ADHD HINT for Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Published: Wed, 02/28/18

Your Wednesday ADHD Hint

from Free To Be ADHD Coaching

freetobecoaching.com

Linda Swanson, PCC Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Hello, !

It’s hard for anyone to get enough sleep in our 24-hour society! Chicago is not the only “city that never sleeps.” Most of our towns and cities fit that description.

The Cambridge dictionary even has an entry for "24-hour society: a modern society in which people can buy goods, work, go to restaurants, etc. all night and all day.” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

At the same time, we are learning more and more about how important getting sufficient sleep is to healthy growth and development and to good overall functioning. Here is the National Sleep Foundation’s “Sleep Duration Recommendations” chart. These are the daily recommended number of

hours of sleep for each age range:

0-3 months 14-17 hours

4-11 months 12-15 hours

1-2 years 11-14 hours

3-5 years 10-13 hours

6-13 years 9-11 hours

14-17 years 8-10 hours

18-25 years 7-9 hours

26-64 years 7-9 hours

65+ years 7-8 hours

How close are you to achieving the recommended number of hours for your age? If you have ADHD, you may be having a hard time. That’s because ADHD is linked with quite a few sleep problems. Folks with ADHD may have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up. There may even be problems related to circadian rhythm, i.e., your 24-hour clock may be set differently from the majority of people.

CHADD’s website has an excellent PDF describing the way sleep can impact folks with ADHD, along with several recommendations for managing the challenges.

A lot of research is being done to help us understand the complex relationship between sleep and ADHD. A few researchers even have hypothesized that ADHD could be the result of a sleep disorder. Did you see this article last fall?

If you are experiencing problems falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up, you might want to read the articles linked in this HINT. If you want to read even more, a Google search for "ADHD and sleep" will provide you with millions of hits!

If you are concerned about the issue, you might also want to talk with your doctor to see if a sleep study might be appropriate for you or your child or your family member or friend.

It’s hard to overestimate the importance of sleep for good brain functioning. That’s why sleep is the topic of this email which is the first in a series of ADHD HINTS on "Establishing the Foundation for Thriving with ADHD."

Until next Wednesday!

Linda

linda@freetobecoaching.com

PS. I'm excited to let you know that I have an article in the Winter 2017-18 edition of "Attention" Living Well with ADHD" magazine, the publication of CHADD-the National Resource on ADHD. It's hot off the press! Ours just arrived on Saturday.

There will be a follow-up article in the next edition. This one is called "The Punishment Mindset and School Discipline."

A subscription to "Attention" is one of the benefits of CHADD membership, though it is possible to subscribe without joining CHADD. Check it out!

* * * * * *

Thom Hartmann has said, “Coaching, it turns out, is one of the most powerful and effective ways for people with ADHD to achieve success.”

If you are curious about ADHD coaching and how it can benefit you, I'd be delighted to schedule a free introductory conversation to answer your questions and to hear the ways you would like to achieve greater success. Just email me at linda@freetobecoaching.com.

or by signing our email list at an event .

Our mailing address is:

Free To Be Coaching, LLC

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Warrenton, VA 20187