study included 35 healthy children aged 7–11 years: 20 boys and 15 girls. Each child wore an actigraphic device on their nondominant wrist for two nights before polysomnography to assess their typical sleep periods. On the third night, sleep architecture was recorded in the child’s natural sleep environment through ambulatory assessment using portable polysomnography equipment. Teachers were asked to report inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms using the revised Conners Teacher Rating Scale.

Shorter sleep duration was associated with higher levels of teacher-reported ADHD-like symptoms involving cognitive problems and inattention. There was no significant association between sleep duration and hyperactivity symptoms. The researchers concluded that short sleep duration was related to teacher reports of ADHD-like symptoms involving inattention and cognitive functioning in healthy children.