How to Quiet Your ADHD Brain for Sleep (with Jeff Copper)
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- Опубліковано 16 січ 2023
- "Your ADHD brain is leaping out of bed jumping to anything that will entertain it. How do you manage that? Intentionally engage your brain in something that is not too stimulating but not too boring in a period of time in order to surrender your ADHD brain to sleep." - Jeff Copper
Use these ideas to help quiet your ADHD brain at night so that you can sleep.
This video clip comes from Jeff Copper's hour-long ADDitude webinar titled "7 Insights Into the ADHD Brain That Transform Lives:" www.additudemag.com/webinar/a...
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My almost-22-year-old ADHD daughter has trouble getting to sleep, so she goes to bed very, very early. She recently told me she's been having success falling asleep faster by simply thinking about how much she loves being in bed. How good it feels to be snuggled in bed and how much she is enjoying it. So, I guess simple mindfulness about the very moment she's in helps her.
I do that but my bed rejects cuddling with me unless it's daytime
Agreed ♡
So 'Early to bed, early to rise' is kinda true
I did the same thing around her age for 9 months when I got really serious about getting sleep. The first night was incredibly difficult, I laid in bed for 3 hrs with my thoughts just screaming a million miles a minute, tossing and turning and not feeling an ounce of tired. But I kept trying every night and after a LIFETIME of sleep deprivation, I was actually able to get consistent 8-9 hr nights for the first time in my life, it was the best I’ve EVER felt. My mood did a complete 180, I felt incredible and more connected to others, destressed, COLORS looked significantly more vibrant, I was more capable, had even more ideas (which was actually a bit overwhelming), was more emotionally content, my acne started healing, I lost weight, it was seriously the best I’ve ever been, I didn’t know life could be that good. Unfortunately, some traumatic family events unfolded, and I fell off the wagon, and haven’t been able to get back since. It’s incredibly difficult to force yourself to follow a schedule when you have adhd y’all, even when I know I’ve done it before. I try hard every day but currently I typically get 4 hours a night, maybe a little more on weekends, but still less than 8. I was maybe 19/20 when I did that, I’m 24 now
It’s so hard to get up for work in the morning as well, it was like that in school too I was late every single day
I'm in my mid-40s. This is what solved it for me: Take a show you love to watch (it needs to be one you love) and add something to it in your mind. Create an additional plot or story arc which is incredibly pleasing to you, even if it's something simple like your two favourite characters living happily ever after. Anything. Or even put yourself in the story, make yourself the hero.
Memorise it once you've created it. Then you 'replay' it in your mind when you go to bed at night. Because it's memorised, it will require little brain activity, and because it's something you find pleasing it will put you in a nice headspace for falling asleep.
Create a group of them so you don't get bored of the same one each time.
Another example of the fact that sometimes success with ADHD starts with disregarding advice created for neurotypicals.
My husband can close his eyes in a bright room full of noise and be sleeping in two minutes. While I lie there in the dark and am still awake 3 hours later. 😢
It’s 4am, my assignment is 2 days late, i found this while trying to find a video i can fall asleep to, been trying since 1am
Sounds familiar.
55 year old. Last year diagnosed adhd. All my life i had sleeping problems until 15 years ago: i discovered when i 'listen' to talk-radio (later podcasts) that i sleep with in 10 minutes. It was a life changer
Booya! That is exactly the point of the video. Awesome
hello from gen z, you’re the boss
So true
Hi mate I am 54 and have only been diagnosed with Autism this year and next week I’m getting tested for ADHD which I’m 99% sure I have as well.
The overthinking in bed especially is absolutely unbearable at times, I used to start work at 5am leaving home at 4am getting up at 3.30 yet I would be lying in bed wide awake at 12 worried that I might sleep in or just not being able to turn my brain off.
Work a 12 hour shift come home absolutely stuffed but still do exactly the same thing again.
I can’t remember the last time I had 8 hours sleep lucky to have 6 hours sleep, brain just won’t turn off 😢
Here's a tip. UA-cam has a "take a break" and "bedtime" option. I use it to listen to videos and after 15 mins, the break screen will pop up and my phone will go to sleep. And so do i
Callmekevin’s videos where he plays the sims or bitlife really tend to knock me out somehow. Its the perfect level of sustained mild chaos for me, especially once i’ve seen the video before. Amusement without the feeling of missing out if i ever let my attention to it waver. And theres literally dozens and dozens now so i can cycle through them without feeling like i’m always listening to the same thing.
me too! i love his vids to sleep 😂
i love his videos!!!
