For many people, sleep is a welcome escape at the end of the day, a chance to rest, reset, and recharge. But for individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), sleep often feels like a nightly battle rather than a natural rhythm.
With not a single day the same, restlessness and difficulty winding down, falling asleep, and staying asleep can be incredibly challenging. Despite feeling exhausted, people with ADHD frequently find their minds refusing to switch off, creating a frustrating cycle of sleep deprivation and worsened ADHD symptoms. Understanding this struggle is the first step toward finding compassionate, effective strategies for better rest.
What is ADHD
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that includes symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. These symptoms can interfere with daily functioning at school, work and in social situations. ADHD is commonly, but not exclusively, diagnosed in childhood with symptoms persisting into adulthood. With support like therapy and medication, those with ADHD can effectively manage symptoms.
How does it affect sleep?
Like many neurodevelopmental disorders, ADHD is based on a spectrum with no two people having the same struggles. But these are the general difficulties those with ADHD face when it comes to sleep.
The first is falling asleep; many with ADHD report difficulty shutting their mind off before bed, either getting a burst of energy or endless rumination. Chloe Fogg, 21, who was recently diagnosed with ADHD, describes her experience of struggling to sleep, with no clue why. “I constantly find myself restless at night, finding jobs to do and procrastinating sleep.
“It’s horrible, I feel like my mind will never be able to shut off on some days.”
People with ADHD can get hyper-focused on activities that were not part of the plan. This can be anything from cleaning their room, watching YouTube videos or worrying about the next day. This can make falling asleep extremely difficult.
Once hyper-focused, another prominent issue is time blindness, leaving those with ADHD locked into activities late into the night with no idea of the time passing. Chloe says, “Before I know it, it’s 3 am and I have watched a YouTube series, cleaned my room and started a new book.”
Another way sleep can be affected during the night is restlessness. Tossing and turning are awakened by any noise in the house, as if they were asleep, yet they remain alert, meaning they get little to no sleep at all.
On the other hand, people can become hyper-focused during sleep, particularly on dreams. If you think of an ADHD brain being hyper-focused during the daytime, really locked into something, the same can be true for night-time in a dream. Daniel King, ADHD specialist says, “It can be quite intense and unpleasant, people can wake up feeling agitated and anxious and even after waking up and looking awake a part of their brain is still in it.”
This is something Chloe has experienced: “It’s an unexplainable feeling that I didn’t tell people about for years. It was so intense and would leave me feeling upset afterwards.”
Bed wetting is another common occurrence for those with ADHD when experiencing this hyper-focused sleep stage in children, but also into adulthood. Mr King says, “often the part of your system that will tell you to go to the toilet just isn’t developed at some rate in children, causing them all sorts of difficulties which can continue right up to teenage years.
“Imagine the shame that becomes attached to that, even though it’s due to the depth of sleep and that they’ve not fully figured out what’s happening.”
After an exhausting day battling many symptoms, sometimes an ADHD brain will shut down, causing an extended sleep period. Many may sleep through alarms, miss important work or social events, and sleep the day away into the afternoon without a clue. Struggling to wake up for work or university is something Chloe is no stranger to. She says, “I sometimes feel like I can’t win, I either get no sleep and cannot concentrate at work or uni, or I sleep too much and miss it completely.
“It does make me anxious, and I end up blaming myself.”
How to help
The first piece of advice for individuals, as well as parents, friends, and partners, is not to shame the situation. If you haven’t completed your list of tasks for the day, don’t worry, you can do it later. If you do end up losing track of time, it’s fine; don’t beat yourself up. Recognising what your ADHD is and accepting it is hugely important. Mr King says, “While medication can help, there may be things that you will always struggle with, and it’s important to accept it’s a part of who you are.
“It’s really complicated because there’s a lack of understanding and lots of dismissal of ADHD, from some saying it’s a woke new disease and others saying it doesn’t exist at all.”
Practising sleep hygiene is crucial for those with ADHD.
- No screens before bed
- A regular sleep-wake cycle
- A dark room
- Leave the bed for sleep and sex only
A particularly important one is no caffeine before bed; sometimes caffeine can have the opposite effect on those with ADHD, and it is also not encouraged to be mixed with many of the medications prescribed.
For some people, it affects how they function and has knock-on effects of anxiety, depression, addiction and other things. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behavioural Therapy can be beneficial, particularly working on emotional dysregulation. Medication can be another fix, but it is often a trial-and-error process with your doctor.
Sleep struggles are a very real and often overlooked part of living with ADHD. Leaving people finding themselves locked in a nightly tug-of-war with their own minds. Understanding that these difficulties are not rooted in laziness or lack of discipline, but in the way the ADHD brain functions, is a crucial step in finding compassion for oneself and for others. Whether it’s practising better sleep hygiene, seeking therapy, adjusting medication, or simply allowing space for acceptance, there are ways to make nights more manageable.
Most importantly, the journey toward better sleep with ADHD begins by recognising that you’re not alone, you are not strange and that your experience is valid. With the right support and strategies, getting your 40 winks is absolutely possible.
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