40. Sleep, weight loss and ADHD

In this episode, we discuss the connection between sleep, ADHD, and weight loss. We cover:

• The link between ADHD and sleep issues
• Sleep and weight connection
• Specific sleep struggles that ADHDers might face
• Tips for improving sleep

I also covered a couple of specific items that were requested to discuss in this episode about sleep. I hope this was helpful!

I'd love to hear from you! You can connect with me in the following ways:

Instagram: @jennwatts.adhd
Email: jennifer@jenniferwatts.ca

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I'd love to know if there's something you want to hear more about or if you want to let me know about your own experiences with ADHD and weight loss.

Transcript

Welcome. Welcome to this week's episode.

I don't really have anything interesting to say at the outset, but this week, I am going to talk about sleep, especially as it pertains to ADHD and weight loss—how those are connected, how they affect us, and all of that good stuff.

I know for myself, sleep has been a real roller coaster—up, down. There have been times when it's been good; there have been times when it's been not good. I think, for myself, I always feel like I have to preface it with what parts are my own experience because I would never want anybody to conflate that my own experience is the way it is for everybody. I would never do that, but I know perhaps the biggest impact on sleep for me has been having kids, especially having three neurodivergent kids.

Because, as we'll see in this episode, ADHD and sleep struggles are connected for sure. So what I want to talk about is sort of sleep and ADHD, how those intertwine, sleep and weight loss, how those intertwine, and how it all connects together. Then we'll talk about some ways that you might go about working to make changes to your sleep if that's something that you're interested in.

When I started researching—and by the way, this was actually quite fun for me because I haven't done episodes in a while where I get to do research, and I love to research—it was really fun to kind of go back, you know, and see studies and info and all that stuff.

From Sleepfoundation.org, where I got a lot of good resources, they say that—this is a quote: "An estimated 25 to 50% of people with ADHD experience sleep problems ranging from insomnia to secondary sleep conditions. Doctors are beginning to recognize the importance of treating sleep problems and the possible impact healthy sleep makes on quality of life for ADHD patients and their families."

This is not a surprise to me. I think, like, you know, there are so many components of it. You know, ADHD is a brain thing, and sleep is very impacted. The brain is very affected by your sleep, so it kind of makes sense to me.

One interesting thing that I found is that there's kind of a pattern between your type of ADHD and how it might impact your sleep. And I don't think this is a "this is the way it goes for everybody" kind of thing, but typically it’s said that those who have the inattentive type of ADHD are more likely to have a later bedtime—they have more of their struggles around getting to sleep. For those who are of the hyperactive type, they are more likely to experience insomnia—trouble staying asleep or getting long periods of sleep. And then, lucky for us combined types (that's me), we get both. So you might experience more trouble getting to sleep, along with insomnia-type stuff. But, I mean, that's not a definite thing; that's just a more-likely-than-not kind of thing.

One other thing here is that you'll see this with sleep as it relates to ADHD, as well as how it relates to weight loss.

Much like weight struggles and ADHD, they know that there's this link, but they don't really know why. I found on WebMD—this was a doctor-reviewed article—and it said that while experts don't know exactly how sleep woes and ADHD are linked, they do know about some of the possible causes and what might help. So it just goes to show that they don't really know why they're connected. But I think this is my experience anyhow: I often can be pretty sure what parts of my ADHD affect my sleep, like as someone who's experienced these things.

Things like—yeah, it's pretty clear to me—but everybody's different. So one thing to consider is that ADHD symptoms are actually quite similar to what people would experience with sleep deprivation, so they kind of mimic each other. But it’s this spiral. It's like a downward spiral. Because when you're tired, your ADHD symptoms get worse, but then you have the sleep deprivation effects. So, all around, when your sleep is really deeply affected, this really deeply affects you as a person operating in life. So I think it's really important not to discount how much sleep matters to you on a day-to-day basis—in life, in your health, in your mental health, in your physical health, all of that stuff.

Yeah, so let’s talk some more about how they’re connected.

