Is It ADD or Sleep Deprivation?

Several years ago a University of Michigan study found that children who snore are two to four times more likely to have attention deficit and hyperactivity problems than there non-snoring peers. Children with the worst sleep problems were nine times as likely to develop hyperactivity than children of the same age who did not have sleep problems.

Now, four years later, researchers have the follow-up data. Children with daytime sleepiness in the original study were more likely to have developed hyperactivity four years later. The follow-up study is the first to show that sleep problems come before hyperactive behavior and that sleep problems predict hyperactivity.

Researchers in the late 1990s surveyed parents in pediatric clinic waiting rooms. The surveyed parents agreed to allow researchers to follow up on the survey four years later. Of the 866 parents originally surveyed, 229 returned the follow-up survey.

Researchers believe that snoring, sleep apnea and other sleep problems diminish the quality of sleep, reduce oxygen levels and affect daytime behavior.