ADHD, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, and Obesity

Could excessive daytime sleepiness be the link between ADHD and obesity?

While researchers have found that ADHD and obesity commonly coexist, the cause of this association remains unknown.

A recent study by a team in Europe has proposed that excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) may be part of that explanation. EDS has long been seen as a symptom of ADHD. Further, researchers have found EDS in obese individuals, beyond any tiredness that may be caused by other sleep disorders.

This study suggests that doctors look for ADHD symptoms in obese individuals with EDS. It also suggests that wake-promoting drugs, like mazindol, which have anorexigenic effects, may be the the treatment of choice for ADHD in obese individuals, since they treat symptoms of both disorders.