People with ADHD tend to have a delayed circadian rhythm. So you know circadian rhythm? Well, I’m assuming you know, but let’s talk about it a little bit in case you’re not familiar with it. It’s really just kind of like your body’s clock—almost like a 24-hour clock. So, you know, the rhythms in your body, when you wake up, when it’s midday, when it’s getting later in the day, when you’re going to bed.

So people have a natural circadian rhythm, which might mean waking up when the sun rises and getting tired when the sun goes down. I don’t really know exactly how it operates, but ours, as people with ADHD, compared to a neurotypical person, would typically have a delayed circadian rhythm. So when your body might most effectively go to sleep would typically be later than someone who does not have ADHD. I’m assuming for a lot of these things too—I don’t want to speak too broadly because I really did this research specifically to ADHD—but I assume this is for other neurodiverse people—maybe autistic or whatever. I don’t know for sure, but I kind of presume because quite often, it’s quite similar.

And then another thing to consider for those of us with ADHD is what if you’re medicated—your medications can affect your sleep as well, right? So that’s something to consider. I know just from people that I’ve spoken to with their medications, they might have trouble getting to sleep, especially the stimulant ones, which the majority of people who take ADHD meds are on the stimulant ones. But because they can, you know, if you take them too late in the day, it can really keep you up at night. But either way, they can have an impact on your sleep.

Another thing that ADHDers experience—and I know this is the case for me, and I’ve seen this in a lot of people—is that kind of cycle of experiencing daytime sleepiness.

Like, you’re kind of groggy, you feel like you can’t really get going, but then the evening comes around, and you’re wide awake—then you start to have racing thoughts, you have energy spurts. I know some people call it zoomies at nighttime, so that is not uncommon. So if that’s something that you experience, there are probably other ADHDers who experience this as well. So this is just not an unusual thing.

Another way that it is impacted is that your executive function struggles and your ADHD symptoms can actually have an impact on you getting sleep in roundabout ways, right? So you think about it: maybe it’s a struggle for you to keep a schedule, maybe you have a hard time sticking to routines, maybe you experience time blindness, or you get into hyperfocus. All those different things can affect your bedtime, can affect your ability to stay asleep, right? Because if you think, "Okay, I’m going to try to establish this routine," but it’s hard for you to establish routines—well, it’s tough when you’re being told, "Well, you should have a bedtime routine," and then you can’t really find a way naturally to make that stick for you. That’s going to affect you when it comes to getting good sleep and keeping a schedule. If you struggle to keep a schedule, then that’s going to affect your ability to have a good sleep schedule, right?

And then I know there’s a whole host of other things. I don’t want to get into the weeds with this because you’ll know your symptoms and how your executive function is affected, but just keep in mind how those things factor into you getting sleep, because they do. They are connected.

And then the last thing I want to say, as it relates to ADHD with sleep, is that there’s another thing that I found.

Sleep issues, secondary sleep conditions, all that kind of stuff, are more common in people with ADHD. So you are more likely to have things like sleep breathing issues, like sleep apnea, or other things like restless leg syndrome. I know I get that. So there are all sorts of different kinds of interesting—some more affecting than others—but you are more likely to experience these sleep issues if you are somebody with ADHD. I mean, you can talk to your doctor about it; you can do research on it. But just know that if you are experiencing these things, it could be correlated to your ADHD—not necessarily, but it could be part of it. So as you can see, there are lots of ways that your ADHD factors into sleep.

So let’s shift gears here and talk about sleep and weight because similarly, there are lots of connections here and lots of impact of sleep on weight.

But I think it’s just like the other things, where often they don’t know exact causation. This is also from the Sleep Foundation. They say—this is a quote: "Numerous studies have suggested that restricted sleep and poor sleep quality may lead to metabolic disorders, weight gain, and an increased risk of obesity and other chronic health conditions." And there’s another quote from them that says: "While a large analysis of past studies suggests that people getting less than six hours of sleep at night are more likely to be diagnosed as obese, it’s challenging for these studies to determine cause and effect."

