ADD/HD and Sleep Disorders | ADHD Information

my son (with ADHD - medicated dexamphetamine) has the following sleep disorders, chronic nightmares (he told me the other night that he has never had one nice dream, ever), severe bedwetting (2-3 times a night), yells out in his sleep, has trouble falling to sleep, scared of the dark.

two daughters (non-diagnosed ADHD) have episodes of sleep walking

Myself (non-diagnosed ADHD) - sleep paralysis but only 1-2 times a year (now 33) It happened regularly in my early 20's.

My Siblings whilst growing up - 2 wet the bed until adolescence, 1 Night Terrors, all five of us sleep talk and my twin sisters would talk to each other and answer each others questions in their sleep. 

I believe there is a strong genetic trait of ADHD in my family - although not diagnosed.

 

Dear Atom,

I have daughter that is 11 years of age. She has been diagnosed with ADHD sense she was in the 3rd grade. She has had medicines like Ritalin for the last 3 years. Right now she is on a Med that is called Methenphinadate LA 20mg a time release capsel. I wanted her to try this med to see if it would help her to get to sleep at night. For right now it seems to be helping with her school work and everyday adventures however she is having problems with getting to sleep at night. I will put her to bed at 8:30 pm every night and she still isn't asleep until 10:30 or so. But when she gets to sleep a train could come in her room and she will not wake. It takes me a good hour to get her out of bed in the mornings. I think that is because she has such a hard time getting to sleep and it effects her ablity to fuction in the morning. In all I do think that there is a connection to sleep disorder and ADHD.

mckus2001

Hello everyone

    My younger brother, like me, has ADHD. We've both been through lots of treatments, and find that Adderall has worked best. I've researched all kinds of disfunctions, disorders, (also gifts, as I like to call them) and I'm a psychology major right now for my second year in college.

    Both of us have always suffered from sleep disorders as well, forms of insomnia before either of us were ever even on medication. I stopped taking medication for a year before I started college, and it was the same thing all over again. Constant movement, talkativeness (my mouth sometimes running faster than my brain could keep up!) and late nights. By this I mean toss & turn in bed, but more so something else...

    A nightly problem with Sleep Paralysis.

    For those of you who don't know what this is, its like this:

1 - Half awake or feeling awake
2 - Unable to move limbs
3 - Feeling of terror or danger
4 - mild hallucinations (like there is something in the room)
5 - respiration increasing, feeling like heart is beating out of chest

    It sounds extremely scary. It is. Most people grow out of this by age 30. Don't forget, I've dealt with this a long time. 10 years so far.

    My bro has something in the same category, less frightening, a bit more dangerous. SLEEPWALKING.

    My father has ADD worse than any adult I know. Perhaps thats how we gained a gene for it.

    Anyways, I've found that benzodiazepines correct the sleep apnea, and my brother's sleep walking is a bit less severe from CLONODINE.

     We both decided a few weeks ago to kick those meds to the curb because we felt that life will always have its drawbacks. Some things we have to face up to without medication.

    The point of this post is to find others with the same problem. I'm taking a survey of people with ADD/ADHD and sleep disorders. Insomnia, bedwetting, chronic or acute (on a semi regular basis) Nightmares, Sleep / Night Terrors, Apnea, even the most strange accounts of when its time for bed. I'm trying to find out if there IS in fact a connection between ADD/HD and Sleep Disorder. The professionals say no or they are not sure...

    Anyways, I would very much appreciate any feedback I can get on this.

    Thank you for reading,

Atom I have the same prob I don't get much sleep at night..I've never slept and good post by the way.

I used to sleep walk and find that often, while lying in bed, I get those exact symptoms you described (thought it was just me). I don't get scared of monsters anymore but I do obsess about something in my head terribly bad in that same half sleep, trance state. It really sucks since it's usually about something stupid but I have no control over it. It's been like that my whole life and the one time I went to a doctor about it he told me to go to bed earlier and quit smoking. Of course, the smoking doesn't help but the going to bed earlier is just stupid.

