Normally (and ironically) there’s nothing that makes me fall asleep faster than talking about proper sleep hygiene. However, the more I learn about sleep’s impact on our overall health and our ADHD symptoms specifically, the more I realize how crucial it is for ADHDers to make good sleep a priority. Most of us know what we should be doing to get better sleep--keeping a consistent sleep schedule, no naps during the day, no technology at least an hour before bed--but actually putting these habits into action is easier said than done, especially when our ADHD is fighting us every step of the way.
In this episode I cover not only the latest research behind why sleep is so important to our functioning and learning, but I also provide some concrete sleep strategies that are geared toward the ADHD brain, such as connecting positive emotion with getting into bed on time. Like all things ADHD, once we know why we’re struggling with these habits we can start to find workarounds and implement sustainable systems that allow us to be successful.