So, I know it’s hard if you’re somebody like me who’s like, “But why? I want to know why. I want to know all the information!” We don’t really know all the information; we just know that they’re connected.

So, again, I think you, in your own experience, can probably identify how that might be impacting your body, your weight, how you feel, your physical health, your metabolic health—all of that kind of stuff. I mean, one thing for sure is that a lack of sleep affects your neurotransmitters, which—I mean, I guess this could be an ADHD thing as well—but specifically focusing on ghrelin and leptin, which are the neurotransmitters responsible for hunger and satiety.

So, you might notice this in yourself: when you’re not getting good sleep, you tend to be more hungry; you tend to not feel satisfied as easily. And that makes sense because when you’re tired, when you’re not getting enough sleep, it affects the production of the neurotransmitters in your brain. So, that’s one factor that could be playing into your weight as it relates to sleep.

Another thing that they’ve identified is that sleep deprivation has an impact on your food preferences, which is kind of interesting, but I totally see this in myself. Like, if I am tired, if I haven’t been sleeping well, all I want is—like, it’s kind of the same as when, you know, if I’ve gone too long without eating or if I’m really stressed or emotionally dysregulated, or whatever the case may be—all I want is, like, sweet, salty, fatty things like easy carbs: like chips, candy, ice cream, pizza. I don’t know, all those types of things which might not be your ideal. I’m not saying they’re bad foods, but they might not be your ideal meals or snacks if you’re having them on repeat, right?

So, sleep deprivation can impact your food preferences, which is really interesting and makes a lot of sense, right? Because I know, yeah, when I’m tired, I just want snacky foods, and I tend to want more of them than I typically would.

Another thing is that poor sleep can lead to increased oxidative stress, which—I'm going to be honest—I don’t exactly know what that is. I think whatever it is, it’s not good. Oxidative stress doesn’t sound good, but poor sleep leads to an increase in that, an increase in glucose intolerance, which is like what happens before diabetes, and insulin resistance. So, it’s all connected, right? So, definitely, I know there’s a lot, just like with the sleep and ADHD, there’s a whole host of other things that factor into this. But we do know, even though we don’t know why, that sleep and weight are connected.

So, if you have a... think there’s also, like, really in both cases, we have to consider that when you are sleeping well, you are usually experiencing better—you're more calm, you're more... I think that that lends itself to a higher likelihood of emotional regulation. I know that sleep can affect your mental health, which then can impact your ADHD and your weight. There are so many things that are connected here.

But all of this is to say that sleep matters. It really, really matters in this whole process of you living your best life—of you, like to say, your best life—of you feeling like the version of yourself that you want to be, of you feeling good, of you feeling rested, and calm, and like you can be productive if that’s what you’re looking for, as well as just feeling physically good.

I know, like, when I’ve had a really good sleep, and I can see like, whoa. I didn’t realize how bad I was feeling before when I wasn’t getting good sleep, so I definitely noticed the impact on myself.

And the last thing I want to say before we talk about ways to improve sleep is that oftentimes, we might go through periods of our life where we actually don’t have a whole lot of control over the amount of sleep that we’re getting. And this can be for a variety of factors. But like I said before, having kids—especially if you have challenging things going on with your kids. Like, I know when my son was born, he was early, and he was small, and struggled with feeding. My doctor had said, “Okay, you need to basically force-feed him,” because he was just so sleepy. I’d have to, like, try to wake him up to feed, and so he was like, “You have to feed him every—I think it was every three hours, could have been two—I think it was three, every three hours.”

But guess what? Nobody told me when I could stop doing that. So, for the first, like, I don’t even know how many months of his life, I was sure to be awake every three hours to feed him. And that doesn’t mean, like, I’m sleeping for three hours and then I’m awake. You know, that’s like—you’re awake for however many minutes trying to feed him and then trying to pump. And I don’t even want to talk about it, it’s so hard remembering that time. But that—not only was that so hard on my sleep, but for him too. Like, he never really... I feel like that really, really made it hard for him to learn his natural sleep rhythms because he was never really a good sleeper as a baby. That’s not his fault. But anyways, those kinds of things... I just mean, like, your circumstances can really have an impact on whether or not sleep is within your control.

