The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

ADD? Allergies? Sleep Apnea? Chicken/Egg?

by Amanda
(Indiana, USA)

My child fits many characteristics of ADD at the near age of 5. However, her lack of good sleep at night may be causing these ADD characteristics.


My child falls asleep easily at 7:30 pm. She usually gets between 10-11 hours of "sleep," waking up independently and in a good mood. She does not fight going to sleep. Typically, she is ready. I allow her to fall asleep on a mattress on my bedroom floor. I could care less if she sleeps in my room until she's 18. I just want her to get good, restful sleep so that she can function normally throughout her day.

She may sleep around 2 hours, then she is awake. I don't make a big deal about it. I know she can't help it. I will lay down w/ her, or my husband might lay down w/ her, or sometimes she just comes to our bed and we never know the difference. I have woke up many times and found her just lying there wide awake. She can be a restless, kicking sleeper, but often we're so tired it never wakes us.

I feel my daughter has a lot of anxiety. She often bites her lower lip. She typically has a chapped upper and lower lip. When she stays all night with her grandparents, they will report that she's awake every hour. I would imagine that's similar at home too.

Toward the end of the day, around 4pm, I have to watch her closely in the car if we are running errands. I do not want her to fall asleep at that time of day! I will keep her engaged in conversation the entire time in the car.

My child will not eat breakfast on the days that she has preschool.

My child also has some allergies. Years ago, I asked her pediatrician for a script for Nasonex. That has helped my child sleep better. During more "stuffy" times, I will also giver her an over-the-counter Claritin. That also seems to help increase her sleep. She also has a severe case of Urtica. She has seen a specialist, we have kept food journals, to no avail. I'm not particularly concerned w/ how her lack of sleep affects her father and I. Moreover, I am concerned that her lack of sleep effects her ability to attend and learn. We have never had a sleep study. Please help!

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Experiences With Sleep Disorders In Children.




Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?


A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.