Are You Sleeping?

Does this ever happen to you? You go to bed at a reasonable hour and you’re pretty tired, but all you do is toss and turn. Sleep eludes you. It might be that you can’t shut down because your mind is churning out endless thoughts.

Or maybe you do fall asleep but wake in the middle of the night and just can’t get back to sleep.

Issues with falling and staying asleep are especially common in people with ADHD. When you finally do fall asleep you may find it hard to wake up.

There are a number of causes, but solutions are also available.

An erratic sleep schedule or no sleep schedule at all is one area that can contribute to poor sleep. Developing a consistent bedtime routine can train your brain and body to get tired at a particular time. If you’re more alert in the evening and often stay up until the wee hours, you might work on gradually moving back your bedtime, perhaps half an hour each week until you find a time that feels right for you.

Deciding how many hours of sleep you want/need will help. If your body says seven hours and you stay up until 3, getting your day started might put you out of sync with work or family.

Let’s say you decide you want to go to bed by 11:30 every night. Start winding down at 11. This means preparing your room for sleeping, doing your bedtime routine whatever that may be, and turning off your computer, phone, and television.

It takes a while to accommodate this type of change so be prepared to make small adjustments.

You can improve sleep by paying attention to what you eat and drink and when. Some herb teas are soothing and relaxing. It’s also good to avoid large meals and alcoholic beverages for at least three hours before going to bed.

Finally, make sure your room and bed are comfortable and quiet. Here in Mexico, all-night parties, barking dogs, and cohetes – the rockets that accompany the many celebrations are all sleep interrupters. Earplugs and white noise machines can moderate outside noise.