Mention your child's snoring
Guideline advice, not formally gradedADHD evidence
Tell your child's clinician about snoring or breathing pauses during sleep.
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 An editorial priority for the general list, weighted by certainty. It does not predict 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.