How to help your ADHD child sleep
- Jade Sleep Nanny
- Mar 19
- 3 min read
This week we celebrate Neurodiversity Celebration Week! Which is wonderful to highlight all the strengths in our ADHD children. I am very grateful to work with families to support their children in sleep, and their unique challenges.
With ADHD, can come with struggles in sleep. Our children often struggle in winding down their busy brains, or regulating before bedtime. They often have a love for all things exciting, so let's be honest - sleep is pretty boring in comparison!
There are various factors to look at though which could be contributing to your child's sleep.
Medical Factors
Some of the common medical factors can include Restless Leg Syndrome (magnesium and iron supplements are good for this!) and Sleep Apnoea. These could be bringing disturbances to your child's sleep. If you are concerned about sleep apnoea (which is common with ADHD) then I'd advise seeking a referral to ENT.
Behavioural Factors
One of the most common factors I see, is Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. This is where their body clock is in misalignment often with the "societal norms". This usually brings much later bedtimes, and a struggle to wake in the morning. This can be also brought on with the struggle to get to sleep in the first place. The best thing to focus on here is rewiring their body clock - often in order to do that though we need to help them feel that falling asleep is easy!
Another I see is heightened anxiety, and that can be really hard to deal with too. We want them to feel comfortable and confident in their sleep space.
Environmental Factors
These factors can range from things just being too stimulating, or sensory sensitivity in temperature/lighting.
These are just some of the many factors, but some of the most common ones. So how can we help their sleep and falling asleep in the first place?
The evening part of the routine can be as key as the bedtime routine itself! Proprioceptive exercises or a walk after dinner can help their regulation. Also, making sure that we've ticked everything off the list before the bedtime routine. Journaling can also be great for getting those thoughts out well ahead of bedtime.
Keep the bedtime routine structured. Routine charts can help in this too (and avoid delay tactics!)
Whilst some children will only chill when they have something to watch, try to keep blue lights/screen time limited. Especially if they are at an age of using a smart phone!
Get the best environment set up for your child. Avoid blue/white night lights, and ensure to opt for a red night light if needed. You also don't want something too bright that might bring more stimulation.
Belly breathing! This is a great tool to relax their bodies and brains. When we do deep breathing, it often comes from our chests, but belly breathing is the thing that will really get them calm.
Get the audio right - some kids like to sleep in complete silence. Others like sound, so it can be great if they have something to take their mind off other things. I highly recommend "Your Floating Bed" on Spotify!
Get the sleep pressure right! Many ADHD children are time sensitive, which means an inconsistent wake and bed time could be further impacting their body clocks.
All children are so different, what works for one may not work for the other but consistency in your approach will be key. Whether that is the routine itself of slowly building confidence in their own sleep space. Sleep is never a "one size fits all" approach - so there may be various other tools that we can use to support them, and to help rewire their brain into feeling that falling asleep is easy.
If you are struggling - you are welcome to download my free guide here, or join my Restless to Rested online program to transform your child's sleep.
If you'd like to talk to someone how gets it, and can support you every step of the way with a bespoke plan to work for your child - get in touch below!
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