We all know how important sleep is but as ADHDers many of us also know how difficult good sleep can be to achieve. It can also lead to more stress reading again and again how important it is, so in this section we won’t concentrate on why sleep is important but instead we will share techniques that other ADHDers use to try and improve their sleep quality.
For most of my life it has taken me hours to fall asleep, no matter how tired I was I would just lie there with my brain refusing to switch off. I then watched a webinar with Sandra Kooij called ADHD and Sleep and she recommended taking 2mg of Circadin (melatonin) an hour before bed and this has made a huge difference. I now fall asleep much more quickly. The Circadin was expensive to buy online but my pscyhiatrist agreed to give me it on prescription.
A time for reflection
There is an alternative to lying in bed stressing when you can’t get to sleep night after night – reframe it as an important time for reflection. Lobow, from Lobow’s SPARK podcast, recently wrote, “Reflection is the ADHD classroom and we are both the teacher and the student. This makes us incredibly perceptive and builds our overall knowledge on things that truly matter in life.” I think perception is absolutely one of the greatest strengths of many ADHDers, we can read a situation or person incredibly quickly and as a result we can come up with solutions or be able to offer exactly the right sort of support really quickly. Well, maybe all this time that we spend over-thinking is what allows us to have this ability. So instead of trying to fight it we just need to embrace it. Fighting it never seems to be very successful anyway!
What works for other ADHDERS
I listen to guided meditations. Keeps me focusing on something else other than my thoughts and helps me drift off.
I’d recommend Melatonin and as much outdoor time in the sun & physical activity as possible!
I can’t believe I’m outing myself, but try ASMR. (I joked w my son for the longest time about it) Turns out it works. So from a reformed perspective.. It helps turn off my brain and tune into relaxing.
ASMR Zeitgeist, Gibi ASMR & DennisASMR are great ones to try. CBD too…
Once you go to your bed start counting down. Start from 300. All the way down to 1. (you’ll probably be asleep before reaching 1) Oh and do it with your eyes closed and every time you say a new number say it slower and less loud and with a bigger pause.
Early evening 30mins+ of cardio works for me. I do it a couple hours before I plan on going to bed.
Reading
“Adults who have restless legs syndrome are more likely to also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than adults who don’t have the sleep disorder, according to research.”