Sleep apnea and snoring are more likely to lead to ADHD, researchers say. This study, published in the American Journal of Pediatrics, involved 11,000 children living in the UK. Dr. Bonuck, who led this research, said that sleep problems might impair brain development. She pointed out that about one in ten children frequently snore, and 2% ~ 4% suffer from sleep apnea, which means that breathing is blocked and interrupted during sleep. Enlarged tonsils or adenoids are often blamed for these conditions. In adults, this can result in severe daytime fatigue, and some studies have suggested that behavioral issues, such as ADHD, may be related to these conditions in children.
"It's a misconception that if you fix the sleep problem, there will almost immediately be an improvement in behavior," she said. Dr. Bonuck believed that sleep-breathing problems could contribute to behavioral issues in many ways, possibly by reducing oxygen supply to the brain, disrupting the "repair process" of sleep, or disturbing the balance of brain chemicals. She said: "Until now, we really haven't had definitive evidence linking sleep-breathing problems to behaviors like hyperactivity." But this study shows that behavioral symptoms precede sleep problems and strongly suggests they cause these issues.
Marian, from the British Snoring & Sleep Apnea Association, said sleep problems in young people are an under-recognized cause of misbehavior. She said: "Parents often don't make the connection and mention it, so GPs label their children as having ADHD, and sometimes even prescribe medication."
Continuing the narrative, Dr. Bonuck, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York, said that children with breathing problems during sleep were between 40% and 100% more likely to develop "neurobehavioral problems" by the age of seven. The latest research provides clear evidence on a scale large enough to confirm this point. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire where both levels of snoring and apnea were recorded throughout the first six to seven years of life, using their own assessments, which were then compared with the children's behavior.
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Start quote: If sleep problems are resolved, there will almost immediately be an improvement in behavior.