And then there are other factors too, right? Like, maybe you’re somebody who has to work night shifts, maybe you’re somebody who has to work multiple jobs. Maybe, like, there’s just so many things that go into it. So, we are never aiming for perfection here. Never, never, never. But what we can do is just identify areas where, like, “Hey, I wonder if there’s like little improvements I could make here,” just to get yourself, like, 1% improvements on these things. But yes, never are we aiming for perfection.

And I always recognize that, you know, there are just so many ways that people can be prohibited from, you know, doing things. It’s not like you can just be like, “Okay, I’m going to start sleeping eight hours every night, or seven to nine, or whatever.” So, just keep that in mind, that that is not the goal here. And I never want anyone to feel like they’re doing it wrong, because you’re not. You’re just doing what you can with what you’ve got, right? Okay, so...

And then the other caveat I want to say now, as we transition into talking about how you can potentially make any of those sort of 1% improvements, is that everyone is different. And that kind of drives me crazy. Even in just doing this research, it kind of drove me crazy a little bit that there are so many, like, blanket statements out there of, “These are the 10 things you gotta do to have a good night’s sleep,” and especially, like, not judging. But when I hear, like, bros on podcasts that I listen to—those types of podcasts—when it’s like, “Here’s my, like, two-hour evening routine,” and I don’t know why I’m talking in that voice, “Here’s my routine where I, like, do these, these 15 steps, and then I like... do... I sit in my sauna for half an hour, and then I do this, and then I do that, and then, and then I, like, tape my mouth, and then I...” All these things... Like, I completely black out, or whatever. To each their own.

However, just the same as I said before, I don’t ever want you to think that unless you’re achieving all of these things, you’re getting bad sleep, and therefore you suck. No, no, no. And we are each so different. And as you’ll see later, as I discuss these different options, they’re not all going to be right for you. And I think just please keep in mind that these are suggestions, and some of these—a lot of these—come from, like, doctors and scientists and stuff, but everybody’s different. And what is optimal for you is going to be completely different than what’s optimal for somebody else’s job.

It’s just the same with food. It’s the same with exercise. It’s the same with what you enjoy, what you would hyper-focus on, what somebody else would find interesting and you wouldn’t. It’s the same with this stuff, because we are all biologically... Yes, we have the same framework of human bodies or whatever, but we just operate differently.

Okay, so not all of these are going to work for you, but these are just suggestions of potential things to try out. Okay, so here's number one. I don't know how many I have here. I didn't use the numbers; I just used bullet points. So, we'll just run through them.

The first one is not eating too close to bedtime. This one I totally noticed for myself, and yet I still do it sometimes. The reason for that is because, you know, when you've got stuff working through your system when your body's trying to sleep, it can just feel like you've got a rock in your stomach. So, that's one option: just be mindful of how close to bedtime you're eating, as that can have an impact.

Another one is coming up with a bedtime routine that you enjoy, that actually relaxes and calms you. It doesn't have to be some big charade; it could be as simple as reading for five minutes before you go to sleep or massaging your feet. What do you like? What works for you? What helps you to feel calm? Try to do it on repeat and have the same routine every night. That can be really helpful for people.

Another thing that can impact your sleep is the temperature of your room and the darkness level. Most people do better when it's a little chillier in the room, like when it's colder. Again, this is not accessible for everybody, but if it is colder in your room, apparently that can help you to sleep better. The darker, the better too, because when you have light coming in, it can affect your circadian rhythm since that usually signals your body that it's time to wake up. So, temperature and darkness levels can affect your sleep.

Another tip is to avoid doing projects or activities really close to bedtime, especially ones that you might hyperfocus on. This is more for my ADHD listeners because I know how it is when you're in the zone. If you're doing something you can easily hyperfocus on, and then all of a sudden, you're like, "Okay, time for bed. I'm going to sleep now," your brain's going to be like, "What?" And we don’t do well with transitions either. So, maybe try to move those activities to an earlier time in the day if possible, especially if you think they might affect you.

