ADHD nighttime routine for better sleep

If you have ADHD, getting to bed can feel like trying to herd caffeinated squirrels. One minute, you’re thinking, Right, bedtime! The next? You’re suddenly watching a documentary about Viking shipbuilding, reorganising your bookshelf, or panic-buying items you definitely don’t need from an online marketplace.

Sound familiar?

Sleep doesn’t come easily when your brain doesn’t like to switch off. But a solid bedtime routine can make all the difference. It can help calm the chaos, make sleep actually happen (rather than being an optional extra), and let you wake up feeling refreshed instead of wrecked.

Now, imagine this: waking up feeling clear-headed and alert, moving through your morning in a relaxed way rather than in a frenzied rush. No more scrambling for lost keys, running out the door with mismatched socks, or skipping breakfast because you hit snooze one too many times. Instead, you actually enjoy your morning, setting yourself up for a focused and productive day.

Sounds pretty great, right?

So, how do we get there? Let’s take some lessons from Nigel, a fellow ADHDer who has spent years fighting against his own brain’s refusal to sleep. After a lot of trial and error (and a fair bit of swearing at his alarm clock), he found a system that works.

Step 1: Make Your Brain a Deal It Can’t Refuse

ADHD brains don’t respond well to just stop what you’re doing and go to bed. They like transitions. They like moving from one state to another, preferably with something interesting in between.

For Nigel, this meant taking his dogs for a short walk before bed. No screens, no doom-scrolling—just him and the cool night air. The movement helped get rid of the restless energy in his body, and he used the time to check in with himself—noticing how he felt, how the air smelled, how his feet hit the ground.

🔹 Try this: A wind-down activity that shifts your brain out of hyper-focus mode. A short walk, gentle stretching, or even just making a cup of herbal tea can help signal that it’s time to slow down.

Step 2: Engage All Your Senses

ADHD brains respond best to experiential routines. You need something that feels like an experience, not just a checklist.

Nigel realised that he needed a bedtime ritual that engaged all his senses, so he ran a hot bath with candles, put on relaxing music, and made a cup of herbal tea.

It worked because:
✔ He could feel the warmth of the water.
✔ The scent of essential oils or candles gave his brain a sensory anchor.
✔ Sipping herbal tea gave his hands and mouth something to do.
✔ The sound of calming music filled the space.

For others, this might mean a short nighttime yoga session or a guided meditation to help the brain slow down.

🔹 Try this: Find a multi-sensory wind-down routine. Something you can feel, smell, hear, and even taste. A warm bath, sipping caffeine-free herbal tea, lighting candles, listening to a bedtime meditation—all of these help signal your brain that sleep is coming.

🔸 Important: Avoid caffeine after 5 pm—this includes coffee, chocolate, green tea, energy drinks, and anything else that could sneakily keep your brain buzzing.

Step 3: Protect Your Dopamine (Without Falling Into a Rabbit Hole)

One of the biggest sleep saboteurs for ADHD brains? Late-night dopamine cravings.

Nigel used to fall into the trap of browsing online marketplaces late at night, telling himself it was just “winding down.” In reality, his brain was hunting for dopamine, and the endless scroll just kept him awake longer.

So, he set a firm rule:
✅ No phone after a certain time (unless for meditation or music).
✅ If he wanted a dopamine boost, he did something tactile instead—like kneading a stress ball, sketching, or playing with aromatherapy putty.
✅ If he wanted screen time, he picked something that didn’t hook him in—like listening to a bedtime story on an app or using a guided relaxation exercise.

🔹 Try this: If you crave dopamine at night, find a low-stimulation alternative that doesn’t hijack your bedtime.

Step 4: Filter Out Stress Before Bed

Ever read a stressful message before bed and felt your brain explode into full panic mode? Nigel used to do that, too.

🚫 No checking emails or messages before bed.
✅ If something was unavoidable, he used ChatGPT to summarise the key points and remove emotional language.
✅ If something needed a reply, he drafted it in the morning when he was clear-headed.

🔹 Try this: Set a hard boundary on stress triggers before bed. No email, no news, no work tasks. Let your brain unplug before you sleep.

Step 5: Set a “Last Call” for Your Brain

ADHD brains don’t do well with sudden stops. Nigel set a last call alarm 30 minutes before bed—a “wrap up what you’re doing” reminder instead of a “go to bed now” alarm.

🔹 Try this: Set a gentle “wind-down” alarm that tells your brain it’s time to start slowing down.

Step 6: Celebrate the Small Wins with Journaling

Nigel started a bedtime journaling practice:

• What went well today?
• What does this say about me?

Journaling can help ADHDers clarify thoughts, reduce stress, and increase self-awareness (source).

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

How would it feel to wake up energised and in control instead of frazzled and running late?

A great morning starts the night before.

If you’re struggling with sleep and want a personalised ADHD-friendly bedtime routine, I’d love to help you get better sleep.

📅 Book a free initial consultation with me to create a routine that helps you sleep better, wake up refreshed, and start the day on your own terms.

👉click here

Sweet dreams. 😴