I re live backpacking trips I've taken to go to sleep. The hardest part is usually forcing my brain to focus on starting but once I'm locked in on the memory I start picturing every mile of the trail in vivid detail. More often than not I barely make it a few mile down the trail and suddenly I'm waking up the next morning. This also gives me something to look forward to the next night as I get to pick up where I left off the night before. I had been doing this for years before I got a late life diagnosis and it's the only way I can sleep without laying in bed for hours.
If you’re watching this, please check out “sleep with me” podcast, it’s a game changer. It’s literally a guy that says the same things on repeat in different ways, goes off on long random tangents, and talks in a creaky relaxing tone. I religiously listen to this before bed.
I used to rinse SWM every night, eventually couldn't vibe anymore. Now I listen to The Empty Bowl, but I make sure to only listen to it in bed, so I don't get too bored of it. Highly recommend
@@cerumen What will you do if you eventually can't vibe with SWM too? Curious because I go through where my brain gets used to it and it doesn't work anymore.
YES! If *try* to go to sleep, I have to endure a harrowing showreel montage of my life's greatest regrets and future worries. Combined with mild tinnitus.
So I play a repetitive word puzzle game until tired, and then I also switch to listening to a podcast.
The podcast will be hosted by the same people that I like, but where they're always talking about subjects I already fully understand.
Volume on low, until I slowly drift off....
Neurotypical husband is out cold as soon as his head hits the pillow!
Did I write this? 😂
sounds like it is working for you... BOOYA!
Boy do I envy the husband :'D
After I got tinnitus 4 years ago, sleep has turned into a whole new project. Crippling anxiety over the sounds but being forced to face them by bedtime led me to search all kinds of help.
I landed on sleep hypnosis videos, yoga nidras, or a podcast like
"Nothing much happens".
Takes practice, but like Pavlov's dogs, after a while the brain might recognize the ritual to mean relaxing and sleep.
I’m 21 and I was diagnosed with ADD years ago. Insane how eye opening this video was. I searched “How to calm the ADD brain” on UA-cam and clicked on this cause I know how hard it is for me to sleep. When he said you’re supposed to fall asleep in 15 minutes after laying on your pillow I literally said “hell no” to myself. I often find myself searching emotionally rewarding content online and just sit in my chair or in bed when I know my body should sleep. Sometimes I purposely do it cause on occasions it can take me up to two hours to sleep and it’s uncomfortable . But when I listen to familiar music in bed or do something simple like count my change drawer I find myself getting very tired. Very interesting and amazing tip that I’ve used without realizing and will strive to use frequently .
Fifteen minutes is a pipe dream for me. I usually allow an hour to try and fall asleep
@@winstonian22 yeah 15 mins would be amazing … my sleep schedule has gotten so much worse that I’ve just given up lol
I fall asleep in 2 hours since I was like 9 year old o.O
bro, same here but no matter how early I sleep I still fell asleep at 11 pm Like I go to sleep 7 or 7:30 pm and end up falling asleep between 11 - 12, it really ruins my study. Recently I found out that shaking my feet intensely exhaust my body but not my brain so I listen to little kids bed time stories while shaking my feet like crazy wet dog, and it works.
I am 33 years old and I've just discovered this year that I most probably have ADHD. In my country (Hungary) we've got a 2 years long waiting list to get an evaluation, so I can't tell for sure if I've got it or not. Contents like this just blow my mind how obvious it should have been long ago.
I always had trouble with sleeping. Even when I was a child I had been rolling around in by bed for hours before falling asleep. Sometimes I went to my parents to tell them I can't go to sleep. They told me to just close my eyes and I will fall asleep evetually. Well... I did... Hours later. I had (still have) extremely vivid imaginations and my mind was racing every single night. So I was sleep deprived for most of the time. I also had to keep it a secret, because nobody believed me that I did't do it on purpose.
Then much later in my teens I got a TV in my room and I started watching documentaries on Spectrum until late night. First I started noticing that I felt sleepy much earlier. Then I closed my eyes and only listened to it and I could fall asleep in a reasonable amount of time. Looking back I didn't even notice how important it was for me to have a little bit healthier sleep hygiene, but I have been doing it ever since.
Now it is exactly like mr. Copper said, I have to find the exact volume to take a little effort to listen to it, but not so loud so that it irritates me. Engaging enough so I can focus, but not so engaging so I am entertained. There are things that I've listened to at least a 100 times. They become boring after a while so I have to find something else. This game is a part of my daily life. It was a cause of many conflicts too, with roomates and so on. It is a struggle.
Thanks for this video! I feel a little less of a freak now.
You made a pretty amazing summary of why sometimes listening to something works and sometimes it doesn't. I'm also in the "long waiting list" situation (Canada).
