While sleep apnea and ADHD might seem like two very different conditions, they actually have quite a bit of overlap. Problems with focus and sleep are telltale symptoms of both, so if you or your child is struggling to stay on task and feel tired all the time, what is the true culprit? What type of doctor should you see? Is it possible for an unlucky person to have both disorders? What’s the best way to get treatment? You’ll find the answers to these questions and more in today’s blog.
Sleep Apnea, ADHD, & You
While they can manifest in similar ways, sleep apnea and ADHD have distinct causes. Sleep apnea stems from breathing stopping and starting repeatedly throughout the night due to an obstruction in the airway, while ADHD is caused by disrupted processes in the brain.
Despite this, they can both lead to sleep disruption (whether a person wakes up throughout the night to breathe or can’t fall asleep due to racing thoughts), which in turn can cause issues with focus, memory, and emotional regulation.
It can be tough to pin down why a person is having difficulty staying attentive. Are they sleep-deprived because of sleep apnea, or is their brain throwing them off due to ADHD? Is one making the other worse?
Often, a person will be diagnosed with one condition despite having the other (or both), and this can lead to treatment being unsuccessful because the underlying source of the problem isn’t being properly addressed.
A Quick Note About Children
More and more children are being diagnosed with ADHD each year, and while this largely stems from doctors becoming better informed and trained to detect the condition at an earlier age, a growing body of research shows that some of these cases may actually be misdiagnosed sleep problems. When an adult is tired, they are sluggish, but children become hyperactive. That means a child with sleep apnea or sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) can often appear to have ADHD. This is why many parents report that their kids are not calming down or doing better in school despite taking medication—the actual issue isn’t being treated!
What Should You Do?
If you or your child is dealing with issues that could be caused by sleep apnea or ADHD, or if treatment for one of these conditions doesn’t seem to be helping, then additional screening is necessary.
Most patients can be evaluated for ADHD with the help of their regular doctor, but for potential sleep issues, it’s important to get a screening from an experienced professional, like a sleep dentist. The average family doctor won’t have the same level of skill when it comes to evaluating the mouth and airway compared to a sleep dentist, plus they can provide effective treatment with custom oral appliances.
What should your takeaway be from all this? If treating sleep apnea isn’t helping, it might be ADHD. If treating ADHD isn’t helping, it might be sleep apnea. Or…it could be both! While this might seem overwhelming, many people are in the same position and able to get the help they need using comfortable, proven, and conservative care that ensures they feel rested and focused each day.
About the Author
As a sleep apnea patient himself, Dr. Mitch Conditt is well aware of how this condition can affect a person’s physical and mental well-being. That is why he is so passionate about helping people get better sleep through oral appliance treatment. Whether you or your child has ADHD, sleep apnea, or still need to be diagnosed officially for either one, our team is ready to guide you so you find the solutions you need. To get started, click here or call our Fort Worth office at 817-527-8500.