CPAPtalk.com

European College of Neuropsychopharmacology:

Around 75% of children and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) also have sleep problems, but until now these have been thought to be separate issues. Now a in a pulling together of the latest research, Scientists are proposing of a new theory which says that much of ADHD may in fact be a problem associated with lack of regular circadian sleep.

Presenting the proposal at the ECNP Conference in Paris, Professor Sandra Kooij (Associate Professor of Psychiatry at VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam and founder and chair of the European Network Adult ADHD) said:

"There is extensive research showing that people with ADHD also tend to exhibit sleep problems. What we are doing here is taking this association to the next logical step: pulling all the work together leads us to say that, based on existing evidence, it looks very much like ADHD and circadian problems are intertwined in the majority of patients.

We believe this because the day and night rhythm is disturbed, the timing of several physical processes is disturbed, not only of sleep, but also of temperature, movement patterns, timing of meals, and so on.

If you review the evidence, it looks more and more like ADHD and sleeplessness are 2 sides of the same physiological and mental coin".

Professor Kooij laid out the links which have led to the synthesis:

• In 75% of ADHD patients, the physiological sleep phase -- where people show the physiological signs associated with sleep, such as changes in the level of the sleep hormone melatonin, and changes in sleep-related movement - is delayed by 1.5 hours.
• Core body temperature changes associated with sleep are also delayed (reflecting melatonin changes)
• Many sleep-related disorders are associated with ADHD, including restless-leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and the circadian rhythm disturbance, the delayed sleep phase syndrome
• ADHD people often show greater alertness in the evening, which is the opposite of what is found in the general population
• Many sufferers benefit from taking melatonin in the evening or bright light therapy in the morning, which can help reset the circadian rhythm
• Recent work has shown that around 70% of adult ADHD sufferers show an oversensitivity of the eyes to light, leading many to wear sunglasses for long periods during the day - which may reinforce the problems associated with a 'circadian shift'.
• Chronic late sleep leads to a chronic sleep debt, associated with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. This cascade of negative health consequences may in part be preventable by resetting the sleep rhythm.

Professor Kooij continued:

"We are working to confirm this physical-mental relationship by finding biomarkers, such as Vitamin D levels, blood glucose, cortisol levels, 24 hour blood pressure, heart rate variability, and so on. If the connection is confirmed, it raises the intriguing question: does ADHD cause sleeplessness, or does sleeplessness cause ADHD? If the latter, then we may be able to treat some ADHD by non-pharmacological methods, such as changing light or sleep patterns, and prevent the negative impact of chronic sleep loss on health."

"We don't say that all ADHD problems are associated with these circadian patterns, but it looks increasingly likely that this is an important element."

Commenting, Professor Andreas Reif (University Hospital, Frankfurt, and leader of the EU CoCA project on ADHD ), who was not involved in the research, said "A disturbance of the circadian system may indeed be a core mechanism in ADHD, which could also link ADHD to other mental illnesses such as depression or bipolar disorder. But also beyond these pathophysiological considerations, sleep problems and abnormalities of circadian rhythms are a huge problem for many patients, heavily impacting on their social life" He continued "More research into the interconnections between ADHD and the "inner clock" is thus very relevant to improve patients' lives and to shed light on the disease mechanism of ADHD."

Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases ... 083017.php

Is it true ADHD? In many cases it's not

This, in my experience as a teacher, is the most poorly diagnosed condition for children. I've seen so many kids put on medication that they did not need because the doctor didn't look at the total condition. There is a large body of evidence to suggest that things such as food allergies are triggers for ADHD like conditions and I've seen this for myself.

The medication given (concerta, ritalin, etc) tends to create sleep issues with insomnia being the worst and exacerbating the focus issues these children have.

Big Pharma can shoulder a lot of the responsibility.

Great article PR.

This exert though caused me to react negatively.

"We are working to confirm this physical-mental relationship by finding biomarkers, such as Vitamin D levels, blood glucose, cortisol levels, 24 hour blood pressure, heart rate variability, and so on. If the connection is confirmed, it raises the intriguing question: does ADHD cause sleeplessness, or does sleeplessness cause ADHD? If the latter, then we may be able to treat some ADHD by non-pharmacological methods, such as changing light or sleep patterns, and prevent the negative impact of chronic sleep loss on health."

Why is it necessary to wait for research? Anyone with an ADHD diagnosis should be automatically screened for medical issues, particularly sleep disorders before being placed on meds. Unfortunately, our medical system generally seems to want to medicate first and then ask questions later.

Ok, rant over.

Medical protocols are too often determined by finance.
When a diagnostic test is more expensive than trial and error--
"Let's just suppress the symptoms--who cares about side effects."

You just have answers (guesses) for everything, don't you! What are your qualifications for diagnosing and treating ADHD please?

He is a genius. He sees all, knows all. Omnipresent, omniscient, God.
Or so he believes . . .

xxyzx wrote:correlation is not causation and this study needs a lot more work to be useful

YOU need a lot more work to be useful!

Could be that this will prove to be interesting. However, I think it will turn out to be different for each person who has ADHD.

Three people in my family (that I know of) have ADHD. Two have no problems whatsoever with sleep and the third is a full blown insomniac. It will take years of research to sort this all out.
.

I've wondered about that before. ADHD sufferers have an excess amount of theta brain wave activity. In non-ADHD people theta waves are more pronounced during the periods between wake and sleep, and beta waves are most common during wake periods when concentration and focus are best. The hyperactivity associated with ADHD is the body's attempt to produce more beta waves and fewer theta waves, essentially trying to wake up. That's why the prescriptions given for ADHD are stimulants - to get the brain to wake up enough to be able to focus without hyperactivity.

Interesting study with some real possibilities.