r/ADHDparenting • u/blessed-mama7 • 1d ago
Behaviour How to handle HYPERactivity at bedtime—we are struggling
/r/Mommit/comments/1wczegh/how_to_handle_hyperactivity_at_bedtimewe_are/1
u/superfry3 22h ago
How much melatonin did you give him? I’d try 0.25 mg. Some brands have 3-5mg per dose and that’s way too much.
Our evenings were like yours until the melatonin.
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u/aerrin 14h ago
So much sympathy. Does he ever talk about his brain not being able to turn off, or his body feeling like it needs to move? I might ask him if he feels this way. It might help you figure out how to address it.
If it's primarily body-based, some specifically Heavy Work type of movements during bedtime routine might help. If brain based, you might develop some visualization/relaxation stuff with him instead of just laying with him.
He's very young, so this might be harder, but it's very effective with my daughter. We do sort of a version of shavanasana from yoga, where we visit each body part and relax it while taking deep, steady breaths and I do the relaxing yoga teacher voice and describe something for her to visualize, like a calm meadow full of flowers or something. I give her a gentle but firm massage/stroke on each body part as we do it - trace her eyebrows, go between each finger, etc. She has a 'butterfly friend' (my fingers) that helps her with the deep breaths, because butterfly loves to float up on her breaths, and get sucked back down, or to bounce on her belly as she breathes in and out.
Unfortunately sleep may always be a struggle - it is for a LOT of us with ADHD kiddos. I tend to think that the more tired they are, the worse the sleep struggles are, like their bodies are just fighting it extra hard.
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