Sleep & ADHD

You’re exhausted but your brain’s throwing a house party at midnight

You know what’s super fun? Being tired all day, only to get a second wind the moment your head hits the pillow. Or being so wired at night that you suddenly want to reorganize your entire spice drawer at 1:42 a.m. Welcome to ADHD Sleep Hell™ — population: probably you.

Sleep struggles and ADHD go together like expired coffee and existential dread. It’s one of the most common issues folks with ADHD deal with… and one of the most misunderstood.

Some Greatest Hits on the ADHD Sleep Struggle Playlist:

  • Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome: Your brain’s melatonin factory clocks in like, 3 hours late. Every night.
  • Time Agnosia at Bedtime: You glance at the clock and somehow it’s 2:43 a.m. and you’ve read 87 fanfics.
  • Bedtime Procrastination: You know you need sleep. But you also haven’t had a single moment of “you time” all day, so now you’re doomscrolling to reclaim your stolen autonomy.
  • Racing Thoughts: The moment you lie down, your brain wants to solve every unsolved mystery, remember that embarrassing thing from 2009, and plan your next business idea.
  • Falling Asleep Is Hard, Staying Asleep Is Rude: Either your brain won’t shut off, or it wakes up at 4 a.m. like, “Hey bestie, you up?”

Why does this happen?

Well, friend, let’s blame our old pal dopamine again. ADHD brains have a hard time regulating arousal (not the sexy kind—although, that too, sometimes). The nervous system gets stuck in “on” mode, especially when there’s no transition plan.

Also, melatonin production is delayed in a lot of ADHD brains. So while the rest of the world is gently drifting off at 10 p.m., your internal clock is like,

“We begin… now.”

Not to mention: when you’re overstimulated, emotionally flooded, or still riding the chaos gremlin’s coattails, the idea of “just go to bed” is laughably unrealistic.

What ADHD sleep issues feel like:

  • Hating the idea of going to bed even though you’re desperately tired
  • Lying awake with a brain full of tabs you can’t close
  • Sudden creative hyperfocus at deeply unholy hours
  • Dragging yourself through the day on fumes, caffeine, and vibes
  • Feeling guilty that you “can’t even sleep like a normal person”

(Which—side note—normal sleep is a myth and was probably invented by the same people who designed open-plan offices.)

Tiny but mighty ways to fight back:

  • Create a wind-down ritual that signals “hey, it’s cool to stop now”
  • Screens = stimulant — at least try a blue light filter, or switch to boring TV
  • Same time-ish, every night-ish — consistency helps regulate melatonin
  • Brain dumps — write out all the noise so your brain doesn’t keep screaming
  • Hot shower or bath before bed = helps drop your core body temperature = zzz
  • Soothing audio — white noise, brown noise, low-key podcasts, sleepy stories
  • Forgive your brain if it won’t shut up. Judging it doesn’t help it sleep.

And if you’ve already messed up your sleep schedule and it’s 4 a.m.? Go easy on yourself. You’re not broken, you’re just out of sync.

This section links to the full Sleep & ADHD Deep Dive, where we’ll explore:

  • The science behind delayed melatonin and ADHD
  • How sensory overwhelm, RSD, and emotional dysregulation mess with sleep
  • Practical bedtime strategies (that don’t feel like punishment)
  • Revenge bedtime procrastination and how to reclaim time without wrecking sleep
  • How to unlearn toxic productivity culture so your brain can rest
  • Tools, routines, and realistic expectations for a better relationship with sleep
Deep Dive