Navigating the Night: Unpacking ADHD's Impact on Sleep
•Jennifer Lander
Audio Player
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00:00 | 10:39
Welcome to another episode of "Landing Imperfect," where today we delve into the intricate relationship between ADHD and sleep. Jen Lander, shares her personal struggles with falling asleep and staying asleep while managing ADHD. From her husband's effortless slumber to her own racing thoughts at night, Jen gives us an intimate look into the complexities of sleep for those who live with ADHD. She discusses how executive functioning challenges, organizational difficulties, and neurotransmitter imbalances can disrupt sleep patterns, and she touches on conditions like delayed sleep phase syndrome and sleep apnea that are prevalent among those with ADHD. Jen also offers a wealth of practical advice, from establishing a calming bedtime routine to exploring light therapy and mindfulness. Join her as we unpack these issues and discover strategies to improve sleep and overall well-being for those affected by ADHD.
00:00 Melatonin helps sleep; ADHD may affect production.
03:48 ADHD can lead to sleep and stress issues.
08:43 Exercise caution and seek professional guidance. Be patient.
10:23 Share blog post, join email list, access PDF.
So my husband falls asleep in two seconds and I'm laying awake, trying my best to call my brain enough so that I can fall asleep. I've gotten frustrated too many times with him around bedtime. If he falls asleep and I'm working so hard to fall asleep. Then he wakes up for a second and wants to talk. Even that little bit of conversation is enough to re stimulate my brain. And then I feel like I'm starting all over again. So today I want to talk about trying to sleep when you're someone who lives with ADHD, let's be honest, sleep and ADHD often have a complicated relationship. So we might struggle to wind down at night. Our brains race with a million thoughts at bedtime, or maybe we're falling asleep easily, but staying asleep feels impossible. I have trouble falling and staying asleep, so it takes me a little while to wind down to fall asleep. And then once I'm asleep, I will wake up several times in the middle of the night, but I can fall back asleep pretty quickly. When people ask me how my sleep is. I usually say fine, because it's all I've known. I've just learned things along the way that have helped improve my sleep. And I'm going to be sharing some of those things with you. So. My sleep still. Isn't perfect, but it's much better than it's than it's been in the past. My brain takes a little bit of time, like I was saying to wind down at night. So there's a few reasons why those of us with ADHD have difficulty with our sleep pattern. One of those reasons has to do with the challenges that we have with executive functioning. So that's things like planning, prioritizing, and sticking to a routine. This makes it hard to establish a consistent sleep schedule, which is a key factor for good sleep hygiene. Organization that can also be difficult for people who have ADHD. So having a cluttered sleep environment can worsen sleep problems. And if you're someone who has trouble with organization, this can also make it hard to keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and free from distractions. When it comes to focusing and paying attention. People with ADHD, have a deficiency in dopamine and norepinephrine, which plays a role in our ability to engage. The same as someone who is neuro-typical. So those imbalances can lead to racing, thoughts, to difficulty shutting down our brain at night and restlessness that disrupts our sleep. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate our sleep wake cycle. There have been studies that suggest some people with ADHD may have issues with melatonin production. Which makes it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Okay. So my husband falls asleep in two seconds and I'm laying awake, trying my best to call my brain enough so that I can fall asleep. I've gotten frustrated too many times with him around bedtime. If he falls asleep and I'm working so hard to fall asleep. Then he wakes up for a second and wants to talk. Even that little bit of conversation is enough to re stimulate my brain. And then I feel like I'm starting all over again. I'm like, I understand that you can fall asleep, wake up, talk, fall back asleep with no problem. But your girl over here. It's really putting in some effort to do what you can do. And second, so don't be talking to me, sir. Okay. Um, we also have something that's called delayed sleep phase syndrome. So this means your natural sleep wake cycle is shifted to later. So you might not feel tired until well, past midnight, making early mornings. Uh, constant battle. I had this one teacher in the 10th grade that told me if school started at 10:00 AM, then I'd be pretty good. And she wasn't lying. She hit the nail on the head. Um, actually I'd prefer a school would have started at noon, but I mean, I got her point, so. This is also. Another reason why, um, people with ADHD can thrive so well as entrepreneurs because clocking in somewhere for someone else early in the morning is torture us for someone struggling with all of these things. And I know this because I did it for years and I hated every second of it. So people with ADHD, often experience higher levels of anxiety and stress, which can significantly impact their sleep quality. These worries can keep you up at night and make it harder to relax and feeling easily rejected or criticized. I mean, those things can lead to rumination and difficulty letting go of negative thoughts at night, which obviously is further going to disrupt your sleep too. People with ADHD, have a nervous system that's more easily stimulated than others. So this can lead to