ADHD & Sleep
Last updated: January 2024
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Welcome to our online hub kindly funded by the National Lottery Community Fund to support adults who have a diagnosis of ADHD and sleep issues.
An estimated 50-75% of adults with ADHD experience sleeping problems
If you are diagnosed with inattentive ADHD, you are more likely to go to bed later.
Those of us with predominantly hyperactive and/or impulsive symptoms are more likely to experience insomnia
Those with the combined sub-type tend to experience both a later bedtime and poor sleep quality
Regardless of sub-type, many people with ADHD experience daytime sleepiness and difficulty waking or getting up in the morning
The Project
We have worked with many adults who have ADHD to help develop our project and this is what we have learned.
You told us about some of the issues that you face with sleep including:
- Early waking
- Inability to fall asleep
- Burn out
- Waking due to hunger
- Sensory issues
- Anxiety
- Hyper-focusing at bedtime
You told us how sleep issues can affect your life, these included:
- Mood is lowered
- Feel exhausted
- Anxiety increased
- Relationships suffer
- Appearance is compromised
- Safety issues around driving/operating machinery etc
- Feeling lonely and isolated
We aim to provide:
- Help at the earliest opportunity to prevent sleep problems from escalating
- Accessible evidence-based information
- Peer support through our Facebook forum
We will continue to add to our resources as the project develops. If you have an idea for a resource that we should be including, please let us know by emailing info@thesleepcharity.org.uk
Our new podcast series is where we get together with different people and experts to chat about sleep linked to various themes. This series focuses on the link between ADHD and Sleep and supports our work in this area.
With around 4 in every 10 adults experiencing sleep issues, the podcast is here to open up those all-important conversations around sleep. We want you to understand more about sleep, how to look after your sleep and how to improve those zzzs.
We are not about soothing sounds or sleep stories but we talk about how the serious issue of sleep. We will tackle the subjects of ADHD, women’s health, children’s sleep and much more! So if you want to learn more about sleep, you’ve come to the right place!
Series 1 – The Impact of ADHD on Sleep
In this first series, our focus is on ADHD and sleep, thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund. Presenter, Mark Thompson, speaks with leading industry experts and influential people about their relationship with sleep and how factors such as relationships, food, exercise, family life and health can affect sleep.
Trailer
Episode 1: Food & Diet with Sarah Osborne – Founder, SO Nutrition
Diet and sleep go hand-in-hand and in this episode, Sarah talks about the relationship between what we eat and how we sleep. Sarah works specifically with people with ADHD and has an incredible knowledge of the intricacies of food and the science behind it.
Episode 2: Exercise and the impact on sleep with Dr Sarah Gilchrist – Gilchrist Performance
Dr Sarah Gilchrist, who has a doctorate in sleep and athletic performance and an extensive background in the UK high performance sport industry, chats about how exercise can impact sleep and promote homeostatic balance. Plus how exercise can help support a better night’s sleep for those with ADHD.
Episode 3: Personal Growth & Performance with Elliot Browne – No.1 ADHD authority on business, performance and resilience
In this insightful conversation with Elliot, we talk about the impact of sleep and ADHD on his life plus his strategies to getting to sleep.
Episode 4: Relationships & Family Life with Sarah Sharp – Founder, Tick Tok Therapy
In this episode, Sarah explores the ADHD and relationships. Aside from her professional work, she gave an honest insight into her own family life and the impacts of ADHD.
Episode 5: Vicki Beevers – Founder and CEO, The Sleep Charity
The driving force behind The Sleep Charity, founder and CEO, Vicki Beevers takes us on a powerful journey through her own story on severe sleep deprivation, her ADHD diagnosis to how and why she founded the charity. She also highlights the spectrum and individuality of ADHD and the variety of strategies that can be implemented to improve sleep.
Episode 6: The Sensory Side of Sleep with Amanda Bland, Stitch Ability – Sensory and Sleep Solutions
Amanda Bland gives us an incredible explanation about how people, particularly children with ADHD and sensory issues can have problems with sleep and how as parents and carers, we can support them.
Episode 7: Self Strategies with Dr Lou Mycroft
In this episode, Dr Lou Mycroft shares how her ADHD has been supported by her own self strategies – the most prominent being her pursuit for joy.
Episode 8: Highlighting ADHD with Tony Lloyd – CEO, ADHD Foundation
Mark Thompson is joined by Tony Lloyd from the ADHD Foundation in this episode where they explore the amazing work the ADHD Foundation do and the impacts of ADHD on daily life.
Resources to Support
We have worked with many adults who have ADHD to help develop our project and this is what we have learned.
Bed Sharing
Not Tired
Wake Up
Naps
RLS
OSA
Download full colour or print-friendly advice sheet
Thoughts
Need support or advice?
If you have, or think you have, ADHD and you experience sleep difficulties OR you are supporting someone who does, please feel free to join our Facebook Group here.
ADHD Foundation
The ADHD Foundation is the UK’s leading neurodiversity charity, offering a strength-based, lifespan service for the 1 in 5 of us who live with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, DCD, Dyscalculia, OCD, Tourette’s Syndrome and more.