Sleep and the Hyperactive Mind (With Tips!)

Why is sleep so hard?!

It feels like everyone these days has some sort of sleep related problem. In fact, about 1 in 10 American adults have reported insufficient sleep on a nightly basis. So what makes this so special in ADHD? The percentage of people with ADHD who have sleep problems is almost 3 in 4. It's a big deal. So, I think it's safe to say that most likely you, or ADHDer you care about, have a sleeping problem, too. So let's talk about it.

What scientists currently believe is that there is a link between ADHD and sleep disorders, though they aren't really sure what that is. There seems to be some scientists who believe that sleep problems may be causing ADHD in some people. They believe that the racing thoughts and hyperactivity is your brain's way of preventing you from falling asleep, which, if you think about it, makes sense.

Something interesting to know though, is that in people with ADHD, they have found that their circadian rhythm (or your body's natural sleep/wake cycle) may be off by almost two hours. So when a normal adult goes to bed at 10-11pm, an ADHDer would naturally go to bed at 12-1am. This makes waking up at 6 to go to work really difficult and ADHD symptoms worse.

What can we do about it?

First, if you are having problems with sleep, talk to your doctor to make sure you don't have sleep apnea or another medical condition that affects your sleep. It turns out, a lot of adults AND children with ADHD see significantly better sleep and a lessening of ADHD symptoms with medical treatment. Many docs may have you take melatonin or give you a prescription sleep aid.

If you've talked to your doc, but you're still having problems it might be a good idea to check if you have a co-morbid disorder like anxiety or depression. These make make restful sleep much harder, and working on their treatment will give you both peace of mind and a bit more shuteye.

When you've gone to all the docs and figured out you're just a weirdo, there are still a few more things that you can do to help you sleep.

• Set a calm-sounding alarm that alerts you an hour before you need to sleep.
• Dim the lights well before bedtime to promote sleepiness
• Make a true bedtime routine
• Get at least 10 minutes of exercise during the day
• Use an app to tell bedtime stories
• Do a calming activity before bed
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed

My Family's Sleep Routine

6:00pm- The family sits down for dinner. At this stage the T.V. is turned off and we've turned off the lights in the main areas we aren't using, with our house set up that means it's just the dining room light and the Kid's Hallway. This makes the house a bit dimmer and helps the kids notice the change in light outside.

7:00pm- We clean up the dining room for 10 minutes. The kids put away the toys and dishes while my husband and I scrub/vacuum. All kids electronics are plugged in and turned off for the night.

7:15pm- I put my daughter, S, in the bathtub and gather the things we need for bed. My husband exercises with my son, G.

8:00pm- I help S out of the bath then the kids brush their teeth. While we put S to bed G bathes and puts on his pajamas. S gets books and songs, then hugs and kisses. If she is especially awake we use a kid's app that tells quiet bedtime stories with music.

8:30pm- G is in his room (usually playing piano) when we come to put him to bed. We read about a chapter of the current novel (We just finished the first Harry Potter Book), and turn off the lights. Hugs and kisses. I grab my tablet and either play lullaby music or the audio of an ASMR video (I have a few pre-selected ones that he likes).

9:00pm- Hall lights are turned off. Both kids are asleep and I write while hubby plays video games. The only lights in the house are in the master and the office where we're both doing our thing and talking.

10:00pm- I take my night time meds, and get ready for bed. I turn on a salt lamp and turn off the main light before laying down. If my body isn't ready to settle down then I do a bedtime yoga routine before watching an ASMR video to help me relax.

11:00pm- Hubby is done gaming and comes in. We hang out and dream about the future.

11:30pm- I use an app on my phone that tells boring bedtime stories for adults and put it under my pillow so that Hubby isn't bothered by it. Most nights my mind is racing without something with words to process and I can stay awake all night bouncing from thought to thought otherwise.