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ADHD and Sleep

It would be no surprise to me to find that ADHD is way over diagnosed. I was on Ritalin as a kid and even as an adult. While I cannot say with certainty that I was misdiagnosed, I could see that many kids were. Now being married to a pharmacist, I can see that many more kids still are. According to The Inquisitr, there is a recent study that was published in the American Journal of Family Therapy that suggests a link between sleep patterns and ADHD like behavior.

They studied 704 parents and some of the findings suggest that kids who have no set bedtime were eight more times as likely to hit, punch, and kick their parents. These kids were also likely to get disciplinary notes from schools and have low self-confidence. Kids who shared a bed with parents or siblings were also seven more times as likely to result in these behaviors.

I have always thought that it would be better to spend more time looking at adjusting behaviors before going on meds for any reason. This goes for any health issues, mental and physical. More and more studies are showing that lifestyle changes work much better when possible.

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