If, as a recent study suggests, children who don’t get enough sleep have an increased risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), what can parents do about it? As many as one-third of children in the U.S. do not get an adequate amount of sleep, it has been reported.
Surprisingly, something as seemingly simple and elemental as sleep can be very complex. We will discuss sleep in more depth in future posts but here are a few simple tips to help parents ensure that children get more of the sleep they need:
• Limit electronic media entertainment before bedtime. Nearly 80 percent of children use television or video viewing as part of their pre-bedtime routine. Sitting still and watching entertainment for half an hour should, theoretically, help a child unwind, as long as it’s not a show or interactive game that generates too much excitement. However, the brightness of the screen undermines any supposed calming effects. The light from a television or computer can delay both the necessary drop in core body temperature and melatonin production—and thus delaying sleep onset—by two hours.
• Keep bedtime consistent. Inconsistent bedtimes are, for all practical purposes, homemade jetlag. Late nights result in the desynchronization of the two systems that regulate sleep, the circadian rhythm and the homeostatic pressure system. Staying up three hours later on weekends is equivalent to flying across three time zones every weekend.
• Avoid over scheduling kids. Overscheduled kids tend to be sleep deprived kids. According to University of Minnesota’s Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom, motivated students can sacrifice sleep to maintain high GPAs, but may pay for success with higher levels of depression and stress. Teens with extracurricular overload are significantly more likely to be involved in a fall-asleep car crash. And high schoolers with part-time jobs both sleep less and have lower grades.
• Common sleep disorders such as nightmares, restless leg syndrome, and frequent night waking can have a negative impact on children’s development—from using drugs at 14 to having clinical-level anxiety as adults. Research by University of Michigan’s Dr. Ronald Chervin suggests as many as 25 percent of kids diagnosed with ADHD have an underlying sleep disorder causing their symptoms. If treated for their sleep disorder, the ADHD symptoms may diminish. Despite the risks posed by sleep disturbances, the number of children treated for them is minimal. Parents should consult a qualified sleep specialist in addition to their pediatrician who may not have expertise in sleep problems.
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