It’s no secret that people with adhd often have sleep issues. I certainly do. I’m curious what bedtime routine helps others sleep. My partner likes to read a boring book before bed, but I struggle to read books unless they are engaging. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)
I fall asleep when my exhaustion overwhelms my anxiety; I get up when my anxiety overwhelms my exhaustion.
Step 1: Go to bed at 22:00
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Fall asleep at 04:00
- 6-8 hours before bed: no more coffee
- 3 hours before bed: no more eating
- 1-2 hours before bed: shower + hot bath
- until bed: low light (not blue light). No more non-fiction (no news, no work-related, etc.) and no games. Basically, nothing to get the mind/body worked up.
- bed. No screens or lights. Light music or white noise if needed.
This works pretty well for me, but sticking to it 100% of the time can be a bit difficult.
Drugs
Edit: to clarify, I mean prescription stuff. But whatever floats your boat
I use melatonin, but that usually gives me insomnia after a while when I try to not use it.
Melatonin is probably one of the most misunderstood and misused supplements out there
Care to elaborate? I agree it’s certainly overused. I know I use it wayy to much.
I’m still baffled by it, but a couple of years ago I found a switch in my brain and now I rarely have issues falling asleep anymore. I think the most important thing for me is not to constantly ask myself why I’m failing at such a seemingly simple task, but rather work around my natural instincts and try to support them as best I can.
If I go to bed early, because I have to get up early, I start spiralling and fall asleep way later, so I try to only go to bed whenever I’m tired. If I end up sleping too little I take one or two 20 minute naps (I try to never exceed 20, it would make me even more tired).
Another factor is probably how long I sleep. I always assumed I wanted to sleep long, because getting up sucks. But at some point I realised, that my first ‘sorta-awake’ moment is the perfect moment to get up and have energy for the day and get tired at the proper time. This moment comes at around 6 hours for me. I still struggle with this a lot though.
