Sleep disorders in children and ADD-H

Sleep disorders in children

Sleep disorders in children correspond to a reduction in the duration or quality of sleep, with an impact on the level of alertness the next day.

The sleep disorder may be "initial" when the child has difficulty falling asleep at bedtime. It can manifest itself in the form of "nocturnal awakenings", such as during a nightmare. Finally, it can be linked to a "parasomnia" such as "night terror" or somnambulism or the child does not wake up.

In all cases, the sleep is "non-restorative" with impaired alertness the next day and reduced intellectual performance at school or at work.

The sleep rhythm can quickly be disturbed by an unfavorable environment or by inadequate lifestyle habits. These disturbances can lead to changes in the organization of sleep.

To sleep well, you have to pamper your biological clock! It is :

Set up “time givers”: regular mealtimes from day to day, going outside every day, regular bedtimes and wakeup times from day to day, even on weekends -end or on vacation.
Respect your own sleep characteristics: short or long sleeper, morning or evening… a good way to know your needs is to see what happens after 10 days of vacation, in the absence of constraints, so without waking up when we maintain a reasonable bedtime, without sleep debt…
Be sure to use the light well: sufficient exposure in the morning, but limited in the evening, in particular avoiding computer screens, telephones and tablets.

But in addition, experience has shown us that digestive problems in children linked to disturbances in the microbiota could be a source of poor sleep. Assessing one's cortisol biorhythm via the salivary cortisol profile is also an assessment that seems important in practice.

ADHD

Three symptoms characterize DAH:inattention,hyperactivityAndimpulsiveness. They may be present in varying degrees. For example, a child who is always "on the moon", who does not finish his homework, who does not remember instructions and who constantly loses his personal objects, but who is not particularly restless, could have ADHD. Another, especially hyperactive, impulsive and agitated, but who manages to concentrate relatively well when the tasks interest him could also be reached. In general,hyperactivityAndimpulsivenessare more pronounced in boys than in girls.

It's abouttrouble neurobehavioralmost common in children: approximately 5% of them would be affected. It has long been claimed that is more common in boys, probably because boys with ADHD have more hyperactive behavior, which is more noticeable than girls (in whom the inattention predominates). However, the most recent studies do not seem to reveal significant gender differences.

As for the causes ofADHD, it seems that genetics plays an important role. Researchers also noted an imbalance in the levels of certain chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) in the brain, such as dopamine and norepinephrine.

Looking for solutions

To find solutions, it is always necessary to start by establishing a diagnosis.

Sleep disorders - the various points below seem important to set up or look for:

Implementation of behavioral measures
Implementation of hygiene and dietary measures
Search for digestive problems

TDA-H - Several aspects seem interesting to consider, such as :

The harmful effects of sugar intake at breakfast on concentration
Assessing the child's microbiota
The benefit of providing dopamine precursors (tyrosine) as well as optimizing the sensitivity of dopamine receptors (omega 3, methylation, etc.)