ADHD and Sleep Part 2: Why You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

ADHD and Sleep Part 2: Why You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep and What to Do About It.

 

The Link Between ADHD and Sleep Issues

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD ) is commonly associated with sleep disturbances. It’s important to know that you’re not alone. It is believed some 50 – 75% of all adults with ADHD report some problems with sleeping. These can include difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and not feeling rested upon waking. Understanding the unique challenges faced by individuals with ADHD can shed light on why sleep issues are prevalent and what you can do to address them.

Why You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

If you’re not asleep, you’re likely either awake doing something or tossing and turning as you try in vain to switch off your overactive brain. Here are some common reasons why you might be awake past bedtime:

Pre-Sleep Activities

  • Staying Active Until Bedtime: Engaging in stimulating activities right before bed can make it hard for your brain to wind down.
  • Night-Time Productivity: Many with ADHD find night-time peaceful and conducive for concentrated work, often leading to late nights.
  • Technology Use: Phones and computers emit blue light that keeps the brain alert – thus making rest difficult.
  • Evening Entertainment: Watching TV or films, especially if you have a TV in your bedroom, can delay sleep.
  • Socializing: Conversations and social activities can push back your bedtime.
  • Working Late: Meeting deadlines or finishing tasks can lead to staying up late, which cuts into sleep time and keeps your mind active.

Mental and Physical Factors

  • Worry and Rumination: Those with ADHD often experience worry and rumination, making it hard to fall asleep.
  • Physical Restlessness: A lack of daytime movement can contribute to restlessness at night, so finding the right amount of daily exercise is crucial.
  • Processing Time: There’s a theory that ADHD brains need more time to process daily events, which can extend into late-night hours.

What Hampers Sleep

Several factors in your environment and habits can hinder sleep:

  • Bright Lights: Excessive light in your sleep environment can prevent you from falling asleep.
  • Room Temperature: A too-warm room can be uncomfortable.
  • Technology in the Bedroom: TVs, computers, phones, and tablets can disrupt sleep.
  • Clutter: A cluttered room can create a sense of chaos, making it hard to relax.

Strategies for Better Sleep

To improve sleep quality, focus on your pre-sleep routine and sleep environment:

Pre-Sleep Routine

  • Reduce Caffeine Intake: Avoid caffeine several hours before bedtime.
  • Wind Down: Spend at least one hour before sleep relaxing.
  • Limit Alcohol: Avoid excessive alcohol consumption before bed.
  • Stop Eating Early: Finish eating at least 1.5 hours before bedtime.
  • Exercise Timing: Exercise no later than 2-3 hours before bed.

Sleep Environment

  • Remove or Modify Technology: Use screen filters for warm light and switch devices to Airplane mode.
  • Cool Down: Keep your bedroom at a lower temperature than the rooms you were in before.
  • Warm Shower: Take a warm shower before bed to cool your body core.
  • Dedicated Sleep Space: Use your bedroom only for sleeping or napping.
  • Consistent Routine: Go to bed and wake up as near as possible to the same time every day.
  • Background Noise: Use quiet music or white noise to help lull you to sleep.

Building Better Sleep Habits

Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Improving sleep habits takes time and patience. Start with one or two changes, such as adjusting your pre-sleep routine or modifying your sleep environment. Even little adjustments can significantly improve your sleep quality, giving you more energy and focus during the day.

By understanding the challenges and making mindful changes, you will enjoy the benefits of better-quality sleep and improved overall well-being.

The Impact of Being Able to Have a Break from Caring.

Image of mother and young adult female

The Impact of Being Able to Have a Break from Caring.

It’s Carers Rights day on Thursday 24th November. But wait, you may say, what is a carer and who are they caring for?

Firstly it’s important to distinguish between a paid support worker or personal assistant and an unpaid carer. A carer means someone providing unpaid care.

When we talk about carers we are referring to people who are unpaid carers of someone with a condition, disability, illness or of someone who is older. 1 in 8 people in the UK are currently caring for someone.

Carers rights include:

  • The right to a Carer’s Assessment and your identified needs being met
  • Rights at work and the right not to be discriminated against because of your caring role
  • The right to be recognised as a carer
  • The right to be included in hospital discharge planning
  • The right to register with your GP Practice as an unpaid carer to enable you to access health checks and Covid-19 and flu vaccinations
  • Carers right to a break

You can find out more about the rights and entitlements of carers.  Go here for more information:

https://www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/carers-rights-day/find-out-about-your-rights

also

https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/get-resources/our-factsheets

 

What’s it like being a carer of an adult with a neurodivergent condition such as ADHD or Autism?

