By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – January 8, 2019
Do those with ADHD have a hard time going to bed or do they just have a hard time going to sleep? Research suggests those with ADHD struggle with agitated boredom.
As a coach I’ve realized the most boring time of the day is the time between when you put your head on the pillow and the time you fall asleep. Bottom line is, it is boring.
The archenemy of the ADHD person is boredom. Boredom is to be avoided at all costs. The ADHD mind craves stimulation.
What is a person to do?
Find a repetitive activity that isn’t engaging so as to calm your brain, thus up-ticking melatonin production. Here are examples of repetitive tasks that don’t require executive function:
- Playing Solitaire with cards
- Washing dishes in a dim kitchen or with a miner’s light on the forehead
- Using adult coloring books
- Crocheting, needlepoint, etc.
Aha! Focus on an activity before bed that captures your attention but isn’t so exciting it will keep you up. Try it tonight and let me know your results!
Want more? http://www.digcoaching.com/PDF/ADHD_and_Sleep_the_Basics.pdf
When I remember to do it, reading medical manuals and listening to Dr. Radio in bed (quiet and dark) knock me out. However, it’s the “going to bed” part that I have to remember to do.
Yeah, that is the trick isn’t it. To pause and remember. As Dr. Barkley puts it… to engage the executive functioning brain to override the automatic brain (primitive brain). Alarms and visual reminders are obvious things to implement; however, they often don’t work; they become invisible. The trick is to figure out what gets your attention… what other force can you use to kind of wake yourself up and say, “Oh! I need to get my medical manuals and get into bed.”
All that being said, the trick to figuring out what the trick is, is often found when you look at your successes. Notice when you were reading medical manuals in bed. What enabled you to do that. What triggered it. In the end if you did it, something worked. Pause and wonder what worked. If you can isolate it, you have the recipe!
Thank for taking the time to post your comment!
I take my Kindle to bed to listen to religious talk shows on YouTube. I use my earbuds so the noise doesn’t disturb my husband and keep the volume low so I can easily drift off. It focuses the random thoughts that usually race through my brain. If I can’t sleep, I am entertained by the show. But usually I am conked out after only a few minutes. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I just start the show again and am asleep right away.
I’m guessing you just listen with the lights off? That is good sleep hygiene! And helps in allowing melatonin in the brain to do its thing. If the lights are on and you are still able to fall asleep, it makes me curious what other factors enable you to sleep.