Solving sleep problems and ADHD

Have you noticed that your child with ADHD has trouble with sleeping? Sleep disturbances caused by ADHD have been overlooked for several reasons, including the late age of onset. There is a well established scientific link between ADHD and sleep disturbances. Older children with ADHD rarely fall asleep quickly, sleep soundly through the night, and wake up feeling refreshed. But, as with most of our knowledge about ADHD in adults, we’re only beginning to understand the more vital link between ADHD and sleep, which creates difficulties:

• Falling asleep
• Staying asleep
• Waking up

On average, sleep disturbances associated with ADHD generally appear later in life, at around age 12. Sleeping problems are often overlooked and attributed to coexisting ADHD problems and incorrectly using stimulant medication to treat ADHD.