What is your sleep pattern?
ADHDers tend to be night owls. It’s the part of the day with fewest distractions: the phone stops ringing, the kitchen is closed, other family members are in bed, and your ADHD brain is still going. That is not to say ADHDers need less sleep. Instead ADHD folks often develop what’s called phase delayed sleep - going to bed too late and getting up too late. The lack of sleep then exacerbates the inattentive symptoms in a vicious cycle. Living on a 9 to 5 schedule can be very difficult for someone with ADHD. What should you do? The answer is, whatever you can to sleep better! This might involve medication and non-medication approaches.
Non-medication approaches to improving sleep hygiene include:
- Establish regular bedtime
- Establish regular rise time
- Avoid daytime napping
- Avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol
- Do not go to bed too hungry or too full
- Avoid offensive foods
- Attend to sleep environment (e.g. temperature, humidity, light, noise, pillow)
- Establish regular pre-sleep routine
- Avoid time cues
Many people are self-medicating with over the counter medications such as tylenol pm. I strongly recomend against this. The active ingredient in tylenol pm that makes you sleepy is diphenhydramine, which is benedryl. The tylenol part of tylenol pm is not helping you sleep, and in high enough doses can be damaging to your liver. The ingredient helping you sleep, benedryl, is an antihistamine. It is very drying and can cause cognitive sluggishness the next morning.
A better option for natural supplementation is melatonin, which should be taken a few hours before bedtime. Melatonin is a signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down, rather than it being a sedative. Research studies have shown sleep benefits of melatonin for both children and adults. Another option is Valerian root, a mildly sedating herb which can be taken at bedtime to treat insomnia It is on the FDA’s GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) list.
If sleep problems persist, see your doctor. You may have a sleep disorder such as restless leg syndrome, periodic leg movements of sleep, or sleep apnea that needs special treatment. Prescription sleep medications can be a safe and effective when used as prescribed. There are even some newer sleep medications such as Rozerem and Lunesta (the butterfly commercial) that have been approved for chronic nightly use by the FDA.
Last 5 posts by Dr. Theresa Cerulli
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- New Guidelines for Mental Health Treatment in Pre-schoolers - March 17th, 2008
- ADHD and Sleep - March 9th, 2008
- Through the Years with ADHD - February 17th, 2008