Sleep disorders and daytime sleepiness in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A two-night polysomnographic study with a multiple sleep latency test

Abstract

The study evaluated sleep macrostructure, sleep disorders incidence and daytime sleepiness in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)affected children compared with healthy controls.Thirty-one patients with ADHD and 26 controls age- and sex-matched children undewent two nights of nocturnal polysomnography (PSG) followed by the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). No differences between the two groups comparing both nights were found in the basic sleep macrostructure parameters, in the time(duration) of sleep onset and in occurrence of sleep disorders.

Though we found no proof of increased daytime sleepiness in children with ADHD against the controls, we did find significant vigilance variability during MSLT in the ADHD group, possibly a sign of dysregulated arousal.

Keywords

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
• Sleep macrostructure
• Daytime sleepiness
• Nocturnal polysomnography
• Multiple sleep latency test
• Sleep-disordered breathing
• Periodic limb movements in sleep
• Hypoarousal
• deficit-hyperactivity disorder
• periodic leg movements
• observed apneic episodes
• to-night variability
• restless-legs
• limb movements
• preadolescent children
• double-blind
• ADHD
• disturbances