Sleep Problems & ADHD
2023 ж. 19 Шіл.
26 931 Рет қаралды
On average, 40% of children and adults with ADHD have sleeping difficulties - a rate much higher than in the general population. This commentary explores the increased frequency of sleeping difficulties in children and adults with ADHD. It discusses the kinds of difficulties likely to be affecting bedtime routines and sleeping. It then presents a variety of recommendations that may be helpful to address these various problems.
You can also use Google Scholar to search the journals for many studies that have been published now on this topic.
I fully appreciate the pajama party theme for this video!
Right? Who among us wouldn’t love to attend an exclusive pyjama party with Russ, The Moose and a roomful of quirky fellow ADHDers?
So funny!
Me too! Let's enjoy life a bit.
Having experienced sleep issues for as long as I can remember, the problem I always experience is my brain not shutting down. The over-thinking is horrible and the quieter it is the worse it is to fall asleep, over-thinking can be something like just going over the days events in my head, rehearsing stupid useless conversations that will never happen, thinking about what I am going to do the next day, sudden flashes of insight into something, while useful later NOT helpful when trying to fall asleep, ear worms and not just snippets of songs but phrases, words or names repeated ad nauseam until I want to bash my head against the wall to get it to stop, for that last one the only solution I have found is to listen to music, loud enough to hear the words clearly but not loud enough to keep me awake, for the rest white noise something as simple as a fan running.
My experience is so similar to yours. The random phrases, repetitive brain chatter, and oh God the earworms! Drives me mental. I might try your approach, thanks for sharing.
My flashes of insight are often so useful and I'm like, 'seriously, RIGHT NOW you had to have this realization, that you're now compelled to go write it down, because you'll forget it tomorrow? Srsly brain?!'
Yes. The earworms and inane repetitions. So much yes.
I go thru the same things plus the sudden burst of energy around bedtime and the need to clean and organize the most random things
Have you tried melatonin? It helps to fall asleep
I’m so pleased you are still active in ADHD research and are offering KZhead videos to the public. As a female who was diagnosed in middle age (~35 yo; I’m now 55), your work has helped explain SO much-a million thanks! Question: would you consider paper-format books “media”? Podcasts? Music? There are so many forms of media, that it’s hard to know what you mean. Blessings to you!
He mentions listening to soft music towards the end of the video
So many of my ADHD adult clients have a delayed sleep phase. I've had some really good results pulling the sleep phase earlier with use of light and dark exposure and melatonin six hours before sleep onset. Light wearables like glasses and visors are so convenient to use for morning light exposure. I've had a client move from a sleep onset of 3am to around 11:30pm. It's made a great change to their life, and now with the knowledge of how to shift their circadian rhythm, they are more able to get up for work and are significantly less sleep deprived. I see this as an area where education and treatment need to be widely disseminated.
Could you tell me what you mean by glasses and visors in the morning?
@@ritasjourney light exposure glasses or visors, such as Propeaq, Re-Timer, AYO, or Luminette 3. 30 minutes mid morning. Light exposure is an evidence based treatment for circadian rhythm sleep disorders and depression.
I'm not diagnosed with anything, but I've had delayed sleep phase. 2-3am was my natural rhythm, in stressful periods it could be delayed as far back as 6-7am. When it came to that, I had great success resetting it by just staying awake for a day, and collapsing around 9-10pm, eventually stabilizing around midnight. Then I saw some Huberman stuff, and started getting sun exposure as soon as I'd wake up. After 3 days, I had no trouble staying in the 10pm-1am zone for weeks. Better quality as well. Also, if I woke up earlier than I was supposed to to go to the toilet, I'd use prop welding goggles (bc i couldn't make the hallway and the toilet dark), so I don't get light exposure so I could get back to sleep for those 3-4 needed hours. Later I tried all that with melatonin, and my sleep quality increased significantly.
Thank for you for information. I have been taking 3-6mg of melatonin approx 2 hours before bedtime. I go to bed between 11pm-12am however I consistently wake up every 2 or 3 hours. I regularly find it hard to fall back asleep. Do you think taking melatonin earlier in the day would help? Any other tips that may help me to sleep without waking up regularly?
