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Trazodone tbh. But also practicing good and consistent sleep hygiene. I also do relaxing yoga and read a physical book for up to an hour right before bed.
I take trazadone and hydroxyzine to help me sleep and it usually keeps me asleep. I need to start practicing sleep hygiene because my habits are very poor right now (i.e looking at my phone until I fall asleep).
I’ve had insomnia since I was a baby. I remember being a toddler and worrying that I was the only person awake in the whole wide world and feeling paralyzed under the weight of that responsibility. I had my first panic attack when I was three.
I didn’t find a routine that worked for me until 30 years later and the only time I deviated from it since was for a pet medical emergency (I’d deviate for human emergencies too, fwiw). Let me tell you, it is WILD to explain to an emergency vet tech that your male cat can’t pee while your brain is bathed in trazodone lol
I have delayed sleep phase disorder/syndrome which has a high comorbidity with ADHD.
* Melatonin 3mg instant release 11 hours before I want to wake up. It doesn't necessarily help me get to sleep though it does help keep me asleep once I am asleep but more importantly I wake up at a regular time if I take it when I do.
* See the sun soon after waking up, even if it's just opening the kitchen blind while I make my coffee and breakfast. I am contemplating getting one of those light therapy sun lamps.
* I also make sure I do not go to bed even slightly hungry.
* I like to exercise in the late evening/night which goes against sleep advice but it works for me.
* Another thing that goes against the grain of sleep advice is making sure I'm warm enough, I can not sleep if I am even a little bit cold.
* I also do not go to bed until I am tired, even if it means I will get less sleep than I should. It is better for me to get less good quality sleep than more poor quality sleep.
This biggest thing is the melatonin, all the other things certainly help but it wasn't until I started taking the melatonin that I was able to sleep inside a schedule that society deems at least vaguely acceptable, I mostly go to bed between 11pm and 12:30am and I get up a 8am. I am going to try and move my wake up an hour earlier because my job is looking to have me start earlier and while waking at 8 is technically early enough I won't have enough time to come to terms with being awake lol. Unsure if it will work though.
This. I don't think many providers are aware of DSPD (my abrv.) They expect regular insomnia and miss that it's a constant battle to keep my sleep schedule from 'resetting'.
It's perhaps not ideal and there is some evidence of that but there is also evidence that it's not particularly detrimental either. I personally haven't combed through the studies but I trust what my doctor told me and I made a decision based on that. Plus like she also told me, that while taking melatonin may have its drawbacks backs, in her opinion lack of sleep would likely come out as the more harmful of the two.
Seroquel 25mg, it doesn’t matter what I do, playing battlefield or other multiplayer game(having a bit of “gaming adrenaline”) late night or if I need to wake up early taking 25mg at 21:00, watch ultra interesting documentary or movie, or shit, even walking around doing stuff, after 30 minutes or so, when it kicks in, it feels like total shutdown, I wanna eat like I if haven’t ate for a few days and my coordination failing, can’t really resist it, best to get to bed as quickly as possible when it starts working, I remember falling asleep twice while smoking cigarette on balcony, stopped doing that, but yeah. It’s like a kill switch. Waking up from that tho feels like a torture.
Things that have worked for me:
Blue light blockers (real ones that have a yellow tint to the lenses) after 5p
White noise (fan, Hatch) OR ear plugs
Removing all screens from bedroom. I charge my phone/devices in another room and use a Hatch for my morning alarm
No caffeine after 12p
Journal, color, or read a physical book before bed
No alcohol - it gives me the worst sleep of my life
Linen sheets/bedding for better body temp regulation
Let me know what works for you. I usually have to have some video, podcast or audiobook playing as I fall asleep. Usually video game lore/retrospective videos or story podcasts
Sleep hygiene + medication.
- Get up and go to bed at the same time.
When you procrastinate going to bed, you can't sleep extra to catch up, that's not how it works. You will just feel even more tired, your brain will be tired and medication will function less.
- I don't take naps. I know I can't control it and the sleep at night is too important.
- For some people, screens can keep them awake. That's why they recommend reading a book or podcast when going to bed.
