A recent study conducted by researchers with the Cincinnati Hospital Medical Center suggests teenagers with ADHD benefit significantly from increased sleep.

The study, performed with adolescent volunteers diagnosed with ADHD, compared the executive functions of the subjects after a week of six and a half hours of sleep per night with a week of up to nine and a half hours of sleep per night. After each week, they were tested for working memory, planning and organizing, emotional control, and inhibition.

The results found the executive functions of each subject were much more severely impacted during the reduced sleep week than when compared to the week with longer sleeping periods.

While proper sleep is generally considered beneficial for motors skill performance and cognitive functioning, this study suggests teens with ADHD could additionally benefit from an adequate sleep routine, in addition to treatment and an ADHD friendly diet.

For more information on the study, visit the American Physiological Society website (http://www.the-aps.org/mm/hp/Audiences/Public-Press/2019-20.html)