@@emmetw Sleep behaviour is complex and is dependent on a lot of factors. Working out what's happening with your sleep would require a proper assessment with someone who knows what they are doing (not someone who just hands out a sheet of sleep hygiene practices). If you can, I would suggest finding a health practitioner with specialises in sleep to have a proper look at the whole picture, since treatment recommendations really have to be evidence-based and focused on the specific issues.
Ironically, reading is a very stimulating activity for me. I used to stay up all night reading novels as a kid, and my mom would check on me to make sure my light was off and I was actually asleep, but I would just hide the book under my pillow and hide the reading lamp as well. It's a terrible activity for me to do to wind down before bed, because I will more likely stay up if I read
Why isn't the link between sleep disorders and ADHD talked about MORE? I've know about ADHD for decades but this is the FIRST I'm hearing sleep disorders can exacerbate ADHD. Thank you for this info. Sleep studies for all ADHDers!
I am one of those 20% whose sleep regulation has improved since stimulant medication. I think it's because it's helps me self-regulate during the day and so night time is less chaotic.
Excellent and very informal video. But the *only* reason you could come up with, as to why ADHD kids have more screen time, is "Parents are using it as a babysitter". Seriously? That is literally so boomer, and very unprofessional. I am the one with ADHD, not my kid. But I know for me, I use screens for much more than to just occupy myself: - Learning stuff. I have so many interests, and am always on the hunt for new things to learn. - Providing background so I can focus. - Keeping me awake when intrusive sleep risks making me fall asleep during the day. - Social interactions which nowadays is a lot online, and even more for my kid. - Unwinding when I am too tired to do anything, but doing very relaxing activites makes me feel on edge, because they are *too* calm.
I felt the same way about this, but I am a boomer with screens in my bedroom to try and fall asleep or trying to re-fall asleep every night around 3-4 am. A podcast with a timer is most helpful, although I sometimes wake up when the podcast has stopped playing and my mind starts overthinking again.
I found that walking six to seven thousand steps a day makes it easier to fall asleep. Before this I exercised for 45 minutes a day, but being active throughout the day was more helpful. Even walking half an hour to an hour, a few hours before bed makes it easier to sleep. Thank you for taking time to make these videos doctor!
You are a gift to the world with both a sense of humor and such a deep clinical, thoroughly researched and compassionate dedication to those of us who truly suffer with ADHD and it many complexities. Thank you for your ongoing work, your books, your videos and your good will. You are greatly needed and appreciated.
I'm watching this at 1am 😅
Lol I’m watching it at 3:40am 😂😂😂
I watched at 6am after 2 hours of dodgy sleep, it's nice to know we're not alone but I'm sorry we're all suffering 😅
I'm watching at 2.30am to try and get an idea why I'm not asleep again
I have found putting on familiar audio books to help a lot. They can’t have loud sound effects or anything that can startle, and I have to have finished the book before so that I don’t stay awake to not miss the story. Then I put them on a 3 hour timer and have them read me to sleep :)
Dr. B! You’re on 🔥, sir… so many helpful videos in such quick succession! And you know that ADHD folk tend to not stand on ceremony; we are honoured to hang out with you as you chill in your bathrobe. ☺ Also delighted to watch your subscriber numbers slowly but steadily climb; this is an invaluable gift that you are providing for all of us and I sincerely hope that people around the world will watch, learn and pass it along. Well done! I had neither anxiety nor defiance but always issues with sleep as I felt alert, at my most insightful, interested and creative in the evening. Sleep clinics announced I had “delayed onset sleep”… which was no help whatsoever. Diagnosed with ADHD in middle age, I finally understood why. Now I find that comfy headphones , listening to a calm, soothing book or podcast (much more than music) can help me fall asleep. I force myself to lie still as if I toss and turn too much, I’ll miss what the narrator is saying. Focusing on the words of another means that my own brain whirs less, and off to The Land of Nod I gently trudge.
