hi!
My ADHD has blown up since starting grad school and now I never wanna go to bed at a reasonable time. I need sleep regularity in my life in order to function at my best (as does everyone else).
I’ll get up to take a shower, and I end up finding little things I need to “just do really quick” and I don’t get to bed until 1-3am when I started gettting ready at midnight. Any tips???
ADHD people have a high tendency to be night owls. That's an official finding of research.
There is an official name for the night owl syndrome: it's called Delayed Phase Sleep Disorder. I'm constantly fighting to go bed before 1 p.m., and the slightest crisis in my life can throw me off ...
Delayed phase sleep is not considered insomnia, because night owls can sleep well once they finally go to sleep. I can't tell if you're in this category as well.
There is real biology and genetics involved. Think about your family, there's likely to be another night owl there. All of my siblings were night owls. My ADHD mom was saying up to her 90th year ... "I need to go to bed early tonight." And then she'd get that night owl energy and stay up.
Some terms "chronotherapy." Also light box therapy (which people use to avoid winter blues) helps adjust and regulate the sleep clock.
You really have to be compassionate with yourself and practice ... it takes time to wind down, it really does. You have a clue here: don't do these little things. I realized I could not do work from home up til 11:30 and expect myself to sleep by 12 midnight or 12:30. Nope, any analytical work stimulates my brain.
Dimming the lights at night has really helped me.
You know you're a night owl when you can be exhausted from the night before and then 10 p.m. comes and BANG, you have a ton of energy.
Hello ADHDDNP,
Thank you for contacting CHADD National Resource Center on ADHD. Adult and children with ADHD may have sleep deprivation. Here is some information that can help you and give you tips on things you can do to help you sleep better.
chadd.org/adhd-weekly/prior... chadd.org/adhd-weekly/is-ad... chadd.org/attention-article...
If you have further questions, please let us know. We are here to help!
Liseth
Health Information Specialist
CHADD’s National Resource Center on ADHD chadd.org
Hey! See my post on here (staying organized). I talk about a brain dump every night- that's the only way I can sleep myself. Otherwise I toss and turn all night long and am totally useless the next day at work.
Hope this helps!
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