The $30 million sleep challenge

A psychotherapist with ADHD shares 12 actionable strategies to overcome sleep challenges, from morning routines and habit stacking to managing caffeine and naps , based on personal experience and professional insight.

As a psychotherapist specializing in sleep difficulties and neurodivergent brains , I did not enter this field because I had all the answers but because I was full of questions.

For years, I believed I was simpy 'bad at mornings' and needed more willpower to go to bed on time, yet I later discovered I had ADHD.

Biologically delayed body clocks

Many individuals with ADHD experience biologically delayed body clocks, making late nights and challenging mornings commmon, and what appears as a lack of discipline often reflects different neurological wiring.

Before my psychotherapy career, I spent over two decades in creative industries as an art director, thriving on energy and creativity but living a cycle of late nights, burnout, and guilt, unable to switch off.

A practical wake-up routine

A practical ONE-TWO-THREE wake-up routine helps: Step one, feet on floor-sit up and move, stretch, or walk to your alarm; you can place a glass of water or a light box across the room to motvate movement.

Step two, sip water-rehydrate before caffeine to clear morning fog.

Step three, engage your brain-provide a small rewarding stimulus such as a favorite playlist, quick puzzle, stretch, or feeding a pet.

Adopting habit layering or stacking

ADHD brains often resist single standalone habits but respond to chaining small steps like dominoes-for example, alarm → sit up → sip water → light on → play music → feed dog-which over time runs on autopilot, reducing reliance on willpower .

Simplify your life and reduce chronic load-practical stress from unfinished tasks, clutter, and decisions quietly drains ADHD brains and spills into sleep; proactively offloading tasks protects your sleep resrve.

Managing caffeine and nicotine

Manage caffeine and nicotine carefully: caffeine blocks adenosine, the chemical building sleep pressure, so morning coffee feels energizing, but lingering caffeine into afternoon or evening can blunt the natural sleep pressure needed at night.

Be cautious with naps-if you frequently need naps, examine your overall rhythm; insufficient nighttime sleep, irregular wake times, or wearing-off medication might be the real issues; naps can lead to oversleeping or increased grogginess for ADHD brains.