Mention your child's snoring
Tell your child's clinician about snoring or pauses in breathing during sleep, so they can be checked.
Guideline advice, not formally gradedADHD evidence
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Recall whether you have noticed your child snoring, gasping or pausing while breathing in sleep.
5 minutes
Write down the breathing signs and how your child seems during the day.
15 minutes
Listen at your child's door for a few minutes after they fall asleep, then note what you heard for the clinician.
How sure the science is
Guideline advice, not formally graded, ADHD evidence
Recommended by ADHD clinical guidelines, but nobody has pooled the trials and graded how sure they are. Guideline advice is a considered judgement, not a measured certainty. Measured in people with ADHD.
AAP 2019 ADHD guideline key action statement 3 (Grade B: strong recommendation) to screen for comorbid physical conditions including sleep apnea, plus ADHD sleep-disordered breathing reviews and NHS sleep apnoea guidance.
The number, drawn
ADHD evaluation should screen for sleep apnea
Why it matters
The American Academy of Pediatrics guideline says an ADHD evaluation should at least screen for physical conditions such as sleep apnea. Reviews find breathing problems in sleep are more common in children with ADHD, and the NHS notes children can get sleep apnoea too. Checking doesn't mean the ADHD diagnosis was a mistake. It makes sure a treatable sleep problem isn't missed.
How to do it
- Note any loud snoring, pauses in breathing or gasping you've noticed while your child sleeps.
- Describe how your child seems during the day, including tiredness that a full night in bed doesn't fix.
- Ask the clinician whether your child's breathing in sleep should be checked.
Snoring alone does not diagnose sleep apnoea. A clinician needs to assess it, and breathing pauses with marked daytime sleepiness need prompt review.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- Tell the clinician that your child snores most nights and still seems tired despite a full night in bed.
- Mention that you have heard your child gasp or pause while breathing in sleep.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeSnoring alone can't diagnose sleep apnoea. Ask for an assessment instead of guessing.
- Common mistakeBlaming all daytime tiredness on ADHD can hide a sleep problem. Describe both.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- A Moderate or high certainty evidence in people with ADHD, or an explicit ADHD guideline recommendation.
- The number
- ADHD evaluation should screen for sleep apnea (American Academy of Pediatrics (Pediatrics), 2019)
- Benefit
- 70/100 The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Quick win
Sources
- Tier 1 guidelineClinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and AdolescentsAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (Pediatrics), 2019
- Tier 1 guidelineSleep apnoeaNHS, 2026
- Tier 2 studyThe impacts associated with having ADHD: an umbrella reviewFrontiers in Psychiatry, 2024
General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.