I suffered lifelong anxiety (until medicated properly) that expressed itself as a deep, restless boredom when I was young. “Only boring people get bored,” my mother would tell me, endlessly. I sure showed HER who was “boring”… 😂🤦♀️
It's reassuring to see a professional endorse the all nighter reset approach. I think many of us have done it at least once.
Honestly I experienced the first time after 38 years going to bed without needing a audio book and getting up without using the snooze button 3 times after getting an ADHD diagnose in the age of 45 and started taking a stimulant (Elvanse). Also I feel now awake during the day and I reduced coffin consume from 5 big cups to zero without missing anything. I'm happy but also angry that I did not discover this earlier and thought that life must be that hard and now discovered that it isn't for most of the people and that it doesn't need to be that hard for me either.
I relate to this a lot as an adult. Due to family dysfunction as a child, I was responsible for my own bedtime from the time I was ten. At the worst, I would be up until 1am doing homework (went to a private school) and rarely got enough sleep. I had insomnia in college. I got meds for it. I started staying up late to write after I graduated. Since I’ve struggled to find a job, that has continued to the detriment of my social life.
2:10 im very very glad to know that im not the only person who has adhd and struggles with anxiety, i have social anxiety, i hate adhd and social anxiety so much, i feel nervous going outside. Thanks for these videos👍
The suggestion about going from a lit environment to a dark bedroom and the abrupt change in stimulantion caught my attention. No matter how tired i may be, as soon as i turn out the light, I'm wide awake and it takes at least an hour to fall asleep. Occasionally I've tried leaving on a salt lamp that gives off a warm glow. I'll try doing that more often and see if it helps.
Thank you so much for putting these talks out for free! They help me and my family so much.
In childhood i had all that problems (have been sleeping with light, etc.). And almost all of my life i was afraid of going to bed. Now i can`t sleep well unless i`ve moved aprox. 4 hours on foot and/or cycling. (Yeah, i`ve been drinking before, but it doesn`t help the long run:).
I think your med recomendations for different situations was very helpful and the no electronics an hour or so before bed REALISTIC. I have noticed lately issues with waking quite early and my mind beginning to race and i end up being up for an hour. I wake up tired. I was diagnosed with ADHD last month and im still figuring it out.
Good topic. I always end up with biphasic sleep.
I have ADHD and extreme sleep problems that started when I was in 5th Grade (I’m now 40). I have experimented with tons of strategies. I am now working graves, and I am so much more alert and happier and healthier. However, I tried to have a consistent weekly schedule, and that didn’t work. I work 3 days per week (yes, I’m struggling to pay food, rent, etc). My first day after work I let myself sleep as long as I want. I usually am awake about 4 hours. Then I swap to being awake for the next day. Then I transfer back to being awake at nights. I know this isn’t perfect, but I have proven to myself one key point - I do not have a 24 hour clock, and trying to force myself to have one artificially kills me. I can do it for short periods, but only if I give myself a recovery day to do things like sleep in. For years, everyone tried to convince me what I needed was a consistent routine that I carry through to weekends. I have never been more sick or tired or miserable than when I actually followed through for long periods of getting up at the exact same time every day including weekends. I’m sure a routine works quite well for a lot of people, but if you have tried it and it seems to make your sleep problems worse maybe consider listening to your body and do the opposite. If you have to be consistent Mon-Fri, then purposely sleep in and take naps on Saturday, and then stay up Saturday night a bit and cycle back to mornings midday on Sunday and see if it helps.
I can relate 100%
In an ideal world for people with delayed sleep onset I’d say get an outside job that starts early in the morning. I work seasonally and I’m awake at 5:30am and in the sun by 6:30am until 1-4pm most days. I can fall asleep like a baby by 9-10pm most days. However the moment we stop working I go back to my normal horrendous sleep schedule no matter how hard I try to force myself to get up in the morning.
I need to link your videos to all my adhd friends and also watch them all myself, these are so informative and helpful, thank you.
Thanks for all the very informative videos doctor Russ.
