Helping Kids (and Parents) Sleep Better
Sleep Issues in Autistic & ADHD kids, and sleep tips from a fellow neurodivergent & former insomniac
Sleep awareness
It’s very common for people to have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night, especially for Autistic and ADHD kids. I am lucky that I usually sleep well now that I’m older, but this comes after many, many years of insomnia and sleep issues.
The only reason I sleep well now is that I have a very active job which keeps me outdoors a lot and because I stick to a strict sleeping schedule at least 6 days of the week.
Being home during Covid and then being off school for the summer break can really throw off our routines, making sleep issues worse.
Not getting enough sleep can make us more grumpy, and can even lead to making decisions we later regret, because our brains don’t work as well when we’re tired. We don’t think as clearly when we haven’t had a good night’s sleep.
If our brains and bodies are tired because we haven’t had a good night’s sleep, we might feel angry more easily because it’s harder to control our emotions — and our actions — when our brains are tired.
We can also get sick more often and more easily, and take longer to get better, because our immune system needs proper rest to do it’s best work. It’s also harder to do well in school, in sports, or other activities we enjoy, because it’s much harder to focus and learn when we’re tired.
In fact, many professional athletes nap on game day, and say they get even more sleep than the recommended amount, because a good sleep helps them perform better.
Sleep issues
Not only are sleep disorders common in Autistics and people with ADHD, but sleep disorders are made worse by sensory issues. Difficulty blocking out sensory stimuli make it difficult for us to tune out unpleasant, distracting, or overwhelming sensory input.
An interesting study found that 30% of children with ADHD but no sensory processing issues had sleep disorders, whereas 85% of children who had both ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) also had disordered sleep.
Strategies for better sleep
The most effective strategy for sleeping better has been what doctors call “sleep hygiene”. Sleep hygiene means practicing good habits that help us sleep better.
Need more than sleep hygiene? I have a resource for purchase on my website called A Neurodivergent’s Complete Guide to Better Sleep. More than 100 pages which include five chapters of sleep information, and a fillable companion workbook.
Some helpful sleep habits can include:
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