Falling asleep with ADHD, let alone falling asleep fast, can be a whole challenge in itself. Falling asleep and getting quality rest while traveling can be a huge struggle for people with or without ADHD. I have definitely felt the effects poor sleep has on my energy and mood while traveling. If you’re wondering how to fall asleep with ADHD in new places, or even if you’re just having a restless night, this post is for you.
How to Fall Asleep Fast (With ADHD)
Getting enough sleep when you’re traveling is arguably more important than when you’re living in one place. Thus, successfully falling asleep has a lot more gravity to it. I’ll oftentimes be lying in bed for quite a bit only to realize I’ve been hanging out in the depths of my brain rather than sleeping. I’ll then spend even more time trying to kick all of the little ear and eye worms out of my headspace only to lose a ton of potential shut-eye in the process.
Here are some of the tips I’ve created over the years for falling asleep in unfamiliar places or when your brain just does not want the day to end. Let me know if you try them out or if you have any others that I didn’t mention!
What to do Before Bed:
Practice Checking in
If I haven’t given my thoughts enough undivided time to be present throughout the day, they will completely flood my brain at night when I’m finally in that uninterrupted headspace trying to sleep. The sleep headspace should never be sacrificed for your thinking headspace. If you can take time away from devices, work, people, and distractions to sit or walk with your thoughts during the day, you will find your headspace much clearer at night. However, if you find yourself lying awake at night with a completely alert brain, practice pulling yourself out of the rabbit holes you find yourself in with your ADHD sleep toolkit.
Go through a rundown in your brain.
Kind of like a mental journal session, have a little moment to ground yourself to reflect on your day. I like to count a few blessings like in “White Christmas,” find my rose, bud, and thorns, think of things I got done and want to get done tomorrow, etc., whatever works for you.
Use a sleep mask
Blocking out light with an eye mask changed the way I sleep forever. For whatever reason, I’ve always been really sensitive to light, so if the space I was sleeping in was bright, either when I was trying to fall asleep or in a light sleep when the sun came up, I was pretty much screwed. I have so much more control over my sleep with my eye mask, and I never travel without one because of how beneficial it is for me.
Silence your devices
Turn off all sounds and put your screens away before bed so those thoughts can run their course before you try to fall asleep for real. Bonus points if you use a physical alarm clock so you can lock your devices far away somewhere. I’ve found that a lot of the action that occupies my mind when I’m trying to sleep is the content I consume on social media rather than actual events from my day. Knowing this makes good reason for me to limit screen time but it also is a good reminder why going on screens right before bed harms the quality of our sleep.
Wear a watch if you like to check the time throughout the night or when you wake up. I wear a shark watch you can use my code EARTHANDEMMA10 for 10% off. If you use your phone as an alarm clock, it’s time to change that. Get a physical alarm clock, use a smart home device like a google home if you already have one, or set an alarm on your watch.
Notepad
If you’re really struggling with having new thoughts coming into your head when you’re trying to sleep, keep a notepad next to your bed. This allows you to jot down anything you want to add to your to-do list, message someone, add to a project, etc., without losing sleep over it or feeling the need to grab your phone.
The more time you take for yourself throughout the day, the less often these thoughts will interrupt you at night. However, I know how frustrating it is for a really good idea or important action item to come to your headspace when you’re done with the day and want to sleep but don’t want to forget the thought again. Jot it down and come back to it tomorrow!
ADHD Toolbox for Sleeping:
Have something to picture
If I’m struggling to get certain stories, videos, memories, or other visuals out of my head that aren’t helping me fall asleep, I need a reliable source to pull out of the toolkit and plug it into action. Having a “happy place” of sorts to picture is a great way to comfort your brain and help your thoughts start to ground themselves and calm down. I’ll picture a really perfect and peaceful sunrise surf session or a comforting beach sunset. Have something ready to go before bed so you don’t have to think when you need it.
Have something to listen to
If I have a million noises swirling through my little ADHD brain, I need a sound to overpower all of them and help me drift off, just like what my “happy place” does for what I see. If you have a song that you used to hear before falling asleep when you were little or a song that makes you think of great memories or comfort, try singing it in your head and imagine the sound from the song pushing out all the other noises.
This may be a pretty niche ADHD suggestion, but it can be so hard to calm and quiet the ADHD brain at night naturally, and I have found so much comfort in using this tool. If you have a playlist or some white noise that reliably helps you sleep, then definitely incorporate that in whatever way works for you.
Have a designated sleep position
Have you noticed that you have more success falling asleep in some positions than others? Falling asleep on your side is generally the most efficient way to drift off quickly, it definitely is for me, but I find that I wake up with some pain on nights that I sleep on my side. My solution to this is to lie on my side as I start to drift off, then roll onto my back when my brain has officially shut up and I’m super sleepy so I can wake up pain-free.
Gn.
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