No matter how hard you try, you just can’t fall asleep early. Even if you’re in bed at 8, you lie there in the dark until you finally drift off around 2 am. You can drink all the coffee you want. You’re still not a morning person.
First off, you’re not lazy. If you’re neurodivergent, it might be your biology. Neurodivergent sleep cycles often naturally follow a pattern of late nights and late morning wakeups. Your body just isn’t built for an early bedtime. Let’s talk about why and what you can do about it.
Why Your Neurodivergent Brain Won’t Turn Off
Neurodivergent bodies are on a different sleep timer than neurotypical ones. Your body isn’t wrong or broken. It’s just not made for the schedule society imposes on you.
Neurodivergent brains often have a delayed sleep-wake cycle. That means your brain naturally releases melatonin later in the night than a neurotypical brain that has an easier time conforming to early bedtimes and wakeups. While some people can go to bed (and actually fall asleep) at 8 pm, an ADHD brain might not let you rest until after midnight.
A study from Frontiers in Psychiatry showed up to 71% of autistics and up to 50% of ADHDers have sleep problems. Neurodivergent people are also more prone to sleep disorders, like insomnia and restless legs syndrome. If you take medication, like stimulants for ADHD, those can keep you awake, depending on when you take them.
People with autism and ADHD may also fall into hyperfocus, where you concentrate so deeply on a task or activity that you lose track of time, personal needs, and responsibilities. And since your brain works better late in the day, it’s easy for hyperfocus to last well into the night.
What Happens When You Can’t Sleep
Society expects you to function based on its standard, but that standard doesn’t fit everyone. About 15 to 20% of the population is neurodivergent. People assigned female at birth are under-diagnosed and under-researched, too, so their struggles often get overlooked. The same can happen if you have neurodivergent traits that present differently than what others expect.
If your sleep cycle doesn’t conform to societal norms, you may struggle to function, process information, or even stay awake when you’re “supposed” to. It impacts your relationships, personally and professionally.
When your job expects you to show up at 8 am when you couldn’t fall asleep until 2 am, you’re less alert, less focused, and your mood is worse. You walk around on a few hours of sleep and are exhausted before the day even starts. Then, your mental health suffers when sleep loss makes you feel anxious, depressed, and starts to affect your physical wellness.
You may not be able to fix societal expectations, but there are some habits you can try to help you sleep according to your natural rhythms. If you can make accommodations for yourself—or ask for them from others—it can change how you function and how you feel in your day-to-day.
How to Get Better Sleep with a Neurodivergent Brain
Ideally, you’d be able to match your lifestyle to your natural sleep pattern. But if you have work, school, appointments, children, or any other responsibilities, you know that’s not always possible. (And who among us doesn’t have at least some of those things?)
You can still get better sleep or change some of your habits to fit your needs. Try some of these tips to see what works for you.
- Create a nighttime routine: Yes, it’s hard not to doomscroll at night, but it’s probably adding to your mental noise. Instead, do a calming activity before bed. Take a shower, turn on white noise, or read a book.
- Get your thoughts out: As soon as your head hits the pillow, you remember every embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you and replay every argument you’ve ever had. Journaling before bed can declutter your mind, so you feel more ready for sleep.
- Relax your body: Notice where you feel tense. Sometimes, you don’t realize it until you’re paying close attention to your body. Try stretching or taking some deep breaths before bed.
- Ask for accommodations: It may be worth asking if you can shift your work schedule or change your availability. It may not always be possible, but many jobs are able to adjust your start time.
- Adjust your schedule: Ask for afternoon appointments or take evening classes, if you can. Even if you need to show up early for some things, you can still be kind to yourself with the obligations you can control.
- Ask a doctor or therapist for help: If you have trouble sleeping every night, it’s a good idea to see if you have other options to help you get better rest. There may also be other factors contributing to your sleep struggles.
Not all of these methods will work for every neurodivergent person. It may take some experimentation to find the best system for you, but it’s worth trying for better sleep.
Your Brain Isn’t Broken
Waking up early isn’t a badge of honor or an indicator of how productive you are. If it doesn’t work for you, stop trying to make your brain and body conform to someone else’s standards.
You may not be able to cross all early starts off your schedule. But if there’s even one thing you can do to get better rest, it can improve your mental health and how you feel in your body overall.
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