Attention Magazine December 2023

ADHD experts report that the majority of individuals with ADHD also experience sleep-related problems. Sleep difficulties can significantly affect the quality of their day-to-day lives. In an effort to address their needs, Melissa Reskof developed the ADHD Sleep Routines Accountability Group.

Reskof has a deep understanding of and strong personal interest in the impact sleep-related problems can have on the lives of individuals with ADHD. First diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, she struggled with sleep-related difficulties for years. She now serves on the committee that organizes the Annual International Conference on ADHD, and she is a former member of the board of directors for the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA).

Participants in the ADHD Sleep Routines Accountability Group learn and practice optimal sleep habits for getting to sleep, staying asleep, and returning to sleep. Facilitated group discussions explore personal reasons for change, common barriers preventing optimal sleep, and actionable steps people can take to improve their personal sleep habits. Participants are introduced to “in the moment” strategies that can be learned and practiced that very same day. They receive helpful tools, including a sleep optimization assessment worksheet along with a customizable sleep habit tracker. The tracker provides them with their own personalized data, allowing them to analyze monthly trends and opportunities. They are also offered optional sessions that provide exercise and/or movement and guided meditation experiences.

Addressing “revenge bedtime procrastination”

Knowing effective bedtime routines that can lead to a restful night’s sleep is no guarantee that a person will choose to practice them. Instead, some people will lie awake at bedtime and choose to engage in activities sure to keep them wide awake, like surfing the internet, playing their favorite computer games, or catching up on emails, to name a few.

To capture what psychologically can seem as rather self-sabotaging behavior, sleep experts coined the term revenge bedtime procrastination. While this is a fairly common phenomenon among people with ADHD who have sleep- related problems, it far too often goes unaddressed. That is why Reskof was sure to weave in practices that help individuals to address this phenomenon. She also helps people to know when it’s best to consult with professional sleep experts to address sleep-related problems that go beyond the scope of her program.

A clinical and consulting psychologist, Mark Katz, PhD, is the director of Learning Development Services, an educational, psychological, and neuropsychological center in San Diego, California. As a contributing editor to Attention magazine, he writes the Promising Practices column and serves on the editorial advisory board. He is also a former member of CHADD’s professional advisory board and a recipient of the CHADD Hall of Fame Award.