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A recent study suggests those people who are struggling with sleep problems might be at risk of developing more health issues. Researchers found sleepless nights were associated with a higher risk of developing ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). This condition doesn’t affect only children, and about 75 percent of people are likely to suffer from it.
Adults can suffer from ADHD as well
ADHD has been observed mostly in children, as the condition makes it hard for them to concentrate and to sit still. However, children are not the only ones who can suffer from it. Adults can suffer from the same condition and, moreover, they might exhibit sleeping issues.
Previously, researchers have identified different disorders associated with sleep issues. These include sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or disturbances in one’s circadian rhythm. Now, they came to the conclusion that all of these are also related to ADHD.
How does sleeplessness influence the attention deficit disorder?
Researchers explained how sleep disturbance is associated with ADHD. Not only a person’s night rhythm gets disturbed, but also their day rhythm. This leads to many other processes in the body which get delayed.
If someone’s sleep pattern gets irregular, then the meal timing, body temperature, or movement patterns get to suffer as well. Also, if these processes occurring during the day no longer follow their natural course, sleep gets disturbed.
“If you review the evidence, it looks more and more like ADHD and sleeplessness are two sides of the same physiological and mental coin”, explains Sandra Kooij, one of the researchers from VU University in Netherlands.
At the moment, researchers are checking for certain indicators to confirm the relationship between the two. Also, by checking the levels of blood sugar, vitamin D, or cortisol, they hope to discover methods to treat ADHD without resorting to medicine, but by changing one’s sleep patterns.
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