Some symptoms of sleep disorders and ADHD are similar…

• Public temper tantrums
• Unpredictable moods
• Quick to get angry and lose temper
• Waking up grumpy
• Waking up in the middle of the night
• Difficulties focusing and concentrating
• Misbehaving often

If your child or a child that you know has these symptoms a sleep study should be ordered. When sleep is disrupted by a pause in breath many times throughout the night it decreases oxygen levels. The brain then signals the body to wake up to breath again. For a child if this happens more than once it is too many and consider sleep apnea.

We have seen studies where kids have been waking up to  8 times an hour. Could you imagine how you would feel if you where being woken up 8 times an hour all night? No wonder these children are waking up grumpy and unpredictable all day long, they are exhausted!

So our message to any parent who has a child that they feel could potentially have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is to have your child get a sleep study. Often times behavioral problems are disguised by a sleep disorder!