The struggles an ADHDer faces on a daily basis can take a toll on their mental health. When you mess up as much as an ADHDer does, you start to believe the negative messages you hear both from internal and external sources. This is especially relevant if the ADHD diagnosis does not happen early in childhood. The longer one goes without an ADHD diagnosis, the more one wonders, “What is wrong with me? I must lazy and/or dumb.”

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.

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.