By: Maya Listman

If your nieces and nephews take prescription stimulant medication for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you might know this scenario all too well: It’s time for bed and they have enough energy to keep going all night.

Experts disagree on whether or not commonly prescribed stimulant medications for ADHD affect how well children sleep. A study lead by Katherine M. Kidwell, a psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Nebraska, pooled together and analyzed data from previous studies that, individually, showed contradictory findings. While some experts said that the stimulants could cause insomnia, others said such medications could improve sleep by reducing bed-time resistant behavior. The new study did conclude that children taking stimulant medications do have more trouble falling and staying asleep overall.

Lead author Katherine M. Kidwell suggests sticking to a bedtime routine such a story time. If the young nieces and nephews have a sleepover with Auntie, or you’re taking care of them at their home, sticking to their at-home bedtime routine could be a good solutions to getting them to settle down. It’s probably worth doing even with kids who don’t take stimulant medications.

Photo: alenkasm
Published: December 8, 2015