ADHD & Sleep
Jan. 11th, 2023 11:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bethanestaAs a person with ADHD I have a lot of difficulty getting to sleep.
I am not the only one - 3/4 of all adults with ADHD report difficulty falling asleep, with an inability to shut their brains off. A neurotypical person takes about 15 minutes to fall asleep but for people with ADHD it can take much longer
I know for me it is because lying in bed waiting to fall asleep is boring! and can be uncomfortable and stressful which makes it even harder to lie there and wait for unconsciousness. There were many many nights especially when I was younger and did not know many tips and tricks on how to manage where I would actively avoid going to bed and was permanently exhausted.
The main trick I have had for falling asleep is to find an activity that gives the right level of stimulation and rewards my brain with some happy chemicals. I find having a good evening/night-time routine where I spend some time doing some papercrafting or colouring is really soothing, I will then get into bed and either listen to some soft relaxing music (I'm enjoying 'brown noise' right now) or I will fall asleep watching some TikTok - mostly junk journal ASMR videos
I am not the only one - 3/4 of all adults with ADHD report difficulty falling asleep, with an inability to shut their brains off. A neurotypical person takes about 15 minutes to fall asleep but for people with ADHD it can take much longer
I know for me it is because lying in bed waiting to fall asleep is boring! and can be uncomfortable and stressful which makes it even harder to lie there and wait for unconsciousness. There were many many nights especially when I was younger and did not know many tips and tricks on how to manage where I would actively avoid going to bed and was permanently exhausted.
The main trick I have had for falling asleep is to find an activity that gives the right level of stimulation and rewards my brain with some happy chemicals. I find having a good evening/night-time routine where I spend some time doing some papercrafting or colouring is really soothing, I will then get into bed and either listen to some soft relaxing music (I'm enjoying 'brown noise' right now) or I will fall asleep watching some TikTok - mostly junk journal ASMR videos
