What You Need To Know About ADHD Kids And Sleep

5. Don’t Snack

Snacking, or even eating, in the 2-3 hour window before bedtime can often keep children from falling asleep. Foods that contain even small amounts of caffeine and sugar, can keep your child awake. If your kids are hungry, a warm milk is a great choice, but not too much or kids will be up to use the toilet.

6. Create A Dark Room

A room without stimulation is key to helping a child, particularly when they have ADHD, to fall asleep. If your child needs a night light then that’s ok, but otherwise, make a point to take out any kind of stimulation from the room, including electronic devices, phones, televisions and gaming consoles.

7. Explore Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques might seem a bit hippy and out there, but they have proven to be very effective for some children with ADHD. Relaxing natural sounds of rain, waves and forest sounds, along with meditation tapes, are all good choices to keeping an active and anxious mind focused on falling asleep. A white noise machine can also be beneficial for some children.

8. Keep Calm

If you struggle getting your child to fall asleep, particularly if you have kids who are getting up throughout the night, it’s so important to stay calm. While you might get frustrated that your child is constantly getting out of bed to pester you, you’ll only make them more agitated and awake by allowing your temper to rise.

What tricks have you found that help getting your ADHD kiddies to sleep?

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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