I never slept either and till this day I cannot sleep no matter what I do that is natural. I can exercise , skip caffeine products, play noise machines and took melatoin, magnesium etc. . The only medication that helps me sleep is Ambien and I break it in half. Since my hysterectomy surgery sleeping has become worse. Many ADD ers can not sleep . I could go hours before collapsing in sheer exhaustion.and still sleep only 5 hours Nights shift was the worse because soon as I see light I must be up and out of bed. Actually Ritalin would calm me down so it helps some; but without Ambien all would be lost. When I was child my mother would find me up watching TV at 3AM and would bring me into her bed. Sometimes I would fall off to sleep; but as a child I think I lived on 4-5 hours of sleep. With the Ambien I get 8 hours and no daze feeling . You need to sleep and if you must a medication maybe the only way you can. Benadryl 50 mgs will make you sleepy ; but you can feel groggy in the morning and start to feel sinus pressure because it drys you up.

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Do you take ritalin regularly? or another stimulant? If so, ask about Clonidine... it "flushes" the effect away so you can sleep.

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I have problems falling asleep, especially when I take my medicine at a later time than normal. I've always considered myself, "nocturnal" and now that I have two children, I sometimes can't wait to fall in bed, but once there, I toss and turn. My oldest daughter has problems with this too. One thing that helps (and I need to do it more often) is exercising a couple of hours before bed. I don't do this near enough, but I'm currently making a conscious effort to try.

Also, I've found reading. However, this can be a double-edge sword too, since I have a tendency to get hyper-focused if the book is good. I then end up staying up too late again! Do you find it hard to wake up in the morning, even if you get some sleep? I know that many people with ADHD have this problem. This adds to the problem. Getting a late start on the day can make it very difficult to "shut down" the mind.

Oh, how I can relate. I haven't tried Melatonin, but I'm thinking I'm might try it. Good luck and take care.

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Hi all! My son has ADHD and emotional disability. I have chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. We both have been helped by Himaliyan Goji Juice. It has been mentioned on both OPRAH and MARTHA. but the proof is in the scientific study. I FEEL OBLIBATED TO TELL EVERYONE SINCE I HAVE MY LIFE BACK NOW! www.godsberry.freelife.com has the study and more information. I pray that I can help you!

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My son had AD/HD. I have taken him to biofeedback or neurofeedback. The first area they targeted was sleep. It worked after the first session. He didn't have any more trouble with sleeping. Any time now that it reoccurs, we just target that again. It is also great for depression from this disorder as well.

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Wow, up until now, I didn't attribute my sleeping problems to my ADD...but then again, things always tend to come back to that...ha ha!

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My son fights this problem. He has went to hot yoga with his sister and when he gets home he is asleep in a short, while. Problem many times he is too tired to go, when he gets home from work. So if anyone has any other ideas, I would like to hear, also.

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I understand a lot of your problems, and I've already seen a lot of suggestions I myself use. Sleeping is a BIG problem for me, especially because I work graveyard shifts. I've had problems with sunlight and constant thinking keeping me up.

For starters, I definately recomend a Melatonin suppliment (as suggested earlier, kudos!). I would recomend looking up melatonin on wikipedia. One thing I will caution with Melatonin is the amount. I take a 1mg pill because 3mg and up can cause vivid nightmares, which is a problem I encountered with other sleeping pills. Believe it or not, I take melatonin to help me get better sleep rather than to fall asleep.

Another suggestion that has already been mentioned is music. For me personally I use very soft music. If you can find a Sounds of Nature type CD or other calming sound (I recomend Mindscapes by Mars Lasar) that might work wonders for you.

Last suggestion is the use of "white noise," which is something that creates a regular dull sound. For me this is a fan, and I use it year round. I don't need it to sleep, but I sleep much better with it.

If you're still having problems with sunlight, try picking up a type of fabric from your local fabric store called "Blackout." Its a layer of black fabric sandwiched between two other layers of cream colored fabric. At one point I had my windows completely covered, but I have had to "modify" the way I have them on there because I've been suffering Seasonal Affective Disorder due to getting roughly 2 hours of sunlight each day.

Hope this helps!

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I had always thought that I was the only one who would fight sleep, even when exhausted. I can't explain it, nor do I know how to fix it. I sometimes describe it as a "sleep phobia", though it's not the sleeping I'm afraid of, just the lying in bed with ample time to overthink everything. I wake up at 5:30 every morning, and spend the day teaching teenagers, so I really could use the rest. I find that I can only sleep when I am not alone. I don't expect anyone on here to be able to solve what has been a lifelong issue, but just hearing that someone else out there has a similar situation makes it seem less lonely and less unusual. While I'm sorry to know that someone is suffering without sleep, I am thankful that you shared your stories. I hope that you find relief, and if you do find a solution, please come back here to share.

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Dear Sleepy,

I have a few suggestions. First, ask your doctor about the Daytrana patch. It provides ADD/ADHD medication slowly over a 9 hour time period. In addition, try using the melatonin and 2 benedryl tablets 1 hour before bedtime. Just make sure you take the patch off at least 1 hour before taking the sleep meds. This remedy has worked wonders for my son!

Invest in a "white noise" machine - a fan, purifier, air conditioner to act as a constant backdrop to sleep by.

The patch takes about 1 month to adjust to the adhesive, so don't give up! Also, refridgerate the patches and only remove 1 when ready to apply.

Hope these suggestions help!!!

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