A Systematic Review of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Objective: Children and adults with ADHD often report sleep disturbances that may form part of the etiology and/or symptomatology of ADHD. We review the evidence for sleep changes in children with ADHD.

Methods: Systematic review with narrative synthesis assessing sleep and circadian function in children aged 5 to 13 years old with a diagnosis of ADHD.

Results: 148 studies were included for review, incorporating data from 42,353 children. We found that sleep disturbances in ADHD are common and that they may worsen behavioral outcomes; moreover, sleep interventions may improve ADHD symptoms, and pharmacotherapy for ADHD may impact sleep.

Conclusion: Sleep disturbance may represent a clinically important feature of ADHD in children, which might be therapeutically targeted in a useful way. There are a number of important gaps in the literature. We set out a manifesto for future research in the area of sleep, circadian rhythms, and ADHD.

Keywords: ADHD; actigraphy; children; circadian rhythms; circadian: systematic; sleep.