While a significant number of the population report having problems sleeping, ADHD and sleep problems often seem to go hand in hand. In fact, For people suffering with ADHD, it may take up to two to three hours to fall asleep after going to bed, as opposed to 40 minutes for the average person.
Why Sleep Problems are Bad for Your Heath
Lack of sleep can lead or be linked to a myriad of physical health problems - among them: weight gain, heart disease, fatigue, and premature aging. Mentally and emotionally, symptoms such as irritability, excitability, depression, and severe mood swings are often observed.
ADHD Medications and Sleep Deprivation
Medications prescribed to treat ADHD are often stimulant drugs, such as Ritalin, Dexadrine, and Adderall. For people with attention disorders, these medications allow them to focus and reduces impulsive or hyperactive behaviors. Common side effects of these drugs are feeling restless and jittery, and difficulty sleeping.
Is Medication Helpful for Sleep Problems?
For some ADHD patients, the medication may be causing the sleeping problems. For others, sleeplessness may be caused by the lack of medication (such as when the last dose for the day wears off). The only way to know which is the problem is to use a trial and error technique, if approved by your doctor. He or she may ask you to take a dose close to bedtime. If this results in better sleep, you need more medication. If sleep worsens with the extra dosage, talk to your doctor about changing your medication or dosage.
What to Do if Your Medication is Causing Sleep Problems
If you feel your ADHD medication may be causing sleeping problems, you have a few options.
- Consult your doctor to discuss adjusting the dosage.
- Ask if another medication would be more appropriate for your needs.
- Talk to your doctor about using a small dose of melatonin, a naturally occuring hormone that aids in sleep, 30-40 minutes before bedtime
Are the Sleep Problems Really Caused by ADHD?
There are arguments for looking at sleep patterns first, before diagnosing ADHD. Poor sleeping habits can result in tiredness, inability to focus attention, irritability, and difficulty moderating emotions. Many of these symptoms are common to ADHD, or ADD. This leads to occasional misdiagnoses of attention disorders when the real issue may be a sleep disorder. A study has shown that for some patients with both sleep problems and ADHD, treatment of the sleep problems improved their ADHD symptoms and lessened their need for medication.
Whatever the reason may be, if you are getting less than the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night (or a little less if you're older), talk to your doctor. Sleeplessness not only affects your body's overall heath and appearance, but also your mental well being.
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