Neurodivergent people can really benefit from healthy sleep hygiene practices. As neurodivergent people, we are more likely than neurotypicals to experience sleep issues. These sleep issues can include trouble regulating melatonin, our circadian rhythms, the sleepy signals from our minds and bodies, and more. Therefore, sleep hygiene can be a great way to externalize these rhythms to help us fall asleep and wake up when we want to.

What is Neurodivergent Sleep Hygiene?

"Sleep hygiene" simply refers to habits that help you get a good night's sleep. Just as dental hygiene and bodily hygiene keep us healthy, sleep hygiene helps prepare our bodies for healthy sleep.

Sleep hygiene is important for everyone but even more so for the Neurodivergent person (ADHDer and Autist). Many of us struggle with healthy rhythms and routines and are prone to falling into unhealthy sleep-wake patterns and cycles. Furthermore, many of us have a genetic vulnerability to circadian rhythm dysregulations and disorders. This means we likely need to be extra vigilant about sleep hygiene to offset these vulnerabilities.

Neurodivergent Sleep

Sleep hygiene is particularly important for ADHDers and Autistic people. We are particularly vulnerable to insomnia and a host of sleep issues. Given these vulnerabilities, we benefit from being vigilant about protecting healthy sleep habits. To learn more about neurodivergent sleep, you can see my post on ADHD and Sleep and my post on Autism and Sleep, my post on sleep supports.

Neurodivergent Sleep Hygiene Practices

Below are some practices that help cultivate healthy sleep hygiene:

• Create a healthy sleep environment: An ideal sleep environment is cold, dark, has ideal wind flow and ideal background noise (consider using fans, white noise makers, and blackout curtains to help create an ideal sleep environment).  

• Turn screens off early and find a tech-free way to unwind (ideally, turn screens and technology off an hour before bed).

• Avoid caffeine & naps after 2:00 PM

• Move your body regularly: Regular exercise improves sleep; however, avoid vigorous exercise within 2 hours of bedtime as this wakes up the body.

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day

• Avoid alcohol and heavy meals 2 hours prior to bed

• Establish a soothing nighttime routine (there is the added benefit that this primes the brain for sleep and the brain will start pairing these activities with sleep)

Conclusion

Sleep hygiene is so important for neurodivergent people. Because we are predisposed to sleep issues like melatonin dysregulation, circadian rhythm disorders, poor interoception, and more, doing what we can to support healthy sleep can make a huge difference in our sleep patterns. Practicing healthy sleep hygiene can include turning off screens early, avoiding caffeine later in the day, waking and falling asleep at the same time every day, and more.

Although sleep hygiene is important, sometimes sleep hygiene isn’t the only aspect of our lives that’s impacting our sleep. Our routines, sleep stimuli, negative thought patterns, and more can be behind our poor sleep. If you want to learn about more ways you can help yourself get more sleep, you can find more information in my article on ADHD, Autism, and Sleep.

If you’re interested in learning more about your own sleep patterns and more sleep resources, check out my Neurodivergent Sleep Guide. In this guide, you’ll get a dozen workbook page and many resources to help you get better sleep at night.

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