Staying up too late, or struggling to catch 40 winks each night? For those with ADHD, getting enough sleep can be a struggle. We asked the experts for their top sleep tips for ADHD to help you get a good night’s sleep
Words: Amy Mica Marsden. Images: Shutterstock
If you’ve ever found yourself wide awake at 3 am, mind racing with thoughts, you’re definitely not alone. Especially if you have – or suspect you have – ADHD, this problem is all too common.
In fact, it’s thought that two in three adults (around 67% of people) with ADHD struggle to get enough shut-eye each night.
But it’s not just switching off that ADHDers struggle with when it comes to sleep. You might have trouble getting to bed on time, regulating your circadian rhythm, or you struggle staying asleep through the night.
‘Seeing someone else lie down and fall asleep within a few minutes has always been a little like watching the Olympics for me,’ says Adam Stanford, therapist and ADHDer.
‘Slipping from consciousness to full sleep without a transition of at least 30 minutes, usually closer to an hour, of lying down in the cold dark is wildly elusive to me.’
Why ADHD affects sleep
Several things are working against ADHDers when it comes to getting enough sleep.
‘One of the biggest reasons is that people with ADHD often have difficulty stopping an activity once they’re engaged in it,’ says licensed psychotherapist Gayle Weill.
‘Someone may intend to go to bed at 10:30 but get pulled into social media, a project, household tasks, or even something productive and suddenly realise it’s much later than they thought.’
For those with ADHD, their minds may also become more active at night. Once the busyness of the day has died down, that’s when an ADHD mind springs to life to process everything it didn’t have space to think over earlier, leaving them struggling to relax and switch off.
Another reason is that an ADHDer’s circadian rhythm – the natural body clock which helps your system know when to sleep, eat, and more – is often dysregulated or delayed, meaning that the natural production of the sleep hormone melatonin or the relaxation hormone GABA doesn’t occur at the ‘right’ time.
In fact, up to 78% of those with ADHD experience problems with a delayed sleep-wake time, with some researchers finding their circadian clock runs up to 2 hours later than that of a neurotypical person.
You may also experience something called ‘revenge bedtime procrastination’ – the impulse to engage in stimulating activities and take time for yourself after a day of meeting others’ demands, even if that means staying up late.
‘[People with ADHD] may tell themselves they’re going to bed soon, and then suddenly it’s midnight, and they’re still scrolling, answering emails, or folding laundry,’ explains Gail. ‘By the time they actually feel tired, they’re often overtired.’
Get a better sleep with ADHD
Advice for sleeping better with ADHD doesn’t come down to saying ‘just go to bed earlier’ and leaving it at that – it’s a far more complex issue.
Mindfulness
‘One of my favourite suggestions for my clients is a powerful mindfulness practice called Progressive Muscle Relaxation,’ says therapist Adam Stanford. ‘This involves systematically tensing and releasing the muscles throughout your body.’
‘It helps in many different ways, but people often use it specifically before bedtime. You can easily find tracks to guide you through it by searching for Progressive Muscle Relaxation on various music and video streaming services.’
Routine changes
Meanwhile, Gail Weill recommends changing the time you aim to be in bed by. ‘One tip I give is to start the bedtime routine before you feel sleepy,’ she suggests.
‘Many people with ADHD wait until they feel tired to start getting ready for bed, but that feeling may come much later than intended, especially if they get absorbed in other things like scrolling, work, or cleaning, etc.
‘It can help to have a consistent time when the wind-down process begins, whether you feel tired or not.’
Simplify your bedtime
Gail also recommends simplifying your bedtime routine as much as possible, so you’re making fewer decisions when it’s time to sleep. This can reduce the ADHD urge to put off tasks with too many steps.
‘In my experience, a simple routine that works most of the time is far more helpful than an elaborate routine that feels impossible to keep up with,’ she says.
Write it down
If you struggle with a racing mind, Gail recommends using a journal or notepad to write down tomorrow’s tasks or anything else you’re worried about before going to bed.
This means your brain is no longer trying to keep track of the information while you’re falling asleep, making it easier to drift off.
Dim the lights
Some research suggests that using dimmed, warm-toned lighting for two hours before sleep helps the brain switch off. You should also limit exposure to screens, as these emit blue light, keeping the brain active.
Listen to white noise
It’s thought that the low-level auditory input from white or brown noise occupies the brain’s attention without being too stimulating, effectively stopping it from wandering. Many apps and machines let you set a timer, too, so the noise won’t be running all night long.
At the end of the day, Gail says the most important thing is to try not to punish yourself. ‘I think it’s important for people with ADHD not to turn sleep into another area where they feel like they’re doing something wrong.’
