Chronic effect of C-HIIT on the quality of sleep and selective attention in young ADHD

Abstract

The objective of this study was to know the effects of a Cooperative-High Intensity Interval Training (C-HIIT) training program of 10 weeks, 2 sessions/week, and 16 minutes each session, on the quality of sleep and selective care in children diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Fifty-two schoolchildren were diagnosed with ADHD (10.13 ± 2.68 years). Twenty-four were assigned to the control group (11 girls) and 28 to the experimental group (17 girls). The quality of sleep was measured with the Pittsburgh test and selective attention with the d2 test. After the intervention program, the C-HIIT group significantly improved sleep quality compared to the control group (2.93 ± 1.762 vs. 6.88 ± 2.643, p< 0.001). The C-HIIT group significantly improved its level of selective care (pre: 42 ± 30.21 vs. post: 64.21 ± 30.57; p< 0.001), improving 21.16% with respect to the beginning of the study. It is concluded that a C-HIIT program applied for at least 10 weeks in young people with ADHD significantly improves their quality of sleep and the measure of attention, however, the effects on concentration and the rate of variation are not conclusive. It is suggested to incorporate specific programs of cooperative and high intensity stimulation in young ADHD as it could be an effective tool to improve the quality of sleep and their levels of selective care.