It is nine at night, the third glass of water has been and gone, and your child is still up, talking, pacing or staring at the ceiling. Sleep problems are widely reported in children with ADHD, and estimates of how common they are vary a lot between studies.
Poor sleep does not cause ADHD, but a tired child often has a harder day, with less patience, more meltdowns and less focus at school. That can make the next bedtime harder again. This page covers why nights can be hard, what tends to help, and where our audio fits, which is mostly for you rather than your child.
It is general information and not medical advice. If you are worried about your child’s sleep, start with your GP or paediatrician.
On this page
Why Bedtime Is Hard With ADHD
There is rarely one reason. Researchers have pointed to several, and they can overlap.
- A busy mind at bedtime. When the day goes quiet, thoughts can speed up. Many children with ADHD lie there replaying, planning or asking questions long after lights out.
- A later body clock. Some studies report that children with ADHD feel sleepy later than their peers. That is a finding in groups of children, not a rule for yours.
- Sensitivity to the room. A ticking clock, a bright hallway light or a scratchy sheet can be enough to keep a sensitive child awake.
- Medicine timing. Some ADHD medicines can affect sleep. If you wonder about this, raise it with the prescriber, and please do not change timing or doses yourself.
Signs Worth Noticing
Any child can have a rough week. These are worth keeping an eye on if they keep happening, and worth mentioning to your GP.
- Taking a long time to fall asleep most nights, often well over half an hour.
- Waking more than twice a night.
- Frequent nightmares, night terrors or sleepwalking.
- Hard mornings: groggy, upset, or very difficult to get moving.
- Loud snoring, pauses in breathing or restless legs. These have causes of their own that a GP can check.
What Often Backfires
When bedtime turns into a nightly battle, most parents try whatever seems logical. A few common moves can make it harder.
- A rigid bedtime with no wind-down. A firm time helps, but moving a child from full speed straight into bed can raise the stress. A gentle lead-in tends to work better.
- Screens as a way to calm down. They can feel like they settle a child, and screens close to bedtime are linked with later sleep. Many families do better with quieter options such as drawing, a story or music.
- Reaching for sleep aids on your own. Melatonin, herbal products and sedatives are decisions for your child’s doctor, who knows their health and any medicine they take.
- Missing the worry underneath. Some bedtime resistance is fear or worry rather than defiance. Asking what the night feels like for them can tell you more than another rule.
A Bedtime Routine That Tends to Help
No routine works for every child. These steps help many families, and you can change them to suit yours.
- Keep the order the same every night. Bath or shower, teeth, pyjamas, lights down, then a story or quiet music.
- Make the room calmer. Blackout curtains, white noise if sudden sounds wake your child, soft bedding and less clutter.
- Switch off screens and busy tasks an hour or two before bed if you can, and swap in something quiet like drawing, reading or gentle stretching.
- Keep a simple sleep diary for two weeks. Note bedtime, wake time, night wakings and what came before bed. It shows patterns, and it gives your GP something real to work with.
Where Cognitive Pattern Reprogramming Fits
Cognitive Pattern Reprogramming draws on Clinical Hypnosis, Strategic Psychotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Clinical Hypnosis is used to create a highly focused state of attention. Within that state, Strategic Psychotherapy identifies and works with unhelpful patterns and is designed to help develop more useful ways of thinking, responding and behaving. Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques may be used throughout to interrupt unhelpful patterns and anchor more useful responses. It was created by Rob Edmonds, who holds a Diploma of Clinical Hypnosis and Strategic Psychotherapy and is a Certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner. You can read more on what is and is not known about the method.
It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent ADHD or any sleep problem, and it sits alongside your child’s doctor, not in place of them. The Mindshift Method app provides self-guided cognitive and emotional wellbeing support. It is not a replacement for professional medical or psychological assessment, diagnosis or treatment.