It’s like literally fight sleep even when I want/need it… And I’m 42 years old!!! 🙄
It can be an absolute quagmire of a bottomless pit, the seeking of a good night's sleep. There is the paradox of the more the problem the more we try and fix it, the more we try and fix it the worse it becomes and the worse it becomes the more we think about it, and for an ADHD sufferer this is hard, since it is the thinking thinking thinking that is one of the fundamental problems with ADHD. One further suggestion I have is a standard CBT method of Thought Challenging, generally used to dismiss bad thoughts, but I have and do use it for this purpose, the challenge not being an unhelpful thought, but unhelpful overthinking. I was sleeping extremely well, I'm taking amitriptyline for my CFS which did wonders for my terrible insomnia, however since recently changing my diet, my slight tiredness that was part of my CFS has gone, however since I'm so much more energetic than I was, I'm now struggling to fall asleep, my clock has been disrupted, it will take time to readjust, but I try my best not to think too much, I'm self employed, my time is my own, so I generally don't have to be anywhere at anytime which is a help.
This was extremely helpful, thank you.
I wonder if some of these studies controlled for chronic stress and depression. It's hard for me to imagine chronic stress from ADHD not playing a part in everything I do, and I know that the worse my stress and anxiety are, the worse my sleep is. If I were trying to identify a mechanism, that would be a big one for me.
Thank you so much Doctor Russell. You are a blessing to this syndrome that sometimes or on daily bases its a really nightmare. Its much apreciate it by me all your videos and research. God bless you.
I love that you never say "um". Thank you!
Brilliant thanks 😊
Great bathrobe! Oh yeah, and great content too. So delighted you have a channel 😊
Stellar! Thanks !
Thank you
I'd like to add L-Theanine as an effective sleep and calmness aid. I am very sensitive to sedative efficacy and I can absolutely attest to the effects of 200mg. Also it absolutely mitigates negative effects of caffeine
❤ I'm going to try this. It's 2 am and I'm wide ⏰️ awake 😢
I've learned that "Brown Noise" and "Pink Noise" are much better than "White Noise" for those of us with ADHD. (Brown Noise is best)
Thanks for the tip - looking this up now.
Hello Dr. Thank you so keeping your lectures and videos online. It has given me little clarity on my condition.i was diagnosed with ADHD 2 years ago and have been under medication since. Im 32 yrs old and struggling with my daily task. While it has improved alot, motivation to finish important work task is still a major challenge. Currently my husband helps me by holding me accountable to my actions but that only stays for few minutes and I forget the incident after everything is fine. Currently im taking attendate 20 sr with neurocetapam 800. But im not if it is helpful
I've found using an app called Sleep Town has given me enough of a push to regularise my bedtime and eliminate phone use once in bed. I've also tried cutting out coffee after lunchtime.
Thank you for your informative lecture. I am diagnosed Adhd Inattentive subtype from the mid 80's. I have extremely difficult sleep issues. Have you done much research into Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder? I cannot fall asleep until 4am, the earliest & cannot wake up until typically 12 or more hours later. My sleep issues have progressivley worsened over the years & I'm now 44. I also have many other medical issues involving hypermobililty, scoliosis, Auditory Processing Disorder, GI issues... & much more. I was given methylphenidate as a child & took it again in college. Again, my general question is as to whether you've researched much on Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. I am on medication to get me to sleep & to stay asleep but I cannot manage to fall asleep earlier, even with medication.
Me watching this at midnight after sleeping for max 2 hours 2 nights. I just can’t relax and now I got anxiety because I don’t know if I will have a good night 😢 So frustrating.
Me too! It got bad recently, and anxiety kicks in and turns into a recurring pattern. I hope you find some rest. Might be worth talking to a doctor about medication to help you catch up on sleep when you've had too many sleepless nights in a row. All the best to you friend xo
Thanks🙏
Hello Doctor. Thank you very much for your work in generall and your recent videos. I really needed the "myth-busting" of Internet personalities or Neurodiversity. I have often a hard time to tell what is science based advice and what is just an opinion. Have a nice day.
Well, where do you think people get ideas of what to research? I actually like to hear from layman who have tried different things that have worked for them. We’re all just experimenting to see what works best for our particular situation.
In caveman days us AdHD’s folks were the night watchmen, were security, the fire keepers, and the midnight newborn baby rockers.