There’s a lot of concerns and worry that the young adult may not be coping with day to day life.

Carers can spend a lot of their time and energy looking for services which can potentially provide support or help for the young adult, including finding professionals who can undertake assessments and diagnoses.

These carers, who are often the parents of the young adult, may not feel able to get a break from their young adult or leave them alone, or they may have left home but still be needing high levels of support. That could be financial, practical, dealing with services, helping them get organised, providing emotional support, making sure they eat healthily, and keep their homes in a habitable state.

Many parents of young adults with Autism or ADHD and other health conditions as well, who contact me for support or information are unaware they are carers. Some of them are not surprisingly extremely tired and emotionally drained. Having a break from caring can make all the difference to a person’s life. As a carer myself I could not continue to provide care effectively without regular planned breaks from caring.

There are several ways to have breaks that you could consider:

One – getting a break from caring from the person that you provide care for, in other words arranging for someone else to take over from you and provide care instead.

Two – getting a break from your “workplace”; for carers this could mean getting away from your routine at home, and even your home itself. Most people who take time off work take it for granted that they will be spending time away from their place of work, however for carers whose workplace is their home, this aspect is often overlooked.

Breaks can be short like a few hours or a day out for yourself, or they can be longer and involve a night or two or even more away from your cared-for person or away from your home.

Things I have noticed when I get exhausted from caring continuously without a break:

I get crabby and irritable.

Life seems less enjoyable and I lose my sense of humour.

Things seem much more effortful, and I have much less energy to tackle the everyday jobs. It’s even harder to summon up extra energy for trips or days out, as I feel too tired to be able to cope with them.

I lose my sense of perspective, and caring seems to take up all my energy.

I begin to feel hopeless and weighed down by my caring responsibilities.

By contrast when I have had regular breaks:

I feel energised and my mood is more upbeat.

My sense of humour returns, and I feel more light-hearted.

I feel able to cope well with the day to day jobs. I can plan enjoyable activities, knowing I will have enough energy to be able to carry them out and enjoy them.

I can broaden my horizons outside of caring and widen my perspective to other aspects of my life.

I feel rested, and that caring is a part of what I do, not the whole of it.

 

If you are a carer and are feeling you could do with some advice and support, please do get in touch with one of the carers organisations.

Carers UK have a handy database you can search to find your local support organisations:

https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/get-support/local-support

If you are based in Devon, Devon Carers https://devoncarers.org.uk/ has lots of information on its website. There is a Carer’s Rights Day being held in the Corn Exchange in Exeter on Thursday 24th November where you can drop in to speak to someone and find out more about what’s available.

Would you know what to do if someone was bullying you at work?

Would you know what to do if someone was bullying you at work? 

It’s Anti-bullying week this week, however it’s not just children who are subject to bullying. Bullying in the workplace is an all too common experience for people with differences, people with ADHD and/or ASD being no exception. If someone is behaving towards you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, then it’s worth asking yourself whether bullying could be behind it.

What constitutes bullying?

Bullying can be outright rudeness or arguments, or it can also be less obvious than that. It can take the form of piling work on someone, excluding or ignoring a person or their contribution, spreading malicious rumours, undermining with teasing, hurtful comments or slurs, or even denying training or promotion opportunities.

Your rights

If you have a neuro-divergent condition of any kind, it is worth finding out your rights, as people are often unaware of the support they are entitled to at work. Bullying may not be against the law as such, however when it is related to someone’s disability, it becomes classed as harassment, which is against the law.

Who can help?

It can be helpful to keep a factual log of what has been happening to you. If you cannot get the person to change their behaviour by informal means, i.e by speaking to them yourself, or getting someone you trust to support you or speak to them instead, then you could try speaking to your:

  •       manager
  •       human resources (HR) department
  •       trade union representative    

If this does not work, you can make a formal complaint using your employer’s grievance procedure. If after that you’re still being harassed, you can take legal action at an employment tribunal.

You can call the Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) helpline for advice:

Acas helpline

Telephone: 0300 123 1100

Textphone: 18001 0300 123 1100

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Acas has produced a guidance leaflet on bullying and harassment.

Download ‘Bullying and harassment at work: a guide for employees’ (PDF, 215KB)

For more information on what to do if you feel you are being bullied go to https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youre-treated-unfairly-at-work