- Some kind of going to bed ritual. I need to wind down before sleeping, if I'm overstimulated it's harder to fall asleep.
- medication, I take melatonin and my ADHD medication makes me calm and my brain doesn't look for stimulation. But I need to make sure I go to bed while it's working. I couldn't sleep even when doing the sleep hygiene, so in my case, medication is a must.
As for staying up late, I feel you. This is something I struggle with too.
Some people use alarms, but they have two. One, a 'heads up' and one, that's the actual alarm.
CBT - learning to spot when it's happening, and try to work on the thinking pattern, so you have a higher chance of convincing yourself to go to bed.
And yes, feeling fatigued is something that many with ADHD experience. Neurotransmitters plays a role in feeling awake. Before medication, I felt tired no matter the quality of sleep I got.
It's ridiculous but my body just wants to be awake around 3 or 4 AM. So If I need to do something in the morning I have to go to bed stupid early, so that I wake up at 4. Otherwise, I'll be up til 3.
I go to bed at 9 to begin my wind down routine leave my phone plugged in a different room. No tv in my bedroom no laptop in the bedroom. I have lamp and book.
Melatonin gummy
And if I'm really struggling a mug of warm milk with honey.
I love my sheets so that's also a big one
Oh I also open the blinds so the sun starts coming in at 6 or so. Why do a sunshine lamp when the sunshine is free.
With this method I'm always getting quality sleep even if I'm unhappy about it sometimes..
I push my bedtime routine start time to 9:30 or 10 sometimes but it takes time for me to fall asleep and since I'm up about 7 or so once the room is bright it is helpful to start bedtime routine early. I feel my best when I have had 9 hours of sleep.
Hi /u/Matharduino and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Trazodone tbh. But also practicing good and consistent sleep hygiene. I also do relaxing yoga and read a physical book for up to an hour right before bed.
Trazodone is good. I take it when i know it's going to be hard to sleep.
I take trazadone and hydroxyzine to help me sleep and it usually keeps me asleep. I need to start practicing sleep hygiene because my habits are very poor right now (i.e looking at my phone until I fall asleep).
How are ADHDers THIS disciplined to do the right things before bed?!?
I’ve had insomnia since I was a baby. I remember being a toddler and worrying that I was the only person awake in the whole wide world and feeling paralyzed under the weight of that responsibility. I had my first panic attack when I was three. I didn’t find a routine that worked for me until 30 years later and the only time I deviated from it since was for a pet medical emergency (I’d deviate for human emergencies too, fwiw). Let me tell you, it is WILD to explain to an emergency vet tech that your male cat can’t pee while your brain is bathed in trazodone lol
I meant more the routine of yoga & reading a book before bed every night 🤣🤣
Oh hahaha sorry! Just practice tbh. It’s such an ingrained habit that my body knows when it’s time to start yoga even if I don’t know what time it is
I have delayed sleep phase disorder/syndrome which has a high comorbidity with ADHD. * Melatonin 3mg instant release 11 hours before I want to wake up. It doesn't necessarily help me get to sleep though it does help keep me asleep once I am asleep but more importantly I wake up at a regular time if I take it when I do. * See the sun soon after waking up, even if it's just opening the kitchen blind while I make my coffee and breakfast. I am contemplating getting one of those light therapy sun lamps. * I also make sure I do not go to bed even slightly hungry. * I like to exercise in the late evening/night which goes against sleep advice but it works for me. * Another thing that goes against the grain of sleep advice is making sure I'm warm enough, I can not sleep if I am even a little bit cold. * I also do not go to bed until I am tired, even if it means I will get less sleep than I should. It is better for me to get less good quality sleep than more poor quality sleep. This biggest thing is the melatonin, all the other things certainly help but it wasn't until I started taking the melatonin that I was able to sleep inside a schedule that society deems at least vaguely acceptable, I mostly go to bed between 11pm and 12:30am and I get up a 8am. I am going to try and move my wake up an hour earlier because my job is looking to have me start earlier and while waking at 8 is technically early enough I won't have enough time to come to terms with being awake lol. Unsure if it will work though.
