“Twas the Night before Christmas…

And all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Except the mom, who had ADHD, and couldn’t sleep no matter how hard she tried.night sleep an add woman

And it wasn’t just during the holidays; it was any night at all.

Is it Insomnia?

It could be; but when you have ADHD, getting and staying asleep is a problem. It comes with the territory.

Your brain is used to stimulation, and when you go to bed at night, you are removing that. It’s quiet, and dark, and your brain goes into overdrive to compensate.

This is when you’ve got a thousand ideas rushing through your head, and no matter how hard you try, or what you do, it seems impossible to get to sleep.

If you’re spending night after night awake for hours, and you’re either depending on sleep aids to help you sleep (or maybe they don’t work), then you may have insomnia.

Take a look at what’s going on in your life. If there is more than usual stress, or something significant has happened or changed, you might want to see your doctor.

I Just Want to Sleep!

Unfortunately, sometimes when we get into this cycle of not being able to sleep, we start expecting not to sleep when we go to bed, which sets up a vicious cycle.

Here are some things you can try:

Still Can’t Sleep?

At some point, you may have to just ride it out.

I know you don’t want to hear that, but it’s true. I speak from experience.

If you’re tossing and turning in bed, and the clock just keeps ticking off the hours with no sleep in sight, get up.

Read a book, watch TV (at this point the no electronics rule is pointless), journal, or just do whatever.

You may find you fall asleep right where you are, or not.

Usually these things resolve themselves in a week or two.

And yes, I know what torture that is in the meantime.

Again, if it gets too bad, consult your doctor.

 

 

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