Do all ADHD kids wake at the crack of dawn? How can I get my kid to sleep later?

[Anonymous]

I feel like so many of his behavior problems would be resolved if he slept later in the morning. We've started melatonin and see no difference. Going to be is not problematic. What can you do for sleeping later? My DH actually takes medication for this kind of insomnia but I imagine sleep meds aren't prescribed for little kids, or are they?

[Anonymous]

How old? Have you tried a sticker chart with an attainable goal? Like if he wakes up at 5:45, he gets a sticker for staying in bed until 6. Gradually you can move the goalposts. L

[Anonymous]

My ds (14) still wakes up early between 6-7. Always has, just like his dad. We usually convince him to sleep at 9:30 pm. He has been taught to stay away from me until

i wake up.

[Anonymous]

No.
Also, don't confuse hyperactive ADHD with inattentive ADHD - some symptoms are polar opposites.

My primarily inattentive son, like me, has difficulty going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning. He uses melatonin sometimes, but using it every day seems to lessen the effect.

My daughter who has hyper symptoms but has not been formally diagnosed, is just like her father - goes to sleep instantly, needs outrageously little sleep and wakes up at an ungodly hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
No.
Also, don't confuse hyperactive ADHD with inattentive ADHD - some symptoms are polar opposites.

My primarily inattentive son, like me, has difficulty going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning. He uses melatonin sometimes, but using it every day seems to lessen the effect.

My daughter who has hyper symptoms but has not been formally diagnosed, is just like her father - goes to sleep instantly, needs outrageously little sleep and wakes up at an ungodly hour.

How can that be if some people have both?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like so many of his behavior problems would be resolved if he slept later in the morning. We've started melatonin and see no difference. Going to be is not problematic. What can you do for sleeping later? My DH actually takes medication for this kind of insomnia but I imagine sleep meds aren't prescribed for little kids, or are they?

How old and how much sleep is he getting? My second DC has always needed less sleep than his older brother. He gets up around 7am in the summer and he is a rising senior. When he was little it was 5:00am. WHen he was old enough to understand numbers, we bought a digital clock for his bedroom and said she shold not get out of bed until 6:00am and that worked. It has only been few years ago that he slowly moved from 6AM to 7am. He is a lark and larks get up early.

[Anonymous]

My children have both. We're all morning people, but I'm an introvert and need that first 20 min to center myself. I love the early morning cuddle, but then I find myself mentally rushed.

[Anonymous]

Everyone in my family gets up early - ADHD or not. We have good sleep hygiene and tend to keep our routines. During the week, we had to be up early so we naturally wake up early on the weekend. The only time it's varied is when a kid has been going through puberty and will, for a couple years, tend to sleep later.

[Anonymous]

Is he on meds?

[Anonymous]

This is OP. Kid is 7 and is on meds. He has always been an early riser, so early that I'm not even sure what time--at least 5:30 if not earlier. He knows now not to wake us but he plays in his room, sometimes loudly, and that wakes both me and his little brother up. No matter what time he goes to bed he gets up early. He is incapable of sleeping late and just once in a while I would like to sleep till 7 on a Saturday. Also, since the late MoCo start times we have some time in the am for more sleep and I would like to use it. He is clearly so tired by the end of the day I think he would benefit from an hour more on a daily basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No.
Also, don't confuse hyperactive ADHD with inattentive ADHD - some symptoms are polar opposites.

My primarily inattentive son, like me, has difficulty going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning. He uses melatonin sometimes, but using it every day seems to lessen the effect.

My daughter who has hyper symptoms but has not been formally diagnosed, is just like her father - goes to sleep instantly, needs outrageously little sleep and wakes up at an ungodly hour.

How can that be if some people have both?

No on has both hyperactive ADHD and inattentive ADHD, since a defining characteristic of inattentive ADHD is the lack of hyperactivity. Some people have combined type ADHD, which has some symptoms of both, but generally doesn't have the symptoms of inattentive ADHD that would be considered "polar opposite" of hyperactivity.

[Anonymous]

NP, my son is on meds. Now age 12. He had always been a great sleeper. Slept in today till 9:45AM and went to bed at 10:30PM.

[Anonymous]

My 6 yr is on meds. He sleeps until 9. Getting him up for school is tough

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No.
Also, don't confuse hyperactive ADHD with inattentive ADHD - some symptoms are polar opposites.

My primarily inattentive son, like me, has difficulty going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning. He uses melatonin sometimes, but using it every day seems to lessen the effect.

My daughter who has hyper symptoms but has not been formally diagnosed, is just like her father - goes to sleep instantly, needs outrageously little sleep and wakes up at an ungodly hour.

How can that be if some people have both?

No on has both hyperactive ADHD and inattentive ADHD, since a defining characteristic of inattentive ADHD is the lack of hyperactivity. Some people have combined type ADHD, which has some symptoms of both, but generally doesn't have the symptoms of inattentive ADHD that would be considered "polar opposite" of hyperactivity.

I am confused. I have a child with combine type and he flunked the TOVA with flying colors on all aspects. He has both in great "strength". How can he be the polar opposite of himself? What symptoms of inattentive do you consider to be the polar opposite of hyperactive? And what are those hyperactive symptoms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No.
Also, don't confuse hyperactive ADHD with inattentive ADHD - some symptoms are polar opposites.

My primarily inattentive son, like me, has difficulty going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning. He uses melatonin sometimes, but using it every day seems to lessen the effect.

My daughter who has hyper symptoms but has not been formally diagnosed, is just like her father - goes to sleep instantly, needs outrageously little sleep and wakes up at an ungodly hour.

How can that be if some people have both?

No on has both hyperactive ADHD and inattentive ADHD, since a defining characteristic of inattentive ADHD is the lack of hyperactivity. Some people have combined type ADHD, which has some symptoms of both, but generally doesn't have the symptoms of inattentive ADHD that would be considered "polar opposite" of hyperactivity.

I am confused. I have a child with combine type and he flunked the TOVA with flying colors on all aspects. He has both in great "strength". How can he be the polar opposite of himself? What symptoms of inattentive do you consider to be the polar opposite of hyperactive? And what are those hyperactive symptoms?

I'm the PP above, but not the one who used the term "polar opposite".

My ADHD -- PI kid has significant difficulty initiating anything. The act of initiating is hard for him. So, if you he's asleep under the covers when I leave for work in the morning, he'll likely be there when I come back at 7 p.m. unless I give very clear instructions, or he's getting up to go to the bathroom. He won't have eaten, or drunk. He might have turned on the TV. It's a symptom of his ADHD, but it's a symptom you wouldn't see in a kid who had hyperactivity, or combined type. In some ways it's very closely related to impulsivity.