I don’t know of a single ADHD client that doesn’t have some trouble with sleep. Mornings can be particularly difficult for the person with ADHD. Children often have trouble “waking up” and parents often get increasingly frustrated, finally resorting to yelling and threats. The morning starts off with hostility and anger making everyone feel bad and starting the day off focusing on the problem rather than things that are more important.
To start with, evaluate how much sleep your child needs. Most parents underestimate the amount significantly. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the numbers below represent the average sleep requirements based on age and the average amount children get.
| Age |
Sleep Needs in 24 hours |
Average Amount
of Sleep |
| Newborns (0-2 months) |
10-18 hours |
|
| Infants (3-11 months) |
14-15 hours |
12.7 |
| Toddlers (1-3 yrs) |
12-15 hours |
11.7 |
| Preschool (3-5 years) |
11-13 hours |
10.4 |
| School children (5-12 years) |
10-11 hours |
9.5 |
| Adolescents |
8-10 hours |
6.8 |
A study published in the March 15, 2002 issue of SLEEP suggests there is a strong link between sleep problems in children and ADHD. The study of 866 children between ages 2-23 found that children who frequently snore or have sleep disorders are almost TWICE as likely to suffer from ADHD as those who sleep well.
Children with ADHD often have trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, and waking up well. Below are some basic suggestions for helping your child with sleep.
1) Get to bed at a reasonable hour. That’s likely going to be earlier than what you child wants.
2) Set an alarm clock to a type of music your child likes.
3) Give your child his medication 30 minutes before his get up time, let him snooze and then get him up.
4) Have a quiet time beginning at least one hour before bedtime.
5) Consider “brainwaive entrainment” music. These tapes send out pulses that are the same brainwave frequency as sleep frequencies. Many of our clients have had some success using these. They are inexpensive and readily available in music stores or on the internet.
6) Talk to your doctor about melatonin. The research hasn’t clearly demonstrated it’s effectiveness but many Mind Games clients use it to their benefit.
7) Take the television and computer out of the bedroom. Make the bedroom for sleep only.
8) Use sleep medications only in the short term. The tend to lose their effectiveness after a few weeks.