Abstract
Objective: To investigate the effects of stimulant medications on subjective and objective sleep characteristics of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with control children. Methods: An observational study in the sleep clinic and the community. Children with characteristics of ADHD, both stimulant-medicated ( n=53), and non-medicated ( n=34), together with control children ( n=53) completed a sleep habits questionnaire prior to undergoing full overnight polysomnographic assessment. Results: Medicated and non-medicated ADHD subjects were reported to have more sleep disturbances compared with controls. Both groups of ADHD children also demonstrated decreased REM sleep percentage compared with controls ( P=0.006 for ADHDmed; P=0.02 for ADHDnon). However, the use of stimulant medication ( n=53) was not associated with differences in subjective sleep quality or objective sleep measures, compared to ADHD children not taking any medication ( n=34; P=n.s.). Conclusions: Despite the high prevalence of reported sleep disturbance in children with ADHD, stimulant medication appears to have minimal effects on subjective and objective sleep characteristics in children with reported ADHD.
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