I wish I could get back on days, I was so much better about routine. Up at 4 out the door at 5 start work at 6, back home at 4, dinner by 7, daily workout at 8 and in bed by nine with some hour long lecture type video playing to fall asleep to. Honestly the hardest part was finding an interesting video I hadn't put on before, if it doesn't draw my attention enough it'll just keep me up 😅
Wondering if other ADHDers also experience vivid dreams. I want to do a sleep study because it is bothering me (I feel tired after waking up and waking up itself is hard because my dreams are so active, my mind wants to return to it). It began before I started taking stimulants (currently I combine non-stimulants (morning) with stimulants (later in the day, short-term effect)).
I told my doctor the same thing in our last appointment! I often wake up tired in the morning because I remember all the dreams I had that night, and it's never just one, but 4 or 5 different "storylines" in rapid succession.
I experience that as well. Sometimes I experience entire movies from Start to finish in my dreams.
Do either of you happen to be writers?
@@nicolemccray8095 no, i am a dancer and i study business.
My dreams are incredibly vivid and complex. I have severe sleep inertia which, for me, seems unrelated.
18:15 for sleep suggestions. I can add a few more: ▫️Drink warm water before bedtime ▫️Avoid internal stimulus - especially horny thoughts ▫️Sleep with comfortable clothes and use a blanket suitable for the season (thin for summer & thick for winter) ▫️Get a massage once in a while to remove muscular tension. Stretch in late evenings for the same You don't have to do all of them. That would be a burden. Perhaps just a few would work. Sometimes we naturally get good sleep without trying, sometimes it's just impossible.
2:45 seconds. asked my manager if i can work a saturday shift. just finihsed dancing now starting this vid! screamin! its 1:28am!
Thank You Doctor! I tried to find a video on your channel about neurofeedback for adhd, as well as the different types. With all the claims out there, it would be great to hear your thoughts and research review.
It’s on my list to do. I do mention it in the ADHD overview in the last section on disproven treatments but not in any real detail. Thanks!
Thanks for this very informative video. Would you consider to talk about ADHD & Memory as well in a future video?
Yes please. Looking for solutions.
I'd like that too. My memory is & always has been the proverbial sieve. My mother used to say: " You'd forget your head if it wasn't screwed on!"
I am speculating that the delayed rhythm might have been evolutionary selected for. It could have helped the person's - and the tribe's - survival if they had people who were alert when the morning larks were getting tired.
😂then that would be me
Finally got my home sleep study last night, and I'm hoping to get a lab study and get this treated soon!
I’m watching this at 2am
I’m watching this in the afternoon… but instead of packing for an important trip: departure at crack of dawn, tomorrow. 😹
😂 me toooooo
We stan Dr. B!
Anybody else watching this at four in the morning? 🤷♂️
Thank you so much Dr for your invaluable contributions! I read an article that many of the currently marketed melatonin supplements have higher/different doses than actually advertised (the non-pharmaceutical products), though there are some prescription melatonin that come as melatonin 2mg extended-release tablets (in my country), and 3mg tablets. Does the study you cite use any of these concentrations? Does melatonin also help to prevent the child from awakening during the night or only for sleeping onset? What does "bright light therapy" mean? Thank you so much in advance!
Thank you for this. I usually sleep with only the AC on but I want to try with some soft music. My brain is always running 24/7 and maybe the music can help.
Also biernal beats...
I find what works really good for me is storytelling on down low with the screen off to fall asleep, personally music is too stimulating and in particular “creepy” stories tend to have a very light and monotone atmosphere that makes it super easy to just fall asleep to.
Yeah the music did not work for me. I notice what kinda helps me is reading the tv with the tv with no audio. Just reading the subtitles to one of my favortie shows. It shows my brain from thinking whatever thoughts I have and it just reads. I get tired and close my eyes and then its easier to sleep. @@tylerdavis3
😂OMG at point 7:45 : Younger children may rise earlier....when undiagnosed son was 4 he'd awake very very early, drag a chair to the front door, unlock the deadbolt, walk down the block, 3 houses, and awken his babysitters family! That was 30 years ago. Today we'd likely be arrested for ' child endagerment' Fortunately it was a very safe neighborhood.