Thanks and good luck!
Anglia is ilyen.mar Egy eve varok
i was diagnosed today after trying for three years. i just wanted to mention that this organization (ADDitude) helped make it possible by helping me understand my adhd brain. thank you for all the wonderful content, both written and visual.
Also, very good video -- i always chafe at the "sleep hygiene" advice, because it simply doesn't work for me, but this is actually helpful.
I personally watch an episode or two of a comedy series... it's positive and light enough that my brain can move off whatever it was focused on during the day, and interesting enough to keep me out of my brain. It rarely takes me more than 1 or 2 episodes until I am ready for sleep. I do watch in bed with the lights off, sometimes use melatonin as well.
I've had diagnosed ADHD since I was 10 years old I'm currently 25 however even before I had a diagnosis my tactic had always been to just daydream just to focus on an interesting thought and start making a story a calming story my body would just calm down enough at least most nights sometimes I definitely struggle to sleep still but for the most part my tactic has always worked
Music is the key for my son. And thank God we found out. Because it had been 9 years of going until he dropped from exhaustion. It works so well that he no longer requires sleep medication! It’s miraculous really. So simple yet so crucial. Thanks for your video!! I liked hearing how you explained the reasoning behind it. Makes perfect sense now.
I don't have adhd, but i've always found falling asleep quickly to be elusive unless I'm physically exhausted. 15 minutes would be amazing. Maybe I'll try some of these.
Are you sure you don’t have adhd? 🤔
I am 14yr and i got this adhd like 2-3 months ago and have a very hard time falling asleep and I can only sleep when I'm tired. I can control my thoughts but this adhd really sucks man it just goes back in my mind creating scenario like predicting the future or something like that
Thank you so much for this! This language is SUPER helpful and affirming.
Love it when our content is affirming. Thrilled you found value in it.
A Podcast or a guided Meditation usually does the trick for me.
Im 14. Self diagnosed because i dont think there is a good psychological in my country so iv seen my behaviour and i know more than 100% i have adhd.Ita 3am and I've been singing tha same lines for 2-3 hours 😢😅
I got a free meditation app called Medito and it's much easier and more enjoyable for me than the other ones I've tried because the narrator brings me back on task frequently. After completing one of the audios I'm usually so sleepy I don't even have the energy to grab my phone and keep myself awake.
Great 3 minute video. This is really working. Even before I had adhd I often found myself unwilling to go to be unless I had a problem to tackle. For example math problems, simple but graphical ones. For example you can stack balls in a container on on top of the other in two rows, or in a way that you have two balls, one in between, two balls etc. Which is more efficient? And imagining that....I fall a sleep. (I eventually solved that in my head and now I don't sleep again because historical podcasts which painted visions of the past I have finished as well).
thenk yuu
Sir thank you so much, The technique you said about exhausting my brain and body works alot I wiggle my feet and listen to little children bedtime stories on Yt music in minimal audio, I also found out that I have sleep apnea, and taping my mouth really works, first time waking up with satisfaction.
So interesting, thank you
Thrilled you find our content of interest.
Rubik’s cubes and puzzles are the best way for me.
Asmr is the best. Pick some that are predictable, like a video thats all tapping, or all brushing, something that isnt switching up a lot, so its not too disturbing/discrating. Also doing breathing is good. Reki asmr is nice for the breathing, also usually uses a lot of visual asmr (what personally helps me relax well) so thats nice too. But really any asmr, theres a lot of variety, so many people who think asmr isnt for them, im sure they can still find some asmr that they like (like soft spoken or singing if they dont like wispering, or no tslking asmr if you dont like voices) there really is something out there for everyone.
I stumbled on the podcast trick by accident and it absolutely works!! (the podcaster should also have a chill voice and soft cadence though)
thrilled this are working for you.
Let's plays of story based games does it for me, most nights. Just gotta give it around an hour on average.
I am 28 years old and have adhd. I sleep regularly at 2 am to 4am and this habit wrecked my life. I blamed myself, my poor self control for this and took away everything I distract myself from sleeping. Phones, books everything. I tried it for a week and miserably failed to sleep. Even with everything gone, I can feel my brain buzzing with energy and no matter how hard I tried couldn't get myself to sleep. It was so frustrating that I nearly cried everyday with helplessness. Recently I workout for one hour and listen to random hour long boring lectures and it works half the time. When I am too full of energy even this doesn't work.
Same problem bro.😢😢😢😢
If anything helped do let me know
Please let me know what helped you
Very good advice! I play a picross game on my phone called picross luna. It has lovely calming visuals and music and cuz I find it easy, it's not too stimulating.
