Excessive Sleepiness Caused by Learning, Attention and School Problems

Children with learning, attention and behavior problems may be battling excessive daytime sleepiness, despite having sufficient sleep at night, a new study reveals.

The researchers at the Penn State found that children with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) were more vulnerable to experience learning, attention/hyperactivity and conduct problems when compared to children without EDS. This finding is based on the analysis of 508 children whose parents complained of EDS, despite little evidence of short sleep from traditional measurements.

Excessive daytime sleepiness is called hypersomnia. People with this condition struggle to stay awake during the day and are forced to take frequent, long naps at odd times like while driving, during meals or when in conversation with someone. Unfortunately, there is no licensed medicine to treat hypersomnia.

The main factors contributing to children feeling excessively sleepy while awake are obesity, symptoms of inattention, depression and anxiety, asthma and parent-reported problem falling asleep.

"Impairment due to EDS in cognitive and behavioral functioning can have a serious impact on a child's development," said Susan Calhoun, PhD, the study's lead author. "When children are referred for neurobehavioral problems, they should be assessed for potential risk factors for EDS. Recognizing and treating EDS can offer new strategies to address some of the most common neurobehavioral challenges in young school-age children."

The researchers noticed that most of the children displayed fewer symptoms of short sleep on being tested and short sleep was not associated with learning, attention and behavior problems. It is only the parents and educators who can determine whether a child is excessively sleepy during the daytime and complaints of it should be taken seriously.

Studies conducted earlier revealed that EDS is prevalent in 15 percent of the children from a general population sample.

The finding was documented in the journal Sleep.