Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 May;18(2):92-102.

A clinical overview of sleep and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents

Judith A Owens  1
Affiliations

A clinical overview of sleep and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents

Judith A Owens. J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2009 May.

Abstract
in English, French

Introduction: The relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleep is a complex one which poses many challenges in clinical practice.

Methods: Studies of sleep disturbances in children with academic and behavioral problems have underscored the role that primary sleep disorders play in the clinical presentation of symptoms of inattention and behavioral dysregulation. In addition, recent research has shed further light on the prevalence, type, risk factors for, and impact of sleep disturbances in children with ADHD.

Results: The following discussion of the multi-level and bi-directional relationships among sleep, neurobehavioral functioning, and the clinical syndrome of ADHD synthesizes current knowledge about the interaction of sleep and attention/arousal in these children.

Conclusion: Guidelines are provided, outlining a clinical approach to evaluation and management of children with ADHD and sleep problems.

Introduction:: La relation qui existe entre le trouble du déficit d’attention avec hyperactivité (TDAH) et le sommeil est complexe et pose de nombreux défis aux cliniciens.

Méthodologie:: Les études sur les troubles du sommeil chez les enfants qui ont des difficultés scolaires et comportementales sous-estiment le rôle que ces troubles jouent dans les symptômes cliniques de l’inattention et du dérèglement comportemental. En outre, les récents travaux de recherche expliquent mieux la prévalence, le type, les facteurs de risque et l’impact des troubles du sommeil sur les enfants souffrant de TDAH.

Résultats:: La discussion sur les relations bidirectionnelles et les divers niveaux qui existent entre le sommeil, le fonctionnement neurocomportemental et le syndrome clinique du TDAH fera la synthèse des connaissances actuelles sur l’interaction sommeil-attention/éveil chez ces enfants.

Conclusion:: Les directives présentent l’approche clinique qui permet d’évaluer les enfants atteints de TDAH et de gérer leurs problèmes de sommeil.

Keywords: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; sleep; sleep disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Sleep and ADHD: Bedtime Resistance/Prolonged Sleep Onset
None
Evaluation and Management of Pediatric Sleep Problems: Nightwakings
None
Evaluation and Management of Pediatric Sleep Problems: Daytime Sleepiness in Adolescents
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

  • Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Saudi Male Boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).
    Bamaga A, Alqarni L. Bamaga A, et al. Degener Neurol Neuromuscul Dis. 2023 Aug 15;13:45-53. doi: 10.2147/DNND.S421399. eCollection 2023. Degener Neurol Neuromuscul Dis. 2023. PMID: 37601287 Free PMC article.
  • The impact of sleep loss on sustained and transient attention: an EEG study.
    Shenfield L, Beanland V, Filtness A, Apthorp D. Shenfield L, et al. PeerJ. 2020 May 4;8:e8960. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8960. eCollection 2020. PeerJ. 2020. PMID: 32411513 Free PMC article.
  • Discovery of the first genome-wide significant risk loci for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
    Demontis D, Walters RK, Martin J, Mattheisen M, Als TD, Agerbo E, Baldursson G, Belliveau R, Bybjerg-Grauholm J, Bækvad-Hansen M, Cerrato F, Chambert K, Churchhouse C, Dumont A, Eriksson N, Gandal M, Goldstein JI, Grasby KL, Grove J, Gudmundsson OO, Hansen CS, Hauberg ME, Hollegaard MV, Howrigan DP, Huang H, Maller JB, Martin AR, Martin NG, Moran J, Pallesen J, Palmer DS, Pedersen CB, Pedersen MG, Poterba T, Poulsen JB, Ripke S, Robinson EB, Satterstrom FK, Stefansson H, Stevens C, Turley P, Walters GB, Won H, Wright MJ; ADHD Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC); Early Lifecourse & Genetic Epidemiology (EAGLE) Consortium; 23andMe Research Team; Andreassen OA, Asherson P, Burton CL, Boomsma DI, Cormand B, Dalsgaard S, Franke B, Gelernter J, Geschwind D, Hakonarson H, Haavik J, Kranzler HR, Kuntsi J, Langley K, Lesch KP, Middeldorp C, Reif A, Rohde LA, Roussos P, Schachar R, Sklar P, Sonuga-Barke EJS, Sullivan PF, Thapar A, Tung JY, Waldman ID, Medland SE, Stefansson K, Nordentoft M, Hougaard DM, Werge T, Mors O, Mortensen PB, Daly MJ, Faraone SV, Børglum AD, Neale BM. Demontis D, et al. Nat Genet. 2019 Jan;51(1):63-75. doi: 10.1038/s41588-018-0269-7. Epub 2018 Nov 26. Nat Genet. 2019. PMID: 30478444 Free PMC article.
  • Sleep problems predict comorbid externalizing behaviors and depression in young adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
    Becker SP, Langberg JM, Evans SW. Becker SP, et al. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2015 Aug;24(8):897-907. doi: 10.1007/s00787-014-0636-6. Epub 2014 Oct 31. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2015. PMID: 25359419 Free PMC article.
  • Environmental noise and sleep disturbances: A threat to health?
    Halperin D. Halperin D. Sleep Sci. 2014 Dec;7(4):209-12. doi: 10.1016/j.slsci.2014.11.003. Epub 2014 Nov 15. Sleep Sci. 2014. PMID: 26483931 Free PMC article.
See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Ali NJ, Pitson D, Stradling JR. Sleep disordered breathing: effects of adenotonsillectomy on behaviour and psychological functioning. European Journal of Pediatrics. 1996;155(1):56–62. - PubMed
    1. Beebe DW. Neurobehavioral morbidity associated with disordered breathing during sleep in children: a comprehensive review. Sleep. 2006;29(9):1115–1134. - PubMed
    1. Biederman J, Spencer T. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a noradrenergic disorder. Biological Psychiatry. 1999;46(9):1234–1242. - PubMed
    1. Chee MW, Chuah LY. Functional neuroimaging insights into how sleep and sleep deprivation affect memory and cognition. Current Opinion in Neurology. 21(4):417–23. - PubMed
    1. Chervin RD, Archbold KH. Hyperactivity and polysomnographic findings in children evaluated for sleep-disordered breathing. Sleep. 2001;24(3):313–320. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources