Re: Link found between kids sleep, behavior problems

[Guest guest]

" http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-03/uomh-lfb022602.php "

Hi Mike!

A very interesting post -thanks! I've found that sleep issues are

also tied in to quite a few special needs children from what I've

seen and heard. Certain conditions more so than others. I hope

people that read the above link don't believe that all the children

that have sleep problems are those that snore however. For example -

my son Dakota who was high risk for SIDS from birth trauma which

caused head, facial and neck injuries with eating and breathing

difficulties had a great deal of trouble with sleeping as a newborn

and young child, never snored, but he too was diagnosed as ADHD by

more than one pediatric neurologist -and with enlarged adenoids by an

X-ray from an ear nose and throat doctor -which there is a story

behind why we ended up never going the surgery or medication route

even though we almost did (and yes the ProEFA helped and helps him

too)

About speech and sleep -Tanner rarely sleeps through the whole night

without waking up at least once, and it's obvious when he's well

rested he talks better. Do others notice this?

I did a quick search just now and found there are other articles out

there on sleep which would explain why sleep is especially important

for those children with special needs -so a great topic!! Here are

some of the links I found -the first being an article that directly

correlates the links between ADHD, behavioral problems, and learning

issues in general and sleep problems written almost two years ago.

And then just two other articles I thought you may find of interest.

Sleep-filled nights make better days

By Amy Pyle

Los Angeles Times

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- As a dedicated teacher, Dermody took it

personally when her son fell behind in school. Although he tested in

the gifted range, acted spacey and didn't work well

independently.

Then one morning Dermody found , now 11, curled up on the shower

floor with water pelting him. He was fast asleep.

It took Dermody months to make the connection. But little by little,

she began to suspect restless sleep at night was hindering 's

learning and behavior at school.

Research suggests she could be right. And initial findings are

fueling a movement to make the value of sleep as crucial a part of

children's health and science instruction as the venerable food

pyramid.

A recent survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that nearly

half of all children younger than 13 complain of being tired during

the day.

While tired adults yawn and nod, children who get less than the

recommended nine or 10 hours a night may tend to the other extreme,

bouncing around, unable to concentrate, losing interest quickly --

behaving as if they had attention deficit and hyperactivity

disorders.

Across the nation, sleep scholars are just now starting to delve into

links between lack of sleep and learning and behavior problems in

elementary school-age children.

(For entire article go to

http://www.cjonline.com/stories/080301/bts_sleep.shtml )

" That sleep can aid in the maintenance of information acquired during

wakefulness is an old idea. It was first advanced for experimental

test at the beginning of the present century by psychologists who

found that recall of an episode, such as a set of verbal units,

benefited from interpolated sleep. However, this beneficial effect of

sleep on retention could as easily been attributed to reduction in

interference­induced forgetting (sleep protects what has been learned

from interfering waking activities) as to enhancement in memory

storage. When PS was discovered, several decades later, its

physiological and phenomenological characteristics suggested that

active functional processes occur during this state of sleep and

facilitate cognitive activities and adaptive behavior in

wakefulness. "

http://bisleep.medsch.ucla.edu/SRS/srs/henne.htm

One source of selective pressure for the evolutionary origin of

neurons with oscillatory firing capacities may have been the need for

frequent spontaneous activations to maintain synaptic efficacy in

infrequently used circuits, referred to as 'non-utilitarian' DS. In

many 'primitive' invertebrates DS occurs primarily in the course of

frequent functional use. But in more advanced cold-blooded,

locomoting animals, synaptic enhancements are thought to be

maintained both by frequent functional use and by 'non-utilitarian'

DS that occurs primarily during rest.

http://bisleep.medsch.ucla.edu/SRS/srs/kavan.htm

=====

[Guest guest]

Hi :

I could not agree more. This again goes to my premise, and the adage

drilled into every doctor in training, as well as whenever we go for

continuing education - there is no substitute for a good history of

your patient.

Any history of sleep problems, snoring, and stoppage of breathing

when asleep, or restless sleep should always lead to further inquiry,

a look down the throat, and consideration of a sleep study to rule

out apnea.

Larry Laveman, MD

Consultant, CHERAB

http://www.apraxia.cc

--- In @y..., " momofrileyca " <lsummerton@s...>

wrote:

> I've read quite a bit about this in dribs and drabs over the

years.

> One thing to note is that a lot of these kids have swollen or

> naturally enlarged adenoids which wakes them up constantly because

of

> difficulty breathing, I witnessed this in my son and the difference

> was amazing once they were removed. He would literally choke,

> sputter, sit up in his sleep gasping for air, or do that scary

thing

> where they stop breathing for just a little too long. We all

> remember how exhausted we were as adults when babies kept us up all

> night, imagine this every 5-10 minutes all night every night. We

> were fatigued, and could not focus on anything. We were walking

> zombies. But we knew why. For these kids this is all they know,

so

> they can't tell you that they are tired, they just know they don't

> feel right. If anyone suspects ADD or ADHD in their child, I would

> suggest getting their doctor to first take a peek at their adenoids

> if they have any of the not breathing quite right while lying down

> symptoms BEFORE we try any medications that aren't needed.

> , mom of Riley, Zachary and Avery(adenoidless 2 years and

well

> rested now.)

> > http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-03/uomh-lfb022602.php

[Guest guest]

Thank you for the affirmation - I've always been glad I had this

corrected in my now 4 year old, we all sleep a lot better now. We

had a family bed at the time so when he would startle, my husband and

I would startle too) He was originally diagnosed with asthma!!! and

then at a routine asthma clinic appt - the first - the doctor there

noticed the adenoids and sent us off to an ENT the same day, there

was no asthma, problem now resolved for the better.

I've always taken notice of sleep/attention studies. My 8 year old

is gifted/ld but has major attention problems at school. He is

exceedingly wakeful at night (gets up to watch tv at 3am, sleepwalks,

rises very early, general creeping around) and trying to persuade the

schools that there may be something besides ADHD has been a trial. I

am now in the process of looking into sleep study info, will go to

family doctor next week. Thanks again for the affirmation.

> Hi :

>

> I could not agree more. This again goes to my premise, and the

adage

> drilled into every doctor in training, as well as whenever we go

for

> continuing education - there is no substitute for a good history of

> your patient.

>

> Any history of sleep problems, snoring, and stoppage of breathing

> when asleep, or restless sleep should always lead to further

inquiry,

> a look down the throat, and consideration of a sleep study to rule

> out apnea.

>

> Larry Laveman, MD

> Consultant, CHERAB

> http://www.apraxia.cc