No ADD / ADHD treatment is complete without examining a person’s lifestyle. One of the major lifestyle challenges of ADD / ADHD Adults is figuring out how to get enough sleep.

When you’re exhausted your ADD / ADHD flares out of control. You’re less likely to manage your time or stay organized. Your chances of success diminish.

You can find out more about ADHD and sleep in a blog I wrote a couple of months ago. Read down the blog’s page and you’ll find a list of Six reasons ADHD Adults Don’t Get Enough Sleep.

Though it will make ADD / ADHD symptoms worse, I’m not really concerned about the occasional night of too little sleep. When that happens you simply need to be nicer to yourself the next day. Realize your brain will be foggy. Lower your expectations of what you can do. Take simple steps like sneaking a cat nap in the afternoon and going to bed earlier that night.

It’s the long-term sleep deficit that poses the real problems. With my ADD Coaching clients, chronic sleep deficits inflame their symptoms to uncontrollable levels. When that happens it’s hard to make much progress handling other ADD issues until we get the sleep deficit under control.

What do I think is the main cause of my clients’ sleep deficits? Lack of structure. Typical ADHD adults, they simply don’t have the systems in place to get to bed early enough. Usually they forget to go to bed. Busy watching a movie or playing computer games, remembering to go to bed is the last thing on their minds.

Through coaching most are able to break the sleep deficit cycle and get to bed earlier. I have them set alarms and reminders. They learn to create nighttime routines. We hook bedtime to a uniform event so they remember to go to bed.

It’s like a miracle when the sleep deficit is controlled. With enough sleep my clients are much more able to function during the day. They begin to plan and follow-through. They learn to take the tiny daily steps needed to take control of their out-of-control worlds.

If you have Adult ADD or ADHD getting enough sleep isn’t an option. You have to rein in your impulses and build the scaffolding of support and do what you must do to get enough sleep.