Reading and staying off electronics 1-2 hours before, and working out with a routine to put me to sleep.
THC and CBD helps me sleep and controls rumination
I watch documentaries, Bob Ross, or art restoration. I'm usually asleep in 5-10min!
In order for me to fall asleep pink floyd songs must be playing on my phone next to my pillow. "The trial" is the first one i play, then i let shuffle do its thing. If there is no music, my thoughts are louder than my exhaustion
I've found that planning out a garden plot (which I don't have) gets my brain to let me go to sleep. Where will the carrots go? Should I grow corn? What kind? Silly I know, but it helps
I sometimes do complex multiplications in my head to drift off 😅
That's exactly what i do for years now,i turn on a moovie that i've whatched many times,a comedy and turn down the volume on minumum,i thought i was crazy turns out i know how to trick my adhd brain😮
So I take melatonin every time before I go to bed before it lasted 5h now it is barely 50min
Hello Sir! Inwas veeeery late diagnosed with ADHD. It's been 2 years know and I still have no help for how I should be how I can work against Ny chaotic brain.
Thw worst is that I even as a child havens have goof night habits. I took so long to fall asleep. Therefore I always was tired at school.
Now I'm 34, was diagnosed late 32 years and have a serious addiction to Zopiclon, potend narcotic and without this...I can't sleep.i hate it so bad. Some ideas what I could get beside of this?
I find audiobooks help not to long a story and turn the volume down
I have adhd nd man its so hard going to sleep. Mind just be be racing and any little noise or anything throws me off and has me feeling unsafe/anxious. I can only sleep if there is something in the background
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you for the video! so on point! 😁 Personally, the several "not too engaging/boring" techniques to fall asleep vary all the time for me (and for most adhd folks i believe?). At the moment i've been listening to "silly" 1,5h long youtube video talks on analyzing tom cruise's links to scientology cult etc, I don't know why but it sparks my curiosity on point just for the 15min desired time to fall asleep 😅😂 Also just started trying "natural" 1,9 mg dose of melatonin for about a week now, still don't know if it will help, but looks like improvements are showing! so I'm happy with anything I can get when it comes to sleep!
(The video talks work cause I don't actually have to look at the video, as it is more of a filmed podcast, but somehow solely podcasts can't always keep this balance of "not too engaging/boring" for me, I believe perhaps because I personally give more effort and focus on the listening as i suspect i have apd. On the other hand, audio binaural sleep talks/meditations have worked in the past. Again, the working techniques seem to vary and switch frequently)
You have to be careful not to engage in something too interesting. the idea is to find something that holds your attention but not so much where your brain won't surrender itself to sleep.
@@AttentionTalkVideo very well put, thank you!
Whispered (or soft sounds) ASMR videos are great for quieting my ADHD brain enough for sleep. The content must be mundane or gentle though (like Melange ASMR, Latte, or the people who just flip pages), not the "ASMR entertainers" who frankly get too interesting in their content (and always seem to be selling something). [Downside: yes, it's a device before bed, BUT you put the device on a stand and don't touch it: just listen to the sounds and know it is time for the device to go to sleep along with you.]
I play the same movie but low volume and play it in my head to fall asleep
Read the end here!!! >>>My phone (screen) is off limits in bed. I have to do steps to make myself stop. - first,turn off the lights everywhere. Sudoku!! or reading in bed is really good. If i listen (only) to something from phone make sure it's real low key content, and sometimes put on .75 speed. But no video. No munching way before bed.
+++ And here's a fun one . . . >>>>>> If my mind is annoyingly busy, I'll imagine something radical, like I've stowed away in the engine room of a big ship, asleep in a big pile of canvas sails, I'm between watches. There's a lot going on, on the other decks, but im off the clock.
Or I'm tucked away on a tour bus between gigs, rollicking through the dark night, through busy cities and strange highways, while somebody else drives. I put the hubub outside myself, works really good, have fun with that one, make it crazy, but you're tucked in somewhere : )
Pokemon. Knocks me right out, especially the middle to late part of the game where it's a lot of the same fights over and over.
I am diagnosed with autism but i really think i have adhd or both
I have both ADHD and Autism. So sleeping is hard
I still can't sleep, help.
I can take about an hour when i put my head on the pillow to actually sleep
And what's the answer to "how to quiet you adhd brain?!"
It's amazing how we pathologised sensitive, creative and thinking people who are over stimulated by an over stimulating modern environment.
15 minutes I’ve been lying here for 3 hours
At least take me to dinner first gawsh
Dont talk about sleep hygeine in the first 5 seconds of your video if you are not goint to go in depth about it.