I won't take any meds for that though as I have never taken any for anything although I really want a doctor to let me have some ADD meds but since I told them I smoked weed (by the way, that cured the insomnia but I wouldn't suggest it as medication) they say that is the cause to all my problems. Can't prove them wrong as they only have words about my past and no proof. My way of getting around this is to take a little nap every day (I can sleep during the day without much problem so long as it's quiet). That way when I don't sleep at night, I still get some sleep. This isn't good though as I don't think I get the proper amount of REM sleep.

matt

Good luck with this. My semihaha, i like your little comment about talking to much. I'm the same way and it sucks. my mouth moves much faster than my brain and I get into all sorts of trouble over that.

Just a question (for anyone, including Atom):

How is your inner monologue? I know everyone has one but mine just doesn't shut up, ever. I'm talking full blown, one way conversations in my haed that never end. Loud music is the only way to dampen it as that kinda hypnotizes me

I just wonder because I hear things about meditation, etc but that is not something i can see as being possible. I try to clear my mind and the old monologue just keeps talking.

By the way, i'm not talking about some other voice in my head that tells me what to do, etc. my cousin is schizophrenic (that can't be spelt properly) and I don't have the same voices he has, just one, just mine.

Always been curious

mattm, I find focussing on my breathing helps me sleep.  If i just FORCE myself to breathe deeply in and out, (and this gets boring and i will think of other stuff then remember i was focussing on my breathing), I will eventually get to sleep.

Also with practice, it happens quicker and I can focus on the breathing longer.

I also imagine I am dropping down levels in consciousness, sometimes I try really hard to astra travel, this has never worked, but it is so tiring to try  that I have fallen asleep trying.

It is amazing how lying in bed for long periods make you think up all sorts of weird stuff!

Hey rae,

I've tried deep breaths to no avail (over almost an entire year to see if I could make it habbit).

I've tried many other things out there that I have read about. Never any pills though. Don't like that idea much at all.

Counting sheep doesn't work either.

Rather than try to sleep when I go to bed I read. I have read tonnes of novels (and I have a learning disorder that comes with the ADD and involves reading comprehension but practice makes perfect). I just read which allows me to enter the dreamy state of mind (get lost in a story) and then eventually fall asleep. Now, i'm not talking about trying to read a textbook or something but a novel that it doesn't really matter if you are imagining the story at hand or a story you are making up as your eyes scan the pages of the book, it's the state of mind that matters. Doesn't work all that well though. I've always combined that with marijuana which made it work but if you don't want to travel that route, the reading is really hard (or staying still long enough to get lost in the story).Read out Loud Mattm, that is even more tiring.

Hey im kinda glad i read this...
im 15 i have add, i think i have (adhd(sometimes if that makes any sense) and i havent slept in two days. not because i dont want to. simply because i cant.  sometimes i experience those symptoms .. cant sleep, half awake heart beating fast, hard respiration...  anc cant being able to move... one time during exam period i could not sleep. I almost went without sleep for a week. at point and i wasnt making any sense. yknow how in dreams you are not logical... well thats how i felt after week with no sleep.... so i took pain killers with drowsyness and i got to sleep
i know this was kindove irrelevant... but i felt i had to say it.

Amanda

I have severe adhd I'm majorly hyper and have had sleep problems all my life. Even as an infant my mother told me that I was impossible to get to sleep at night and even when she was successfull I would only stay asleep a few hours. I have been on Adderall XR for 4 years now never on anything before that. It hasn't effected my sleeping at all I guess because I never sleep to begin with. I usually am awake for 2-3 days then sleep then another 2-3 days awake and so on. I've also had nightmares or night terrors all my life. I'm 27 now so I'm pretty used to this. When I wake up afraid of my dreams I just pinch myself real hard to make sure I'm awake and then settle back down. Since I have been having nightmares for 27 years I have also learned to wake myself up from the scary dreams by doing the same. If you pinch yourself and you don't feel any pain that means your still dreaming and you can force yourself to wake up. It really works.my son never sleeps i think it is linked to his medicationMy 5 yr old has adhd and  he  sleeps  walks.. We just  follow him threw the  house and  make  sure he  doesn't hurt hiself. My  husband  and  i have  become  light  sleeper  because of  this. I understand  what yall are  going  threw.. good luck