How to Get Better Sleep If You Have ADHD, According to Therapists Who Also Have ADHD

A just-right amount of stimulation might look like listening to a guided meditation (one in which there’s some consistent talking) or an audiobook or podcast on a topic that won’t rile you up; Dr. Svendez recommends the Sleep With Me podcast. For Collings, it actually involves scrolling through silly meme pages on her phone—and yes, she knows that runs counter to most sleep advice out there, but “it works with my [need to] hyperfocus instead of against it in a way that calms my brain down,” she says.

Dr. Svendez also uses her phone to wind down by playing a simple game (something low-stakes like Candy Crush or another match-and-merge game you’d find on the CozyGamers Reddit). While any sleep doctor would say the blue light of a phone screen isn’t great for getting good rest, neither is the racing or restless mind typical of ADHD—so if you’re careful to use your phone for just the stuff that can help you feel sleepy, the potential benefits may just outweigh the harms. (Of course, if you find that your phone is just sucking you in and keeping you up, then it’s best to swap the games or scrolling for one of the other ideas above.)

7. If you really can’t sleep, get out of bed for a bit.

The longer you stare at the ceiling in sleepless agony, the more elusive sleep can become. So once you’ve been tossing and turning for a half-hour, Massesa suggests moving to the couch or a comfy chair. “If you spend too much time being anxious in bed, then that’ll turn into your anxious spot,” she says. (And you want it to be your cozy, off-to-dreamland spot.)

Once you’re up, Dr. Hamdani suggests thinking about what might be keeping you awake, starting with bodily functions—which people with ADHD may be less aware of, research suggests. It may sound obvious, but your first course of action is to pee if you need to, grab a snack if you’re hungry, and drink water if you’re thirsty.

If something mental is keeping you awake—say, racing or anxious thoughts—go back to any semi-stimulating activity you might’ve been doing before bed, Dr. Svendez says, and wait until your eyes start to feel heavy to get back into bed.

8. Rework your daytime schedule, if you can.

Sometimes, getting better rest might look like adjusting your morning routine to let sleep just…happen. As noted above, some folks with ADHD naturally fall asleep later and, therefore, also wake up later. So if you have the option to shift your schedule to allow yourself to sleep in more, that’s another way to give your body the shuteye it’s craving.

Collings often helps her clients get an accommodation that, for example, might allow them to work a 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. day (instead of a 9-to-5 one) or work remotely, so they can cut out their commute (and use the extra time to sleep). “I think a lot of people don’t go to this as an option because our culture moralizes the idea of waking up early and being a morning person,” she says, “so people think they need to change themselves to fit that [mold] when there’s no reason that that should be the case.” (Of course, some people have jobs with a fixed schedule or wake up early for other reasons, like to take care of kids, so this may not be a route you can take—but if you do have flexibility, it’s something to consider.)

9. Chat with your doctor about adjusting your meds.

We’ll be the first to say taking medication to manage your ADHD symptoms is a great thing, if it works for you. But the same stimulant meds that can keep you focused during the day can make it tough to fall asleep at night, says Dr. Svendez.