Those of us with ADHD can struggle with sleep. ADHDers struggle with falling asleep, staying asleep, getting out of bed in the morning, and daytime sleepiness. ADHD can make sleep worse, and sleep can make ADHD worse. It’s a vicious cycle. However, it is possible to get a good night’s sleep.

On March 12, the United States once again sprang forward into what is known as “Daylight Saving Time.” This is bad news. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is bad for everyone’s health, but it is especially bad for those with ADHD. In this blog post, I will explain why and what we can do to fight back against this foolish practice.

If you have followed this blog for any period of time, you may have noticed my passion for sleep. Getting plenty of sleep is crazy important. In short, if you are looking to step up your ADHD management game, try getting more sleep. There are plenty of posts on my blog that go into how to get a good night’s sleep.

However, followers of my blog may have noticed a glaring omission in all of my writings on sleep. There is one aspect of sleep about which I have not written. That topic is naps. Why have I not written much about it? The short answer is there are not a lot of definitive answers out there on the subject of naps. That has left me confused on the topic. Are human beings meant to take naps? Are naps good for you? If they are, how long should one nap? I do not have answers to those questions. I only have one bit of insight on naps.

When I was younger, I could never fall asleep in a timely manner at night, no matter how tired I was. I would lie on my bed with thoughts swirling around my head, unable to calm them down and lull myself to sleep. For me, nighttime has always been a time to think, especially about serious topics. It may be due to my ADHD or the fact that, at a young age, I had to deal with the very adult situation of my parents’ divorce.

I recently read (okay, listened to the audiobook of) Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by renowned sleep researcher Matthew Walker, PhD. IT. BLEW. MY. MIND. Sleep is crazy important. Because I read that book (okay, listened to that audiobook), I made several changes to my life. My sleep schedule is now quite strict, and I bought a new bed to ensure maximum comfort. In short, I learned that, if you don’t get eight hours of sleep every night, you’re basically screwed.

The other day, I attended a dinner party and stayed later than I had intended. This led to me being tired the next day. I have been trying to get more sleep, so not only was I tired, but I was also disappointed in myself for staying out so late. This is a problem, and I’m sure I’m not the only ADHDer who struggles with this.

One of the best things you can do for your ADHD brain is to get plenty of sleep, yet many of us ADHDers struggle with getting to sleep. Even if you do stop doing that one more thing and get into your bed at a decent hour, there is a chance your brain will not shut down and go to sleep. It can be frustrating to stare at the clock for hours waiting for your brain to shut down. As it gets later, the pressure to fall asleep grows, and the pressure makes it harder to fall asleep. This can be one of the worst parts of having ADHD. For years, I struggled with falling asleep, only managing to fall asleep in a reasonable amount of time when I was extremely tired.