Sleep A Key Factor In ADHD

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Grounding In Moonlight

On the heels of last week’s blog post that named deep sleep as one of the top 3 ways to preserve your brain volume… a new study has recently revealed that good sleep helps with ADHD as well!

 

Sleep problems have long been considered a hallmark of ADHD… leading to reduced quality of life, reduced level of functioning and reduced school attendance.

A study, recently published on January 20, 2015 in the British Medical Journal, has found that even a simple, brief sleep intervention with ADHD children provides lasting benefits that lead to improved sleep and decreased ADHD symptoms.

The details:

    244 families of children (aged 5 – 12 years old) with ADHD were given sleep hygiene counseling (setting a routine bedtime, removing electronics from the bedroom, avoiding caffeine, etc…) delivered by trained psychologists and pediatricians during two different consultations
    The control group had the same aged children and the same diagnosis but control families received only routine clinical care and no sleep counseling.
    Results were assessed by parents, teachers, psychologists and pediatricians via questionnaires and exams at three months and six months after the sleep counseling intervention.
    The results showed that not only did the sleep problems improve, but the actual ADHD symptoms, quality of life, and even memory improved as well!
    There was a significant decrease in sleep problems, an increased average sleep duration time, a marked and significant decrease in ADHD symptoms, improved assessed working memory and recall, and parents and teachers both reporting improved behavior and improved daily functioning.

 

These improvements were sustained at both the 3 month assessment AND the 6 month assessment, showing that addressing sleep problems can lead to substantial and sustained benefits for children with ADHD, over and above the effects of any medical interventions or medications.

And on that note, if you are looking for a natural alternative to a prescription medication for ADHD, there is a healthy holistic supplement that has been shown to be just as effective as stimulant medication… read my blog post on this important supplement that has been proven an effective treatment for ADHD.

 

Want help getting your child to sleep more soundly?

 

Co-sleeping picture book

 

That’s why I wrote and illustrated this bedtime book for parents to use to help create a soothing nighttime routine for their child, ADHD or not.

 

Because helping your child develop good sleep habits, the kind that allow for deep, restorative sleep, is one of the best things you can do to support your child for a lifetime of good health.

Get a peek inside the book right here.

 

 

Don’t underestimate the importance of deep, restorative sleep for long-term health, proven to:

  • and now… Decrease ADHD symptoms.

xoxox, Laura

joyful children 1

P.S. Wondering if sitting still at a school desk all day long is actually healthy for your child? It’s not.

Wondering why this is still the mold we are trying to fit children into? Me too.

Hop over here to read more about why prolonged sitting is so deadly and how to prolong your life (and your child’s life!) by getting up, moving about more and allowing them to get up and fidget more too!