Sleep

When I was younger, sleep was terrible for me.  Looking back, I know that it was due to the ADHD.  My mind would race and race, and I couldn't calm down to get to sleep.  It doesn't sound like that big of a deal from today's perspective, but there were several years of hell for my parents and I.

I think it was late elementary school when it started.  My parents set up a good bedtime routine for my sister and I.  We would read stories, first together as young kids, then on our own.  We would say prayers and go to bed.  At a certain point, it started taking me up to six hours to fall asleep.  I don't remember my exact bedtime.  I do remember seeing one, two, three o'clock roll around some nights.

I had a lot of anxiety attacks.  Or just fear attacks.  It was a lot like a temper tantrum, but without the anger.  Crying, yelling, begging to sleep with my mom.  As a coping mechanism, I started going to bed earlier and earlier.  I figured that going to bed earlier would mean going to sleep earlier.  It didn't work.

The pediatrician tried to help with a two week supply of sleeping pills.  I remember the glorious feeling those little green pills gave me.  Peace, knowing I wasn't going to have to work at falling asleep.  Happiness that there would be no meltdown.  But it was only for two weeks.  The idea was to reset my sleep habits/internal clock/whatever.  It didn't work.

Starting around dinner time or dusk, whichever would come first given the season, I would become very anxious.  Sometimes the meltdown would occur before bedtime was even a thought for anyone else, because I was so upset about what would be coming.  I can remember going to camp and laying in my bunk about to jump out of my skin because I'd be in an unfamiliar place with new people, and I couldn't freak out.  Or maybe I could.  Then I just couldn't help it.  For years and years, evenings were horrible.

Once I was diagnosed with ADHD and OCD (due to my bedtime routines/behaviors) and medicated for these, the bedtime problems and anxiety disappeared.  Occasionally I have some kind of flashback to what it felt like when I was so wrapped up in the anxiety of laying in bed for hours, wanting to go to sleep.

Then G started having trouble sleeping.  I know my husband hates it when he comes to bed and G is in bed with me, but if G's upset about not being able to sleep, I cave in about 50% of the time.  The rest of the time, I go snuggle with him.  We've had a lot of improvement with lots of exercise and melatonin.  As of right now, I think I've managed to help him avoid the issues I had.

My advice?  Try exercise.  Try melatonin.  Try anything you have to.  Sleep is important, and sleep issues can have longterm impacts on kids.  And ADHD doesn't help with sleep issues at all.