Sleep is a huge issue for many kids with ADHD & ASD. Every parent FB group I’m on has numerous posts on how to get their kid to sleep. I’ve noticed that catapress and melatonin are the only drugs recommended by doctors.
I found that valerian root tincture can work well.
I feel that adderall xr, makes my child stay up longer and have a hard time falling asleep, than my adderall regular (not xr) does for me. Why do doctors keep giving kids the XR?
I was hoping from this I find out why I sleep so long, it seems my body clock could be getting fixed by the medication.
12:16 Where do i find out more about this "ADHD medication delivery system/ stimulant delivery system jordan apm" I have adult ADHD and take elvanse/vylvanse. I would rather take it before going to bed so it doesnt interfer with my sleep issues. Does it only work with methylphenidate?
It’s called Jornay PM in the US
What I don’t understand is how I can take a nap when my stimulant is active but when it wears off my adhd ramps up and I can’t fall asleep.
I think you answered your own question. Managed adhd doesn’t mess up your sleep, unmanaged does. The impact of unmanaged adhd is more sleep disruptive than the stimulant effect of medication.
So, out of curiosity, does a LONGER sleep time stem from ADHD? When I was a teenager, I used to have to sleep 10 hours a night to really feel rested. No stem use at that time. Could this be ADHD related?
This is me! If I do not get at least 10 hrs I feel like I didn’t sleep.
Do you have the article for the melatonin in adults? Also, why ambien short term only? (can you point to some research on that as well?) Thanks :)
Ambien has a high likelihood of becoming dependent and tolerance raises very quickly. None of the gabaergic drugs should be used for long periods of time.
@@tylerdavis3 Should, shouldn't. Why? Also, tolerance / dependence is taking us a bit off track (assume a perfect situation where it doesn't--and also zolpidem is ok re. that).
@@---Ben---if you're over the age of 50 then go for it! Lack of sleep can cause stroke the older you are. I dunno maybe I'm wrong but that's just how I see it
The things that are supposed to calm down a child for bedtime as had the opposite affect ( bathtime, book read ) So I'm at a loss. My one child seems to be a night owl, how do I change that to a better sleep?
I am an adult and still cant do it
I've been struggling with sleep for decades, from childhood to adulthood, and all I can say is for some of us, it's just really tough. I've tried so many different things, but honestly, most don't work, some work sometimes, and none work consistently. I personally find reading too stimulating, so I can't read before bed and expect to go to sleep, or even expect to be able to stop reading unless I reach the end of the book I am not a night owl and in fact prefer to be awake early, but I am extremely sensitive to noise and light in my environment, and so as child I would stay awake and be unable to sleep if other people were awake and walking around. I could even hear quiet conversations from across the house. As an adult, I have to sleep with earplugs, but it doesn't fix it entirely Its possible your child has additional things that are causing them to be unable to relax and fall asleep. If they're old enough to speak, I would ask them to tell you about what it's like for them to go sleep, and see if you can work out what's getting in the way. However, if they really are a natural night owl, and have a delayed circadian rhythm, your doctor is a better resource than trying to overcome that on your own
Legit NONE of that works for me. I've been trying for years. I can't stay asleep for squat😮💨 could there be another etiology?
I also find none of it works for me. And honestly, over the years, none of the insomnia advice has really helped. I wish I had some suggestions, but I only have commiseration
What about nightmares and adhd?
What about chronotypes?? You never mentón. Those cannot Change with a y of that. Of my life never could be in morning hours.
Sleeptube!!!! I put one of their videos on my phone and have it under my pillow.
What is sleeptube??
Adult diagnosed AHDH. Adderall cause insomnia.
3:50
17:58 extremely dangerous advice dont do this.
Like if you’re hyperfocused rn 😅
Jeez, what problems doesn't ADHD cause?
very few.
dysfunctional erection
@@heartandsoulyogatrue😊
Lack of empathy is one❤
Excessive Organizational Disorder? That's a thing right?
I tried to go through with the comments but everybody is writing a fking essay.