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Children with ADHD often experience sleep problems that may keep them from getting adequate rest or cause them to feel tired and sleepy in the daytime. While each individual with ADHD symptoms will likely have different levels of various sleep-related issues, here are four of the most common among children and ways to help them.
Bedtime Anxiety
While it is natural for some kids to balk at bedtime, preferring to stay up and continue playing, children with ADHD may feel anxious and uncomfortable about going to bed. This may be due to the need to rest quietly in bed or the expectation that they will have difficulty going to sleep. Parents can address this issue by providing a natural and consistent bedtime routine that kids can become accustomed to. Washing up, brushing their teeth, hearing a story or relaxing music, and praying according to the family’s spiritual beliefs can be linked in a secure network of phases that help to reduce anxiety and prepare the child for bedtime.
Difficulty Falling Asleep
In bed, however, sleep may remain elusive for these children. Relaxing their minds and bodies for the night could be challenging for some. It is important to have comfortable bedding and surroundings wherever the child sleeps. This is especially important if for children who are traveling or sleeping in an unfamiliar environment. A memory foam mattress for RV travel or home provides a secure foundation for bedtime, molding to the child’s body size and proportions for comfort. Bed linens in favorite colors or themes may also help a restless child to settle down for the night.
Interrupted Sleep
Many kids wake up at night to go to the bathroom or ask for water, but children with ADHD sometimes wake up frequently at night and have trouble getting back to sleep. They can be taught a self-soothing response to night awakenings, such as lying still with eyes closed and counting to twenty or changing sleep positions. Soft music on the bedside table might be switched on to ease the child back to sleep.
Difficulty Waking Up
Due to the possibility of restless sleep or other factors, a child with ADHD might have difficulty getting up or staying awake in the morning. A fun or supportive wake-up routine can be helpful. For example, offer a favorite breakfast food freshly served at a specific time like seven a.m. or let the child do a favorite activity like play video games for fifteen minutes before breakfast if he or she is up on time.
Supportive gestures like these can make living with ADHD a little easier. Help your child manage sleep problems related to ADHD by trying the above tips.
