July 29, 2019
According to a new study, regular sleep patterns can help children
with ADHD cope with the symptoms of the disorder better. It can even help
them enhance their organising skills.
Sleeping on time and for an adequate number of hours everyday restores and
heals us. It helps reduce stress, depression, inflammation and is also a
great way to lose weight. Now, a recent study by the American
Physiological Society says it can even help teenagers with ADHD work
efficiently and control their emotions better.
People with ADHD tend to be hyperactive, aggressive, show compulsive
behaviour and are unable to pay attention for a long time. The study says
good sleep can reduce some of these signs significantly. It can help them
focus better ad longer and help improve academic performance.
Researchers studied teenagers who were diagnosed with ADHD for the study.
Initially, they were asked to sleep for almost six hours everyday for a week.
This was later increased to nine hours. A dramatic difference
was seen in behaviour after this with memory, organisation skills and
planning abilities markedly better.
However, the study also says that parents and guardians must regulate the
sleep. This is because children with ADHD tend to sleep during daytime and
this can have a negative impact on the health.
Umakrishnan, Founder, Abhyan, a centre that
reaches out to children with developmental disorders, agrees with the
findings.
Experts also point to the need to ensure that the maxim early to bed and
early to rise is followed. Moona Sumalatha, who is
co-founder of the Chaarana Centre for Children with Special
Needs in Bengaluru says regular sleep patterns have a calming effect
when combined with physical activities.
“If the youngster is sleep deprived, they tend to become aggressive,
impatient, hyperactive and inattentive. They will be unable to follow
instructions. It is essential to rest well. By engaging in physical
activities, they calm down, therefore enabling them to organise themselves
and do work structurally”, she adds.
ALSO READ: Some ways to manage ADHD without medication
