Even a Mild Sleep Restriction Can Impact Daytime Functioning in Children with ADHD and Their Typically Developing Peers.

Objectives/background: Correlational studies show that short sleep is associated with negative daytime outcomes in school-aged children, but there are few experimental sleep manipulation studies to assess whether this is a causal relation. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of mild, cumulative sleep restriction on daytime functioning of typically developing (TD) children and children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Participants: A total of 36 school-aged children (n = 18 TD; n = 18 ADHD), aged 6-11 years participated.