ADHD Folks!
I just read this wonderful article on ADDitudemag.com that discusses the difficulty that folks (young and old/male and female) have falling and staying asleep. I wasn’t officially diagnosed with ADHD until I was in my early 20s and I have always struggled with sleep. Well, to be honest, not only falling asleep and staying asleep, but waking up as well. I’ll go through seasons where it is easy to fall asleep but the rest of the time, I just lie in bed getting frustrated that I can’t sleep. My body is usually ready to drift off into Beddy-bye Land around 10PM, but my brain has other plans. My brain usually doesn’t shut off until around 3AM. Yep, just a few hours before I’m supposed to wake up to get ready for work. Below is a quick 7-bullet point list from the ADDitudemag article.
BEFORE WE GET TO THE INFO, PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM NOT A DOCTOR. I merely have severe ADHD (Inattentive type).
1. Maintain the same bedtime each night.
2. Eliminate caffeine after 2PM
3. Try some white noise (box fan, vent fan, etc)
4. Turn off all devices 30-60 before your bedtime
5. Melatonin might be helpful
6. Avoid napping
7. Maintain the same wake-up & bedtime schedule
I know personally, melatonin is not very effective in my system. I guess my body/brain metabolizes it too quickly. I only get about 3-4 hours of sleep. Then I’m awake again, but most of the folks I know that take it find melatonin very effective. I do have a fan that I use and it helps a lot.
I plan on trying several of these beginning tonight. I’ll give it a whirl and try to update next week on any improvements.
– Establish bedtime & wake-up times.
– Put away the devices
If you have had success with working with and through your ADHD, feel free to comment below. I know that I have a LOT to learn yet.
Photo credit: Andrea Piacuadio
Prodigal Mike ~Mike
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