{
  "id": 13045806,
  "title": "ADHD as a circadian rhythm disorder: evidence and implications for chronotherapy (2025)",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/adhd-as-a-circadian-rhythm-disorder-evidence-and-implications-for-13045806",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-08T20:42:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hacker News Best",
    "slug": "hacker-news-best",
    "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1697900/full"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A growing body of research reveals a substantial subgroup of individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience circadian rhythm dysfunction, which is a clinically significant and prevalent phenotype. This disorder is characterized by evening chronotypes, phase-delayed biological markers, and sleep disturbances affecting up to 80% of adults and 82% of children with ADHD. These sleep issues include insomnia, sleep disturbances, delayed sleep-wake timing, and a delayed dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) by approximately 45 minutes in children and 90 minutes in adults. The disruption in circadian rhythms is accompanied by blunted and delayed cortisol rhythms, reduced pineal volume, and attenuated peripheral clock-gene rhythms. Research indicates that the circadian phase can be advanced in ADHD populations through melatonin and bright light therapy, resulting in advanced DLMO and potential ADHD symptom improvement. Winter trials suggest that circadian preference shifts can predict symptom improvement. Behavioral-first clinical pathways propose routine screening for sleep and circadian disturbances, phenotypic characterization, implementation of fixed wake times, morning bright light exposure, evening light restriction, and regularized zeitgebers, along with selective low-dose melatonin for confirmed or probable DLMO delays. This approach is considered pragmatic, scalable, and generally low risk, inviting future well-designed trials to quantify effects on core ADHD outcomes and optimize circadian-focused protocols.",
  "summary": "Article URL: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1697900/full Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50011928 Points: 249 # Comments: 145",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hacker News",
        "title": "ADHD as a circadian rhythm disorder: evidence and implications for chronotherapy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/adhd-as-a-circadian-rhythm-disorder-evidence-and-implications-for",
        "published": "2026-10-08T20:42:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}