Researchers have reported ADHD after sleep problems

Physicians find a connection between sleep problems and ADHD
Sleep well at night is important to our health. Now there is another reason why we should pay more attention to our sleep in the future. Researchers found that compromised sleep is associated with an increased likelihood of causing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The researchers from VU University in the Netherlands found in their study that poor nighttime sleep is associated with the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The physicians published the results of their study at this year's 30th ECNP Congress in Paris.

Sleep disorders have a negative effect on the body and mind. Physicians now found a link between ADHD and a disturbed sleep. (Image: Doreen Salcher)

Seventy-five percent of people with ADHD also suffer from sleep problems
More and more people live in an urban environment today. The lifestyle of those affected in such an environment can lead to disruption of our sleep habits. The consequences of this can contribute to the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). About 75 percent of children and adults with ADHD also suffer from sleep problems, say the experts.

ADHD seems to be related to many different sleep disorders
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a chronic condition that includes attention difficulties, hyperactivity, and increased impulsivity. According to current research, ADHD may have an association with many sleep disorders, such as restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, circadian arrhythmias, and delayed sleep phase syndrome, the physicians explain.

Disorders of the sleep rhythm also affect certain processes in the body
There are extensive studies that have found that people with ADHD are also prone to sleep problems, explains Professor Sandra Kooij of the VU University Medical Center in the Netherlands. The results indicate that ADHD and circadian problems are related in a majority of patients. Their day-night rhythm is disturbed and as a result the timing of several processes is affected. This not only affects sleep but also, for example, body temperature, movement pattern and meal schedule.

So you can reset the circadian rhythm of your sleep
The results of the study indicate that in about 75 percent of ADHD patients, the physiological sleep phase, in which, for example, changes in the levels of the sleep hormone melatonin and changes in sleep-related motion in humans occurred, was delayed by about 1.5 hours , A bright morning light source or evening melatonin could help many sufferers reset their circadian rhythm, Kooij added.

Is ADHD to be treated by non-pharmacological methods?
"We are now working to confirm this physical-mental relationship by determining biomarkers such as vitamin D levels, blood glucose, cortisol levels, 24-hour blood pressure, and heart rate variability," says Professor Sandra Kooij. If such a connection can be established, the question arises as to whether ADHD leads to sleep problems or sleep problems trigger ADHD. "If ADHD causes sleep problems, we might be able to treat ADHD with non-pharmacological methods," says Prof. Kooij.

Disturbed sleep can even lead to depression
We do not say that all cases of ADHD are associated with these circadian patterns. But it is very likely that this is an important context, explains the expert. Difficulties falling asleep would often be accompanied by tiredness, lack of energy and irritability during the day. The disturbed sleep can also affect the psyche and thus lead to depression, say the authors. (As)