Impact of Sleep Timing and Duration on Teens with ADHD

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This interventional study recruits healthy-looking 13-17-year-olds who have ADHD and asks them to modify their sleep patterns over three weeks. In Week 1 they follow a sleep schedule close to their usual one when not needing to wake early. Week 2 introduces a short-sleep condition with about 6.5 hours in bed per night. Week 3 allows a healthy sleep duration but with a randomized timing; the effects on functioning and attention are assessed. The study compares aligned versus misaligned sleep extension strategies to see how sleep duration and timing influence symptoms and daily performance.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Ages 13-17 years at time of informed consent/assent
* Based on semi-structured clinical interview, participants must meet full DSM-5 criteria for ADHD inattentive or ADHD combined presentation.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Non-traditional school setting (morning-afternoon Monday-Friday).
* Exclusionary diagnoses. We will exclude adolescents with known intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, psychosis, bipolar disorder, or neurologic conditions (e.g., epilepsy), per caregiver-report.
* Exclusionary sleep disorders. We will exclude adolescents with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea or periodic limb movement disorder based on published cutoffs on a validated questionnaire.
* High caffeine intake. To promote adherence to directives not to consume caffeine the day of office visits without withdrawal effects, adolescents with daily intake of \>1 coffee or "energy drink" or \>2 caffeinated sodas per day based on caregiver- and adolescent-report will be excluded.

  * Unwillingness or inability to take part in study procedures (e.g., visits, prescribed sleep conditions).
  * Medication use or unwillingness to discontinue melatonin and/or stimulant medications during the 3-week study protocol.
* Refusal to refrain from automobile driving during the sleep restriction condition.
* "Intermediate" Chronotypes (neither morning larks nor night owls) based on habitual sleep timing on nights when adolescent has no morning obligations such as school or work.

Where it's running

• Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
  Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Dean Beebe, Ph.D. — Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
• Study coordinator: Dean Beebe, Ph.D
• Email: dean.beebe@cchmc.org
• Phone: 513-636-3489

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.