Exercise and sunlight during the day can really help your body to feel a little bit more tired in the evening, which can help you get to sleep better and stay asleep. I think those are pretty common knowledge, though.

Okay, here's one that's a perfect example of not working for everybody. You've probably often heard, "No screens before bedtime. Put the screens away at least an hour before bedtime." Yes, I understand that—the blue light and all that—but I don't abide by this. This is my personal choice. I always felt like, "Oh, I've gotta stop this," but I found that it created more stress for me trying to change everything and resist that pattern of looking at my phone or watching a show before bed. I'm sorry, but that helps me feel calm, and I love it. I love getting to watch a show. Well, actually, not right now because I'm really in my Law & Order era, but typically, that's the only time I usually scroll Instagram or whatever. I really look forward to that in the evening, and I sleep well afterward. So, it's not the same for everybody. This is a good example of how, yes, there may be reasons why putting the screens away at least an hour before bedtime can be good for some people. But I've found that, in my cost-benefit analysis—yes, my accountant mind speaking—I benefit more from the screen right before bedtime than I would from putting it away, so I keep it in there. And that’s okay.

Another one is white noise. This one has actually been really beneficial for me too. It doesn't have to be white noise; it could be other things, like… what else? Some people might use the sound of the TV, though I don't use that one as much anymore because I would find myself listening to it. I know my husband likes the radio, so he has a speaker that he puts under his pillow—it's actually meant for that—and he listens to the radio to sleep. But right now, I listen to green noise, which is a different type of noise. There’s brown noise, green noise, pink noise, all sorts of stuff. I don't really know the difference between all of them. I just really like the green noise for some reason, and I have that playing at night. I think maybe this is just my own interpretation of why it's so great for me. I never listened to this before, until I had kids, because we used white noise with our kids, and then I found that I couldn't sleep without it. But I think why it's so helpful is because our brains almost need something else to keep them occupied but not interested, so you don't experience the quiet. To me, the dead quiet is almost too loud. And I know that sounds ridiculous to some, but I know some of you know exactly what I'm talking about. The dead silence is way too loud for me, and I will not sleep. Then, I hear my heartbeat in the pillow, and it's just brutal. So white noise really helps with that. That’s something you could try.

Another thing that's really helpful is appealing to your senses, especially if you're a very sensory person, which I am—appealing to your senses at bedtime in a consistent manner. So, what does that mean? A good example is by scent. I love having calming essential oils or certain specific smells. I used to have this amazing timed diffuser, so you could have it go off at a certain time in the evening and then start at a certain time in the morning. It was amazing, but it broke, and I can't buy it again. Anyways, if you have this repeated every night, say you diffuse lavender or something that’s very calming and that you like, something that makes you feel soothed, your brain starts to tie that smell together with bedtime. And because our brains like certainty, right? If you're having the same thing over and over again every night, your brain recognizes, "This is the smell of bedtime." Then, that happens every night, and your body is going to naturally start to recognize that and get into that pattern, because it's triggered to that sleep state or calm state by the smell. Also, it starts to notice the pattern of "every time I smell this in the evening, that means I'm winding down for bed." So, those sensory things can really have an impact.

Speaking of sensory things, a weighted blanket can really help some people sleep. I’ve used them at times, but I also find that I get really hot at night, and the weighted blanket is just too much for me. Heat-wise, I get too hot, so I go through periods with it.

Another thing, speaking of patterns, is trying to go to bed at the same time each night, which I know is really tough. A) When you have kids, and B) When you, say, work a nine-to-five, Monday to Friday, then on the weekends, you just want to stay up a little bit later. And that's okay. This is just a recommendation. For some people, it might be helpful to try to have a consistent rhythm and routine time-wise for each day.

Yeah, and that’s the basics. Those are the most general ones. Again, pick and choose, trial and error. See what works for you, see what doesn’t. But these are just little ideas that you could try to incorporate to get that tiny little bit of improvement.