Getting enough sleep can be challenging for anyone, but people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may face some unique obstacles at bedtime.
You may intend to go to bed at 10 p.m. but suddenly realize it is midnight because you became absorbed in a project, lost track of time scrolling on your phone, or remembered several things you needed to finish.
For others, the problem isn't getting into bed—it's actually falling asleep. A racing mind, restlessness, inconsistent schedules, or difficulty transitioning away from stimulating activities can make bedtime frustrating.
Sleep problems and ADHD can also reinforce each other. Poor sleep can make attention, mood, organization, and impulse control more difficult the following day, which can make managing ADHD symptoms even harder.
The good news is that small, practical changes can make bedtime more manageable. Instead of trying to create a perfect nighttime routine overnight, focus on creating a routine that is simple, predictable, and realistic for your brain.
ADHD and sleep have a complicated relationship. People with ADHD are more likely to experience difficulties with sleep, including trouble falling asleep, insufficient sleep, and other sleep disorders.
As discussed in the ANC Sleep article ADHD and Insomnia, difficulties maintaining a consistent schedule, stimulant medications, and co-occurring conditions can all contribute to insomnia.
One of the most frustrating bedtime challenges can be time blindness.
You may know that you need to go to bed, but because there isn't an immediate consequence for staying awake another 20 minutes, bedtime can continue getting pushed later.
Before you know it, several hours have passed.
ADHD isn't always associated with an inability to focus. Sometimes the opposite happens.
You may become intensely absorbed in something interesting, such as:
When you're hyperfocused, noticing that you're tired—or remembering that you intended to go to bed—may be difficult.
Once the distractions of the day disappear, your brain may suddenly feel much more active.
You might begin thinking about tomorrow's responsibilities, replaying conversations, brainstorming ideas, or remembering tasks you forgot to complete.
This can make it difficult to transition from an active state into sleep.
A consistent bedtime routine can help your brain recognize that it is time to start winding down.
The key is to avoid making the routine overly complicated.
The ANC Sleep article How to Fall Asleep With ADHD recommends creating a simple, consistent routine that includes relaxing activities and minimizes distractions.
You don't need a 15-step nighttime routine.
Start with three or four predictable steps.
For example:
Once this routine becomes automatic, you can add additional steps if needed.
For someone with ADHD, reducing the number of decisions you need to make at night can be helpful.
Instead of deciding every evening what you should do before bed, create a predictable sequence.
For example:
10:00 p.m. → phone away → bathroom → pajamas → reading → lights out
The goal isn't perfection. The goal is predictability.
Most people use alarms to tell themselves when to wake up.
If you have ADHD, consider using an alarm to tell yourself when it is time to start getting ready for bed.
Set an alarm 30–60 minutes before you want to be asleep.
Give the alarm a specific name, such as:
"Start bedtime routine."
When it goes off, don't negotiate with yourself about whether you should start.
Treat it as a cue.
You can even create several alarms:
This can help externalize time rather than relying entirely on your internal sense of it.
ADHD-friendly sleep habits aren't just about willpower.
Your environment can either make sleep easier or make staying awake incredibly tempting.
If your phone is next to your pillow, it can be very easy to check one notification and suddenly spend 45 minutes scrolling.
Consider:
Creating a dedicated sleep environment is also an important part of healthy sleep hygiene.
Your bedroom should encourage sleep rather than stimulation.
Consider using:
If clutter makes it difficult for you to relax, spending a few minutes organizing your bedroom before beginning your bedtime routine may also help.
ANC Sleep's guide to creating a clean and restful sleep environment offers additional ideas for optimizing your bedroom.
Screens can be particularly challenging for people with ADHD because they provide an endless supply of stimulation.
You may intend to watch one video and end up scrolling for an hour.
Instead of relying on willpower to stop scrolling, create a rule that makes the decision easier.
For example:
"After 10 p.m., I don't start anything new."
That means no new television episodes, games, videos, or social media rabbit holes.
If you are already watching something, you can finish it and begin your bedtime routine.
If you need your phone for an alarm, consider putting it across the room.
Better yet, use a separate alarm clock.
Reducing screen exposure before bed is one of the basic recommendations for healthy sleep hygiene.
If your mind becomes especially active when you lie down, don't try to force yourself to stop thinking.
Instead, give your thoughts somewhere to go.
