The case in summary A Swedish study shows that children with ADHD who use heavy duvets sleep longer and wake up fewer times. Many people with ADHD describe that they have sleep problems, and a good number have tried heavy duvets. It is professionals at hospitals who decide whether someone should receive heavy duvets as part of the treatment or not. Previous research has suggested that heavy duvets can work well, even for people without ADHD. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. You lie in bed and toss and turn. The legs are restless and the thoughts continue to insist. It may be a familiar feeling for many. But for people with ADHD, the problem of sleeping well can be greater than for others. Some have been fans of extra heavy duvets with balls or fibers in them to calm the body. But it has long been uncertain whether the duvets, which weigh many kilos, actually work to get people with ADHD to sleep. Now a new Swedish study, carried out among 94 Swedish children, shows that it is useful. – More rested Isabel Torsvik tests duvets with extra weight as a teenager. She tested this in addition to taking melatonin. She used both a chestnut quilt and a ball quilt. – I had a lot of trouble falling asleep. And when I had the usual pillow, I felt that I didn’t get the relaxing, inner peace. Duvets with extra weight helped Isabel Torsvik calm down in the evening, even when her legs tingled extra. Photo: Silje Torsvik Eek At night she lay down, for example, drawing or reading because she couldn’t sleep. – The restlessness and energy that I used to twist and sort of fool the duvet into the right shape, he became smaller when I then used weighted duvets and ball duvets. Her mother, Silje Torsvik Eek, also noticed the difference. – She got better sleep, which meant that she was more rested. She was able to concentrate much better at school, and was more persistent after school for homework. Silje Torsvik Eek and her daughter Isabel both have ADHD. Photo: Isabel Torsvik In addition to Isabel falling asleep faster, she didn’t wake up as often during the night. – Precisely because the normal duvet is much easier to kick off, or that it twists because you are restless, says the mother, who is also a board member of ADHD Norway Telemark. But for the family, it was too expensive to buy a ball duvet at many thousands of kroner after the offer was removed from the aid centres. – I could imagine that day and continue with the duvet, says Isabel Torsvik. Today, it is professionals at hospitals who decide whether someone should receive a weighted blanket as part of the treatment or not. Otherwise, you have to buy it yourself. Symptoms in children with ADHD Symptoms are divided into three areas: Inattention Overactivity Impulsivity The problem must be present before the age of seven and have lasted for at least six months. The difficulty must be observed in several situations, for example at school, at home and in leisure time. Source: The joint catalog Can change lives – The result shows that children who use weighted duvets sleep longer at night, and wake up less often, Ingrid Larsson told SVT. She is project manager for the Swedish study. She hopes that the study can mean that children get more options, even without them having to use sleeping pills. – Some parents have said that it has changed their lives, she says. They say, according to the researcher, that they have had better time in the evenings because the child has previously had problems falling asleep at night. Want to know more Berit Hjelde Hansen is a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry and board member of the Norwegian Association for Sleep Medicine. She says that many people with ADHD describe that they have sleep problems, and that a good number have tried weighted pillows. – There are several people who find that it provides good help, but there has been a lack of good studies on it. Berit Hjelde Hansen says most people with ADHD have other psychiatric challenges as well. Photo: Marit Skram / OUS Hansen says that the Swedish researchers have looked at children who only have ADHD, without other psychiatric problems in addition. She emphasizes that the reported effect the children experienced was not huge. – I think this weight pad can help someone with sleep problems, but we need to find out more about who it is. Hansen also says that people with sleep apnea, or other sleep disorders that require treatment, should not use weighted pillows. Previous research has suggested that weighted pillows can work well, even for people without ADHD. Advice for getting to sleep Hjelde Hansen has several tips for managing to calm down as night approaches. Get out while there is daylight. Dim the lights in the evening. Ensure a regular circadian rhythm. Have fixed routines when you go to bed. Don’t have an argument in the evening. Avoid bringing up worries right before you go to bed.
ttn-69
Weighted pillows can help children with ADHD sleep better – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