Most of the MindShift library is written and voiced for adults, so the useful session for a parent in the middle of this is usually one for you. A calmer head at bedtime may make the whole evening easier. The sessions run 15 to 20 minutes. While listening, you remain aware and in control, able to hear what is being said and respond if you choose. They are designed to be repeated, and there is no fixed timeframe. Do not listen while driving or operating machinery.
For children aged four to ten there is a separate bedtime story library, Dream Glow Hollow. It is not a treatment for ADHD or sleep problems, and it is not presented as a formal hypnosis session. The stories are designed to be listened to at bedtime, when children are naturally beginning to relax, become drowsy and move towards sleep.
Rob also offers individual Mindshift Method Cognitive Pattern Reprogramming sessions with children, with a parent or carer in the room for the whole session. That is a separate service from the audio library. To ask what is involved, see Rob’s Forster page or contact us.
For your own sleep, the Sleep and Recovery pathway is the place to start.
This Will Not Suit Every Child
Here is who this is for, and who should look elsewhere first.
- If your child’s sleep problem has a medical cause, such as breathing problems at night, pain or restless legs, audio will not replace finding that out first.
- If you want a quick fix, this is not it. Results vary, and there is no fixed timeframe.
- If you are looking for something to replace medication or professional care, it cannot do that.
- If your child is very distressed or you are worried about their safety, see your GP, and call 000 in an emergency. Kids Helpline is 1800 55 1800 for children and young people aged 5 to 25.
When to Get Help
Start with your GP or paediatrician if any of these fit.
- You have tried routine changes for a few weeks and nights are still hard.
- Your child seems exhausted, irritable or low in mood during the day.
- Sleep is affecting school, friendships or family life.
- You have noticed snoring, pauses in breathing, restless legs or nightmares that frighten your child.
A doctor can look for other causes, review any medicine, and refer you on to a sleep clinic, a psychologist or an occupational therapist if that makes sense.
Questions Parents Ask
Why do children with ADHD have trouble sleeping?
Sleep problems are common in children with ADHD, and there is rarely a single cause. A busy mind at bedtime, a later body clock, sensitivity to light and sound, and the timing of ADHD medicine can all play a part. Estimates of how common sleep problems are vary a lot between studies, so it is best to talk to your GP about your own child.
Does screen time make ADHD sleep problems worse?
Screen time close to bedtime is linked with later sleep in children, and a child with ADHD may find it harder to switch off from a game or video. The evidence is mixed on how much it matters for each child, so it is worth trying a screen-free hour before bed for a couple of weeks and seeing what changes.
Can melatonin help a child with ADHD sleep?
Whether melatonin suits a child with ADHD is a decision for their doctor. It is a medicine, it can interact with other things, and the right use depends on the child. Please do not start it on your own.
Can Cognitive Pattern Reprogramming replace ADHD medication or sleep treatment?
No. Cognitive Pattern Reprogramming is designed to sit alongside medical care, not replace it. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent ADHD or sleep problems, and any change to a child’s medication is a decision for the doctor who prescribed it.
Is Cognitive Pattern Reprogramming hypnosis?
Yes, in part. Clinical Hypnosis is one of the approaches Cognitive Pattern Reprogramming draws on, alongside Strategic Psychotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. While listening, an adult remains aware and in control, able to hear what is being said and respond if they choose. The Dream Glow Hollow bedtime stories for children are different: they are not presented as a formal hypnosis session and do not deliberately induce or utilise a hypnotic trance state.
Can my child have sessions with Rob?
Yes. Rob offers individual Mindshift Method Cognitive Pattern Reprogramming sessions with children, with a parent or carer in the room for the whole session. This is separate from the audio library. To ask what is involved, use the contact page or the Forster page, and Rob will reply by email.
How long does it take to see a change?
There is no fixed timeframe. Children and adults respond differently, and some families notice little. The audio sessions are designed to be repeated, and any change is best judged over time alongside your GP’s advice.
