Study Links Sleep Loss to ADHD Symptoms in Children

A new study links sleep loss to behavioral symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children.

The study in Finland involved 280 children. They had an average age of 8 years.

Results show that children who slept less than 7.7 hours at night had a higher score for hyperactivity and impulsivity. They also had a higher total score on the ADHD Rating Scale.

The results were significant. But they did not confirm that sleep loss causes ADHD symptoms.

“Intervention studies are needed to confirm the causality,” study author Dr. Juulia Paavonen said in a University of Helsinki statement.

Another recent study found that children with ADHD get about 33 minutes less sleep per night than other children. The AASM reports that children between the ages of 7 and 12 need about nine to 10 hours of sleep per night.