Dr. Vastal G. Thakkar has written an interesting article titled "The Link Between Sleep Deprivation & ADHD." He explains that people with ADHD have less tolerance for sleep deprivation and tend to suffer from sleep problems due to the mind-racing thoughts of their disorder.
While I don't disagree, I also want to shed light on what I have learned throughout my work and research.
Oftentimes ADHD is actually a SYMPTOM of sleep deprivation caused by a sleep-breathing disorder.
What happens is an individual will be sleep deprived due to their sleep-breathing disorder, this will cause their brain over-stimulate in order to keep them awake, thus the symptoms of ADHD. They may then be put on ADHD medication, which in and of itself is a stimulate, therefore fueling the fire and creating a vicious cycle.
The article suggests ways to help individuals with ADHD sleep better, including – exercising, eliminating blue light exposure before bed, getting on a sleep schedule, journaling, and guided relaxation.
These are all excellent sleep hygiene habits. However, if the root cause is a sleep-breathing disorder that is not addressed, there can be serious long-term effects such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and more.
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