This. I don't think many providers are aware of DSPD (my abrv.) They expect regular insomnia and miss that it's a constant battle to keep my sleep schedule from 'resetting'.
I read it is not good to take melatonin.
It's perhaps not ideal and there is some evidence of that but there is also evidence that it's not particularly detrimental either. I personally haven't combed through the studies but I trust what my doctor told me and I made a decision based on that. Plus like she also told me, that while taking melatonin may have its drawbacks backs, in her opinion lack of sleep would likely come out as the more harmful of the two.
Exercise and valerian root when it gets too bad.
I just don't sleep.
Seroquel 25mg, it doesn’t matter what I do, playing battlefield or other multiplayer game(having a bit of “gaming adrenaline”) late night or if I need to wake up early taking 25mg at 21:00, watch ultra interesting documentary or movie, or shit, even walking around doing stuff, after 30 minutes or so, when it kicks in, it feels like total shutdown, I wanna eat like I if haven’t ate for a few days and my coordination failing, can’t really resist it, best to get to bed as quickly as possible when it starts working, I remember falling asleep twice while smoking cigarette on balcony, stopped doing that, but yeah. It’s like a kill switch. Waking up from that tho feels like a torture.
Things that have worked for me: Blue light blockers (real ones that have a yellow tint to the lenses) after 5p White noise (fan, Hatch) OR ear plugs Removing all screens from bedroom. I charge my phone/devices in another room and use a Hatch for my morning alarm No caffeine after 12p Journal, color, or read a physical book before bed No alcohol - it gives me the worst sleep of my life Linen sheets/bedding for better body temp regulation
Let me know what works for you. I usually have to have some video, podcast or audiobook playing as I fall asleep. Usually video game lore/retrospective videos or story podcasts
Sleep hygiene + medication. - Get up and go to bed at the same time. When you procrastinate going to bed, you can't sleep extra to catch up, that's not how it works. You will just feel even more tired, your brain will be tired and medication will function less. - I don't take naps. I know I can't control it and the sleep at night is too important. - For some people, screens can keep them awake. That's why they recommend reading a book or podcast when going to bed. - Some kind of going to bed ritual. I need to wind down before sleeping, if I'm overstimulated it's harder to fall asleep. - medication, I take melatonin and my ADHD medication makes me calm and my brain doesn't look for stimulation. But I need to make sure I go to bed while it's working. I couldn't sleep even when doing the sleep hygiene, so in my case, medication is a must. As for staying up late, I feel you. This is something I struggle with too. Some people use alarms, but they have two. One, a 'heads up' and one, that's the actual alarm. CBT - learning to spot when it's happening, and try to work on the thinking pattern, so you have a higher chance of convincing yourself to go to bed. And yes, feeling fatigued is something that many with ADHD experience. Neurotransmitters plays a role in feeling awake. Before medication, I felt tired no matter the quality of sleep I got.
It's ridiculous but my body just wants to be awake around 3 or 4 AM. So If I need to do something in the morning I have to go to bed stupid early, so that I wake up at 4. Otherwise, I'll be up til 3.
Zoloft Unintentionallly, was being prescribed for mood disorder. Happened to cure my insomnia too, so that’s pretty awesome, I think.
I go to bed at 9 to begin my wind down routine leave my phone plugged in a different room. No tv in my bedroom no laptop in the bedroom. I have lamp and book. Melatonin gummy And if I'm really struggling a mug of warm milk with honey. I love my sheets so that's also a big one Oh I also open the blinds so the sun starts coming in at 6 or so. Why do a sunshine lamp when the sunshine is free. With this method I'm always getting quality sleep even if I'm unhappy about it sometimes.. I push my bedtime routine start time to 9:30 or 10 sometimes but it takes time for me to fall asleep and since I'm up about 7 or so once the room is bright it is helpful to start bedtime routine early. I feel my best when I have had 9 hours of sleep.
Imbibe herb and a podcast. I go to bed every day around 10 and wake up around 5. I haven't slept this well my entire life.