According to the Centers for Disease Control:
- A third of U.S. adults report getting less than the recommended sleep.
- Not getting enough sleep is linked with many chronic diseases and conditions—such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression.
- Being awake for 17 hours is similar to having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05% (the level some countries use for drunk driving violations). Being awake for 24 hours is similar to having a BAC of 0.10% (above the U.S. drunk driving level of 0.08.
For neurodivergent individuals, the data is even more profound:
- Over half of children with autism, – possibly as many as four in five – have one or more chronic sleep problems. Moreover, these issues carry over into teenage and adult years, creating challenges in falling asleep and staying asleep.
- An estimated 25% to 50% of people with ADHD experience sleep problems, ranging from insomnia to secondary sleep conditions.
- Around 75% of adults with depression have insomnia (Sleep Foundation, 2023)
If those rates seem high, you’d be correct. Among all co-occurring conditions neurodivergent individuals experience, sleep issues are among the most common–and they occur at higher rates than in non-neurodivergent populations.
Naturally, then, we ask the question, why?
To understand more, let’s first discuss what we generally know about sleep and the brain.
Understanding Sleep and the Brain
Consider your health and well-being to be a three-legged stool. We know that nutrition (eating a well-balanced diet, choosing healthy foods) and exercise make up two sides of the chair. But many physicians consider sleep as the third leg.
Getting a good night’s sleep is just as crucial to your health as diet and exercise. It’s why we spend almost ⅓ of our life doing it!
In part, it’s because of what happens when we sleep.
Why do we sleep?
Sleep is our body’s chance to rest and repair.
Our brains are designed to have a ‘power down’ and ‘recharge cycle’ just like our smartphones and tablets. Run your body without sleep, and eventually, it will stop. (Yes, sleep deprivation is fatal, and here’s why).
Humans have evolved to require regular sleep to allow many of our bodily functions to ‘catch up’ from the business of living. Nearly every system in our body (nervous, cardiac, muscular, pulmonary, immune, etc.) uses sleep to repair and restore tissue in some way.
How Much Sleep Do We Need?
How much sleep we need to perform these bodily processes is a hotly debated topic. The science of sleep has changed over the past several decades. It is likely to expand as we look to better understand how much sleep we need.
We know sleep times depend on genetics, age, and how sleep deprived you are.
In general, The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and Sleep Research Society (SRS) recommends following this guideline for how much sleep we need across the lifespan:
While it’s not necessary to be a medical expert to understand your sleep, it is essential to know that neurodivergence impacts executive functioning and social skills. It also impacts sleep.
Sometimes in ways that science or doctors may or may not understand yet.
How Neurodivergence affects sleep patterns
Here’s what we do know about how neurodivergence impacts sleep:
Structural Differences & Chemical Production
Some researchers believe that the unique brain structures of neurodivergent individuals may change how they sleep. ADHD, autism and other forms of neurodivergence have been shown to:
- Cause delays in the circadian rhythm or the body’s natural sleep-wake clock.
- Change natural melatonin production, a critical chemical the body needs for healthy sleep.
- Increase the likelihood of having medication-induced sleep issues. For example, many stimulant and psychotropic medications commonly prescribed with neurodivergence support success in other areas but have significant sleep-disrupting side effects.
Sleep and Executive Functioning
In addition, neurodivergence can create challenges in maintaining the habits and behaviors that support healthy sleep. These daytime and nighttime habits are typical recommendations for all of us–especially in our technology-driven, highly distracting world.
But maintaining good sleep hygiene often requires putting our executive functioning skills to good use, including planning, attentional control, flexibility, problem-solving, and self-control.
Even worse, as we become more sleep deprived, our executive functioning skills deteriorate. This can create a negative spiral pretty quickly for individuals who may already struggle with E.F. skills–something we call the EF Ripple Effect.
That’s why it’s so essential for neurodivergent individuals to recognize the behaviors to avoid and the healthy habits–both daytime and nighttime– to boost sleep hygiene.
Daytime Habits That Can Impact Sleep
These are daytime habits that can both positively and negatively impact sleep:
Nighttime Habits That Can Impact Sleep
These are common nighttime habits that can both positively and negatively impact sleep:
Ready to do a deep dive into your sleep habits? Download our free, printable .pdf sleep tracking log to study your sleep and how they improve as you change your daytime and nighttime routines.
In Summary
The bottom line, because sleep issues are so commonly paired with neurodivergence, individuals, parents, and teachers need to pay special attention to sleep. It may be harder to get a good night’s sleep, but the consequences to E.F. skills and our overall health are worrisome.
For more information on how to establish healthy habits around sleeping, check out the Life Skills Advocate Blog and these resources:
- The Connection Between Trouble Sleeping & ADHD
- How To Create A Bedtime Routine That Improves Sleep and Executive Function
Further Reading
- Arianna Huffington – The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time
- ATN/AIR-P Strategies to Improve Sleep in Children with Autism
- Centers for Disease Control – Sleep and Sleep Disorders
- Life Skills Advocate – The EF Ripple Effect
- RISE Science – Can You Die From Not Sleeping? Yes, Here’s Why
- Sleep Foundation – ADHD and Sleep
- Sleep Foundation – Statistics About Sleep