Children with ADHD and sleep?!


Question: Children with ADHD and sleep!?
I am working with a child who has ADHD!. He does not like to go to bed and this causes problems at 8:30 when it is time to go to sleep!. I know that poor sleep habits are part of ADHD but I was hoping to find some ideas from parents who have this same problem!. Have you tried sound machines and do they work (such as the sound of an ocean)!? If you have any ideas please let me know!. Thank you!Www@Answer-Health@Com


Answers:
Ah yes!.!.!. sleep!. That wonderful time when parents of ADHD kids finally can gather their thoughts and have some peaceful moments!. :D

I have three sons, now ages 24, 26 and 28!. All of whom were diagnosed with ADHD!. It's why I went gray early!. lol The two youngest outgrew ADHD, the oldest still has it as an adult!.

When they were young, bedtime was a nightmare, especially for my oldest, who was literally, a whirlwind!. Being close in age, their bedtimes were nearly the same!. After several years I finally learned about something that WORKS in helping these kids relax enough to be able to fall asleep!. But when I first heard it, I laughed, thinking no wayyyyy would this work with any of my sons, especially my oldest!. That's why when it DID work (and still does!) I was shocked!.

First thing was to stagger the bedtimes, even by 15 minutes!. This gave me one-on-one time with each of them!. They each had a warm bath, (important to help them to relax), and afterward they got a towel I took straight from the dryer, (another thing to help them relax)!. They did their nightly things, brush teeth, go potty, etc!. Then one by one, I'd chase them to their bed!. lol (this helped to get out that last bit of energy and made them laff)!.

Once in bed, after hugs and a kiss and tucking them in, they couldn't talk!. I'd sit on the edge of the bed, with my son on his tummy!. Then I'd rub their back in ONE direction with one hand, from the nape of their neck down to their waist, then repeat!. Over and over, medium pressure at first, then as I felt my son relaxing, made the pressure a bit lighter!. When their breathing changed, I made the pressure so light they could barely feel it, til my fingers were barely touching them!.

How long did it take!? LESS THAN 5 MINUTES!!! Each and every time, even with my whirlwind son!. :D I was amazed and shocked!. And the thing is, they loved it and looked forward to it every night!. Even now when they are grown, when I visit or they visit here, they still ask me to rub their backs til they fall asleep!.

The best thing about it is that despite how hectic the day was, how positive or negative it had gone, each of my sons knew we would still have 'our time', and it was good for us emotionally!. Parents of ADHD kids know that it's hard at times to find positive moments in each day!.

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My kids know what time bed is and nothing active (rough play, loud music or tv, fighting, etc) is allowed after dinner!. It's quiet time!. After their showers they go to their beds!. I take time with both to say their prayers and sing them a song!. Kids with ADHD often have comorbid conditions and need patterns!. They do best on a set schedule when they know exactly what is coming next!. So they each get their own song sung three times through!. Usually my daughter will help sing the last part of hers and my whirlwind son is out by the end of his!. At any rate as Mystic said, it's the "special time" each get that really helps them to feel secure and loved despite any poor decisions they made throughout the day!. Www@Answer-Health@Com

I don't have ADHD but I do have ADD and I know that for me the repetitive noise of a sound machine or relaxing music does help me to focus better when studying!.

The biggest problem with an ADHD or ADD brain is there are too many things being processed all at once so it's hard to just focus on one thing!.

The sound machine does help me sleep at night as well probably because it helps me drown out all the jumbled thoughts in my head at night!. So I say it's worth a try!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

You should make up a routine for him to follow at night!. A lot of these kids like to be involved in helping create a routine that they can follow!. This is a good idea for the both of you to work on!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

just try to get him on a patternWww@Answer-Health@Com





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