Mess sleep patterns can make adults vulnerable to stress and sick. Kids also will give the same response when their sleep is disrupted, perhaps even worse.
The new study found that children who suffer from respiratory disorders during sleep or sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are more likely to suffer from ADHD or hyperactivity and problems of adaptation to learning disorders.
The study, published in the journal Sleep is using data from the Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea Study (TuCASA), analysis of prevalence and incidence rates and the impact of SDB in children neurobehavioral Caucasian and Hispanic descent aged 6-11 years in the U.S..
Researchers enrolled 263 children each underwent overnight sleep analysis and neurobehavioral assessment, both reported independently or from parents reporting.
23 children reported to have sleep apnea when undergoing the study, 21 children constantly suffer from sleep apnea during the study, and 41 children from the beginning has been known to suffer from sleep apnea was no longer suffering from breathing disorders during sleep when the researchers conducted a follow-up five years later.
From there, researchers concluded 23 children were reported to have sleep apnea when the study four to five times more likely to have behavioral disorders, while 21 children who constantly suffer from sleep apnea six times greater risk.
Compared to children who had never suffered from SDB, of unknown parents reporting children who suffer from sleep apnea are more likely to experience hyperactivity, attention problems, communication, social competence, and difficult to perform self-care (self-care) as well as behavioral disorders.
Not only that, children with persistent sleep apnea also reported seven times more likely to have learning disabilities and three times more likely to have a value lower average in school.
"This study provides some useful information for medical professionals associated preferred treatment of children with SDB in light of the risk of behavioral disorders that may accompany the child," said Michelle Perfect lead researcher and an assistant professor of psychology program at the University of Arizona.
"The teachers at the school also needs to consider the possibility of SDB in children students who can contribute to the emergence of hyperactivity, learning disorders, behavioral and emotional problems in the classroom," he said as reported by redorbit, Wednesday (04/03/2013).