Before bed, write down:
You can tell yourself:
"I don't need to solve this tonight. It's written down for tomorrow."
This can reduce the pressure to keep mentally rehearsing everything you need to remember.
A simple three-item list can be particularly helpful:
Tomorrow:
Once the list is written, give yourself permission to stop planning.
Caffeine can make it more difficult to fall asleep, particularly when consumed later in the day.
This can become especially complicated for people with ADHD who use caffeine to compensate for daytime fatigue.
Coffee, energy drinks, tea, soda, chocolate, and certain medications can all contribute caffeine.
Instead of trying to eliminate caffeine completely, start with a simple rule:
No caffeine after a certain time.
For example, you might stop caffeine after noon or 2 p.m. and adjust based on how your sleep responds.
ANC Sleep's ADHD and Insomnia article also discusses limiting caffeine as part of improving sleep in people with ADHD.
Some ADHD medications are stimulants and can affect sleep in certain people.
This does not mean you should stop taking your medication or change your dose on your own.
Instead, if you consistently have difficulty sleeping, discuss your medication schedule and symptoms with your prescribing clinician.
Your clinician may be able to determine whether timing, dose, medication type, or another factor could be contributing to your sleep difficulties.
Sleep isn't just determined by what you do at night.
Your daytime routine also provides important signals to your body's circadian rhythm.
Try spending some time outside in the morning.
Morning light helps provide your brain with a strong environmental signal that it is daytime and can help reinforce your sleep-wake rhythm.
Regular physical activity can also support healthy sleep.
You don't necessarily need an intense workout. Walking, stretching, or other light activity can help you stay active during the day.
For more information, read How Light Physical Activity Impacts Sleep.
After a poor night's sleep, it can be tempting to sleep until noon the next day.
While catching up on some lost sleep can be helpful, dramatically changing your wake time can make it harder to maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
Whenever possible, try to keep your wake time relatively consistent.
If you need a nap, keep it relatively early and avoid excessively long naps that could interfere with nighttime sleep.
This may sound strange, but boredom can actually be useful.
If your brain constantly seeks stimulation, your bedroom should not be the most interesting place in your home.
Consider creating a "boring but pleasant" environment.
Instead of scrolling social media, try:
The goal is to give your brain something mildly engaging without providing enough stimulation to keep you awake.
If you're lying in bed wide awake and becoming increasingly frustrated, staying there and watching the clock may make the problem worse.
If you cannot sleep, consider getting up briefly and doing something quiet in dim lighting.
Return to bed when you feel sleepy.
This strategy is particularly important when insomnia becomes associated with frustration or anxiety about sleep.
If difficulty falling asleep happens regularly, learn more about how to recognize insomnia.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to improve their sleep is creating an elaborate routine that is impossible to maintain.
You don't need to change everything at once.
For the next week, try:
1. Set a bedtime alarm.
Use an alarm to tell you when to begin winding down.
2. Move your phone away from your bed.
Make it harder to accidentally spend an hour scrolling.
3. Keep your wake time consistent.
Use your wake time as the anchor for your sleep schedule.
Once these habits become easier, add another change.
Not every sleep problem in someone with ADHD is caused by ADHD.
People with ADHD can also experience other sleep disorders, including insomnia, restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea, and circadian rhythm disorders.
ANC Sleep's article The Link Between Sleep Problems and ADHD discusses the significant overlap between ADHD and sleep difficulties.
Consider talking with a healthcare professional or sleep specialist if you:
Treating an underlying sleep disorder can sometimes improve both sleep quality and daytime functioning.
Sleep problems are common in people with ADHD, but that doesn't mean you're destined to struggle with sleep forever.
The most effective strategies are often surprisingly simple: create external reminders for bedtime, establish a predictable routine, reduce nighttime stimulation, keep your bedroom comfortable, manage caffeine, get daytime light and activity, and give your brain a place to put tomorrow's thoughts.
Most importantly, don't rely on motivation or willpower alone. Build your environment and routine so that the easiest option is also the option that supports sleep.
Start with one or two changes that feel realistic. Once they become habits, build from there.
And if sleep problems persist despite your best efforts, don't assume they're simply part of having ADHD. An evaluation by a healthcare professional or sleep specialist can help determine whether insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, circadian rhythm problems, medication effects, or another condition is contributing to your difficulty sleeping.
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