ADHD and Sleep

So i am reading up this week about sleep, and why it is so important for us crazy people. Turns out we have the shit end of the deal. According to Harvard.edu sleep troubles are not only a symptom of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety,bipolar disorder, and – you guessed it – ADHD. So, treat the insomnia, trouble falling asleep, or trouble staying asleep, and you can treat part of your mental health condition. Great news!

Harvard Health Publications goes into some different ways to manage the sleep troubles, and in turn the disorder. They suggest life style changes, relaxation techniques, physical  activity during the day, cognitive behavioral therapy, and a place only meant for rest.

I agree with them, and now i am wondering, am i doing this the right way then? I am going to go with yeah, sure i am. Because sleep is very important, and because it takes other lifestyle changes to maintain a healthy sleep cycle, I think i can work with the plan i have set up to teach myself how to do the things i want to do.

Something else the article i read went into was nicotine and alcohol. Now, I am not much of a drinker – at all – so that won’t be a problem, but i do smoke. Smoking is said to be stimulating, so in an effort to get a good nights rest, I also want to cut down smoking around bedtime to make sure i don’t get all riled up for no reason.

I need to keep these things in mind as i journey onward. I have so much more to learn, and so many things to apply to my life to make it more fulfilling and empowering for me.

Here is what i would like to focus on while in the Sleep Stage of my experiment, and why:

• A calming bedtime routine. Mine will be a bath followed by tea and a book. (maybe even melatonin, not sure yet though)
• Very little alcohol consumption – i like to go out every once and a blue!
• No caffeine past a certain time – ill have to read into a good time for this one, like 3 pm or something?
• No cigarettes near bedtime. My bedtime is 11-12 so no smokes for an hour or so before, I’ll have my last smoke of the day before my bath.

That is about all i can think of right now. I will be writing more about ADHD and Sleep later in the week and next week.

Thanks so much for reading,