If you know someone who lives with ADHD, sleep and the reduced levels in quality of general sleep time can regularly be noted as something that plagues their lives. Sleep is an absolutely vital to allow effective functioning of the brain, particularly mood, focus, concentration, general health, and also well-being.

Sadly, there are lots of people out there who don’t get the sleep they deserve and need. The consequences can lead to the symptoms of ADHD being worsened throughout the day. Therefore, it could well be music to the ears that there are a number of ways people with ADHD can get a sound night’s sleep with these tips… Come and have a look for yourself.

Get into Having a Consistent Time for Bed and Waking Up

By heading to bed at a specific time each night, combined with having a set time to wake up each morning, do wonders to promote improved sleep.

The internal biological clock that everyone of us has assists to regulate our sleep/wake cycles. You might not think it, but humans crave consistency, and this helps keep the consistency when it comes to internal ‘clock setting’, while also ensuring appropriate amounts of sleep are achieved.

Try to Remove Worry from Your Mind

As soon as your head lays on the cloud-like delight that is your pillow, allow any problems, issues or worries from the day you’ve had to drift away; don’t let them get to the forefront of your mind, or sleeping will soon become the last thing on your mind.

If you’re finding this hard, and you know that your mind’s likely to be racing come bedtime, have why not try writing things that are bothering you on some in a jotter?

Don’t be tempted to use your smartphone to write notes as this will cause the brain to be stimulated, and you don’t want that at bedtime. Stick to good old pen and paper and down whatever it is that’s in your head, and you can work on what’s playing on your mind the next day, or at a more appropriate time.

Bring Some Exercise into Your Life

Exercise isn’t just renowned for its ability to effectively promote good health and overall well-being, it also supports good sleep.

While getting stuck into an energetic workout session just before you hit the hay is not on the list of recommendations, taking part in exercise during the day is a sure-fire way to find it easier to drop off of an evening. It’ll also help you to stay asleep once you do doze off too.

Tip: If your child is living with ADHD, be certain to get lots of physical play for them outdoors too.

Avoid Beginning any Hyperfocus Activities at Bedtime

Even though it can be tricky, if you want to enjoy good quality sleep, it’s highly advised to not begin an activity that will involve hyperfocusing on. As many ADHD sufferers will be aware, it can be particularly difficult to disengage and head off to bed.

It’s not just children with ADHD who can find themselves hyperfocusing when they are using digital devices such as computers, tablets or mobile phones, it’s adults too.

Remedy the temptations which will surely affect your quality of sleep, by removing them from your bedroom. No TV and no smart devices in the bedroom will help to create a non-stimulating sleep sanctuary!

Try Some Herbal Tea Before Bed

Put the English Breakfast down; there are non-caffeinated teas that won’t stimulate your mind and body before bedtime. The herbal options available to you are aplenty, so why not try some and see which works best for you?

Some good examples include:

•      Chamomile
•      Passionflower
•      Lemon Balm
•      Lavender

It’s warm cups of tea like these that will help you feel sleepy and send you off to a peaceful slumber. Be sure to drink them around two hours prior to bed or you could be disturbed by needing a toilet break halfway through the night.

Draw a Warm Bath for Yourself

It can be easy to overcomplicate things when you are struggling to find ways to get good sleep, and that’s why it’s always worth bearing in mind some of the easiest, most-widely tried and tested methods to encourage sound sleep.

Draw yourself a relaxing bath (or shower, if you don’t have a bath); this is proven to be beneficial in helping people to relax and unwind.

Be Positive

As we mentioned earlier about writing down worries, etc., another aspect of removing yourself from negativity is to focus on the positive things.

Allow your mind to readjust its thinking, and hone in on those happy thoughts; they can be as little or large as you like. A good way to get the ball rolling imagine favourite places you’ve been, and reenact the sounds that you heard while you were there. This is a very personal thing, so let your mind take you to that happy place and the good feelings will take you off to sleep in no time.

Bio

Hi! My name’s Sarah Cummings. I’ve been involved in writing informative and helpful guides for a while now. Originally, my passion to help others was the overriding factor to become a writer, and this led me to draw experiences from new experiencing took me through a journey that brought me to a place where I was many things in my life.

My love of exercise has always been a big part of how I lead my life, and I find it helps with lots of things, including sleep. I’m an advocator of promoting sleep and help out the Sleep Advisor [SA] currently.

I have had the good fortune to have a long and spiritual background in yoga too, and I feel as though this pairs perfectly with my passion for healthy eating and leading an active lifestyle.

I enjoy learning and coming up with new ways to develop my writing so that I can help others to grow and learn too. When I have a spare morning, you can catch me gazing at sunrises from different places on the planet!