That's Fit

Sleep is important for kids. Disturbed sleep can lead to poor school performance and behavior problems. My son is just about to turn 11. He's at his best when he gets about 10 hours of sleep though, more often than not, he wakes up after nine hours. When he gets less than that he is grumpy, unfocused, and defiant for the rest of the day. What makes matters worse is that my son has ADHD, which disrupts his sleep. It's a vicious circle, really. The ADHD makes it harder for him to sleep and a lack of sleep exacerbates his ADHD symptoms.

It turns out that my son is not alone. A recent survey found that more than 73% of kids with ADHD have sleep problems including difficult falling asleep, resistance to sleeping, and still feeling tired after waking up. There are many ways to help your child get proper sleep.

• First and foremost, speak to your doctor if your child has ADHD and is having trouble sleeping. If your child is on ADHD medication it may be worsening his/her ability to get to sleep. Your doctor may have advice for adjusting the medication or even simply modifying the time of day your child takes meds.

From herbal remedies to eating tips, AOL Health has over a dozen tips to help you overcome your sleeping problems. I am one of the lucky ones, with very few sleeping troubles, and when I read this article I found out why: I drink a lot of water (that helps!), I exercise before bed (tiring myself to sleep), and I don't keep any electronic distractions in my room. Find out more better sleep tips here. Plus, share your favorite trick that always helps you fall asleep.

What works for you? Share your sleep advice in a comment below.

Do you struggle with insomnia? I do on a fairly regular basis, as do almost all of the women in my family. That's why I wasn't surprised to read this article. Recent research suggests that insomnia may run in families.

The question that's left unanswered is why. Do parents hand bad sleep habits on to their children, raising future insomniacs, or is there a genetic component that disrupts sleep? There's no clear answer yet, but study authors believe that it might be a little bit of both.

What finally worked for me was downloading a meditation mp3. If I lie in bed more than 30 minutes without dozing, I put it on and I'm usually out like a light. I know the answer isn't so simple for many people who struggle with sleep issues, however. What do you do to make sure you get a good night's sleep?

If you're into lowering your cholesterol due to it being at an abnormally high level, that is great. Just don't expect a solid night's sleep any longer.

Well, that may be pushing it, bu a new report stated that the statin drug Zocor could disturb those nightly sleep patterns when taken by some patients.

The report, whose conclusions were presented this past week at the American Heart Association's annual meeting, did state that the extent of the problem is unknown, but as that more Americans take statin drugs to reduce cholesterol, more sleep problems may crop up.

New moms, night owls, insomniacs, third-shift workers, and others who lose sleep on a regular basis already know that sleep loss can lead to a shorter fuse. Recently, scientists studied two groups of people -- one sleep deprived, one not -- using MRI and are now able to tell us why. The area of the brain that controls emotional responses becomes highly over-reactive when a person is sleep deprived, making it harder for that person to control emotions or put things into perspective.

Scientists think that this study may help mental health experts better understand the connection between psychiatric disorders and sleep. For the rest of us, it's just another reason to make getting enough zzzzz's a priority in our lives.

If you've struggled with insomnia, then you know how sleep issues can quickly snowball. Creating a good sleeping environment is one important part of ensuring that you get your zzzz's, but a cool, dark, quiet room isn't enough if your brain is still buzzing from the day's activities. Here are six common ways people ruin a good night's sleep. After reading through that list, I realize I'm guilty of at least two of them -- working right up until bedtime, and watching the clock when I can't sleep. I often find myself turning the clock around so that I can't see it, and experts say to put 30 minutes between your last email or work task and bedtime. What about you...what tips and tricks do you have for getting a great night's sleep?

When your child has sleep problems, it can be a challenge. Not only is this difficult for your little one, but it's incredibly hard on the parents who are up all night, trying to help.

That's why many parents eventually resort to taking their child to see the doctor when these problems persist. However, recent research indicates that they the medication they're often prescribed may not be safe.

The new study finds that 81% of doctors visit for children's sleep issues result in some kind of medication. While this, in itself, isn't cause for alarm, what is surprising is that there aren't any medications approved to treat insomnia in children. Meaning, whatever the doctor prescribes hasn't been tested on, and isn't approved for younger age groups.

Some physicians did offer alternative means of dealing with the problem, such as limiting caffeine, or engaging in psychotherapy. However, the vast majority turned to drugs like antihistamines, benzodiazepines (like Valium), or anti-depressants -- 19% of kids were prescribed some kind of drug cocktail.

It seems the real problem is that there aren't any tested medications available-- especially seeing as doctors are so obviously interested in treating these symptoms with drugs. However, can it really wise to be prescribing these drugs, unapproved, to children as young as 6-years-old?