Hello! Welcome to my newsletter.

The purpose of this newsletter is to share with you how I handle every day life with ADHD, but without ADHD medication. I will share tips, tools and strategies for you to introduce in to your own life so you too can manage your ADHD.

Time to read: 3m56s

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Self-care series: sleep

This week we are back with the ‘Self-Care Series’ and this week we are talking about sleep.

Why is sleep so important?

I probably don’t need to tell you how important sleep is. But just in case you don’t know, here’s a quick run down of some of the benefits you get from sleep:

• Physical health: Sleep aids in tissue repair, energy restoration, waste removal, immune support, and may help prevent Alzheimer's.

• Mental health: Sleep enhances learning, memory, focus, decision-making, and creativity.

• Growth and development: Essential for children and teens.

• Chronic health problems: Lack of sleep raises the risk of conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

• Safety: Sleep deprivation increases the risk of car accidents and workplace injuries.

• Weight management: Poor sleep boosts hunger and cravings for unhealthy foods, leading to weight gain.

My sleep

I’m usually awake around 6-7am, I have a coffee, followed by my ice bath time before I attend the Daily Meditation Accountability Group.

Waking up this early means I’m usually in bed by (the latest) 9pm, but sometimes it’s as early as 7pm! When I was taking ADHD medication (Elvanse) I was able to stay up a lot later, but this was more a side effect of the stimulant drug than me just staying up later.

In general I constantly feel tired. I wake up tired, I’m tired all day long, and then I’m tired when I go to bed. Occasionally I will have trouble getting to sleep, or I might struggle with waking up numerous times through the night and then struggling to get back to sleep. More often than not I have broken sleep, it’s rare that I would sleep right through. I also have extremely vivid dreams, that often leave me with strong emotions, even after I’ve been awake for a while.

Sleep and ADHD

Having ADHD can often affect ones sleep patterns and people with ADHD are more likely to develop sleep disorders than people without.

When someone with ADHD experiences sleep-related difficulties, this can actually exacerbate their ADHD symptoms, which can then just lead to a really vicious cycle.

It’s common for those with ADHD to experience the following sleep issues:

• Difficulty Falling Asleep

• Delayed Sleep-wake cycle

• Restless Sleep

• Sleep Disorders

  • Insomnia

  • Circadian rhythm sleep disorders

  • Sleep disordered breathing

  • restless leg syndrome

  • Narcolepsy

• Difficulty Waking Up

• Sleep Deprivation

• Daytime Sleepiness

What can I do to improve my sleep?

There are many things you can do to help improve sleep, most of them are common across those with ADHD and those without ADHD. However, managing sleep is an important part of addressing your ADHD symptoms, as improving your sleep can help reduce some of the cognitive and behavioral challenges we experience.

• Regulate your sleep cycle: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

• Bedtime Routine: Creating a calming bedtime routine can help signal the body that it’s time to wind down.

• Sleep Environment: A quiet, cool, and dark room can help facilitate better sleep.

• Reducing Stimulants: Avoiding caffeine and screens close to bedtime can help improve your sleep quality.

• Medication Management: Some ADHD medications can affect sleep, for example when I used to take Elvanse, if I took it too late in the morning, I would struggle to get to sleep that night. So if you do take stimulant meds, establishing a good routine for when you take them will avoid them affecting your sleep later on.

• Exercise: Regular physical activity, particularly earlier in the day, can help improve sleep patterns.

• Supplements: Some supplements claim to aid sleep. I take magnesium on an evening, I believe this aids my sleep but also helps to reduce my restless legs.

Improving sleep is crucial part of managing ADHD, as better sleep can significantly alleviate the challenges and symptoms we struggle with on a day to day basis.

By understanding the impact of ADHD on sleep and implementing strategies to improve sleep quality, we can break the cycle of sleep deprivation and enhance our overall well-being.

Prioritising good sleep hygiene, making small, manageable changes and seeking professional guidance when needed, can lead to meaningful improvements in our daily functioning and our quality of life.

Finally, I’d like to add that if you, like me, have decided to manage your ADHD without medication, sleep plays an extremely vital part in that machine and it should be one of your top priorities.

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I hope you find what I write interesting, helpful and sometimes funny! And if you do, I'd love it if you shared what I am saying with others.

Applications are now open for coaching with me, if you would like to apply please follow this link: https://tally.so/r/3NV5bO

Carly x