difficulty quieting your mind and your body for sleep. When you, even, when you feel tired in ADHD can also. Co-occur with sleep disorders like restless legs syndrome. This condition causes this irresistible urge to move your legs, which often worsens at night. So restless leg is more common in people who have ADHD and that, um, and that obviously is going to keep you up much later into the night. And then there's sleep apnea too. So this is a sleep disorder that causes pauses and breathing throughout the night. And that leads to this fragmented sleep and daytime fatigue too. Uh, sleep apnea is more prevalent and people who have ADHD. The, the lack of sleep throws this wrench into everything. I mean, we start to feel foggy. We struggle to focus and our emotional regulation can take a hit to. These issues can then make it even harder to manage our ADHD symptoms and guess what? Get a good night's sleep. Right. Talk about a vicious cycle. I mean, that's it right there. So there's some suggestions that I have for you on things that have worked for me, things that I tell my patients and things that I believe can work for you. If you give this a real shot, number one. Is create a calming bedtime routine. So dim the lights avoid screens for at least an hour before bedtime, you could read a book and not a stimulating book. One that is a little bit on the drier side. Maybe. And take a warm bath or practice calming, stretches, and then next we have light therapy. If you struggle with delayed sleep phase, using a light therapy box in the morning can help regulate your circadian rhythm. So make sure this is okay with your doctor. First, I use a light therapy lamp in the mornings when I'm putting on my makeup and doing my hair. I would recommend 15 to 30 minutes, but nothing compares to real sunlight. So if you have that available to you, then I would highly recommend you spending at least 10 minutes outside. First thing in the morning to take advantage of that sunlight. It makes a huge difference in your sleep cycle. So give that a shot. Third thing you could do is mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing exercises, or progressive muscle relaxation to quiet the mind and prepare you for sleep. So the other week I went to a kava bar and I had one of their drinks before doing a breath work group session. The entire experience was so freaking incredible and I slept so good that night. I also woke up the next morning feeling more energetic than I have had. In a really long time. My mood was higher than it typically is. And that's another thing. Just a side note. People with ADHD typically wake up with a lower mood and they have to really work to get their moods up in the morning. So I like to gradually wake up in the morning. I like it quiet, and my husband is opposite. So as soon as his eyes wake up, he is ready for the day. He's ready to go. His mood is pretty good and he talks away too much in my opinion. Okay. It's probably actually a normal amount that he's talking, but it just feels like a lot because I don't want to do hardly any talking at all for like the first 30 minutes to an hour before I wake up. And the fourth thing is optimizing your sleep environment. So make your bedroom cool. Temperature-wise make it dark and quiet. So invest in maybe some blackout curtains and some earplugs if needed. I was just talking to a friend over the weekend whose spouse snores really loud. That would destroy my sleep. I would have to either sleep in a different room or a different house completely, depending on how loud it was. But anyhow, so earplugs. Might be a good investment. If you have some distractions like that in your bedroom. The next thing to do is regular exercise. So physical activity is essential for good health, but make sure. That you're avoiding strenuous workouts too close to bedtime, and make sure that you're getting the okay from your doctor to be moving around. I'm more than aware of people's circumstances. And I don't want anyone to take this and run with it, literally, if they are healing from an eating disorder or some other type of mental health or physical complications. So please be mindful and make sure that you're exercising for the right reasons and not to punish yourself or use it to come and say an unhealthy ways. In more severe cases, it might make sense to look into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. So a therapist can help you identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors that keep you awake at night. Remember consistency is key. So these strategies won't work overnight. So be patient with yourself and stick to your new routine as much as possible. And let's face it. Life with ADHD is rarely perfect. There will be nights where sleep just doesn't cooperate with you and that's okay. So try again tomorrow. And don't be afraid to talk to your doctor for additional help and support if you need it. And. if you found any of these tips, helpful, if you know anyone who's struggling with ADHD, then please share this with them. Um, I hope you have a beautiful. beautiful. week, and I will see you on the next episode. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of landing imperfect. I truly appreciate you being a part of this community and sharing this journey with me. If you do want to connect further, then don't hesitate to follow me on Instagram at Jen dot Lander. I would love to hear your thoughts, any questions or any stories that you want to share. So, DME there, I also have a website. It's a landing and perfect website where I share a blog post about my podcast, and then you can join my email list. I have a PDF that provides anxiety and stress management tools that you can. And use as well when you join my email list. So check it out. My website will be linked in my show notes. So don't hesitate to reach
