I love to sleep. I’m an early riser, so in my perfect world I’d crawl into bed with a book around 9 p.m., read until my eyes grew heavy, and drift off. Of course, that fantasy doesn’t account for the reality of kids waking up, a sink full of dishes, lunches waiting to be packed, permission slips to sign, or winding down in front of Late Night with my spouse before brushing my teeth and pretending tomorrow’s to-do list doesn’t exist. So instead of the early-to-bed person I’d like to be, I’ve become an unwilling night owl. It’s become a habit, and it’s also one of the most common concerns my patients bring up.
I think of sleep challenges in a few pieces: evening prep, falling asleep, and staying asleep.
Evening Prep
What does your evening look like?
Try dimming your lights by 9 p.m., keeping illumination lower than eye level (lamps are fine, but flip off the overheads). Ideally, set aside your phone about an hour before bed.
A warm shower can help calm your nervous system and set you up for good rest in a cool, comfortable bedroom.
Falling Asleep
For some people, though, it’s not just routine, it’s biology. Research shows that individuals with ADHD tend to have a delayed release of melatonin.1 Where most people start releasing melatonin around 9:30 p.m. (and get sleepy by about 11:30), those with ADHD often don’t release it until closer to 11 p.m., pushing sleep onset back toward 2 a.m. My spouse and child fall into this category, so in our household we sometimes use a very small dose of melatonin (0.5 mg) taken one to two hours before bedtime to help shift that rhythm.
When it’s time to crawl into bed, think cave: a cool bedroom, darkness, quiet. You can look into an eyemask if, like me, you need a nightlight for children. Don’t underestimate the value of blackout curtains and white noise machines if you live near a busy street or train tracks.
If a busy mind keeps you awake, here’s a trick I often share with patients: pick a category, say fruits and vegetables, and work your way through the alphabet. A for apple, apricot, artichoke, asparagus… By the time you get to O, you’ll likely be asleep. It’s just boring enough to lull you, but engaging enough to interrupt the endless to-do list running in your head.
Staying Asleep
If you wake up in the night and can’t fall back asleep within about 10 minutes, get out of bed. Go get a drink of water, maybe do a little stretching before you return. Supplements can also help, L-theanine is useful for middle-of-the-night wakefulness, and magnesium glycinate is another gentle support.
Consistency Matters
Try not to sleep in on weekends. That sounds counterintuitive, but by sleeping in on weekends but needing to get up early during the week, you’re exacerbating sleep problems. It’s called “social jet lag.” Irregular sleep schedules are strongly linked to circadian misalignment and worsening sleep problems. Aim for consistent sleep and wake times throughout the week.2345
Along with trying not to sleep in on weekends, avoid long naps. Napping contributes to irregular sleep schedules which ultimately disrupts your circadian rhythm. Other sleep disruptors are familiar: caffeine in the afternoon (my personal cutoff is 1 p.m.) and alcohol in the evening. Alcohol in particular interferes with REM sleep, leading to less restorative rest and sometimes a rebound effect where you wake in the middle of the night.
Daylight and Rhythm
Lastly, make sure you’re getting plenty of sunshine during the day. Take the dog for a walk, chat with your neighbors outside, take a lunchtime stroll. Exposure to daylight helps set our circadian rhythm and if you live in a part of the world where you have very little natural daylight during certain times of the year, consider getting a light box (10,000 lux for at least 30 minutes).
Naturopathic medicine looks at many aspects of the complicated system that is sleep. If you’ve tried these strategies and are still struggling, please give us a call. We can look deeper, at hormones, cortisol, possible sleep apnea, and other factors, to help restore healthy, restorative sleep
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Dr. Jennifer Potter, ND
Naturopathic Doctor San Jose
408-356-1364
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References
1 Delayed Circadian Rhythm in Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Chronic Sleep-Onset Insomnia. Van Veen MM, Kooij JJ, Boonstra AM, Gordijn MC, Van Someren EJ. Biological Psychiatry. 2010;67(11):1091-6. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.12.032.
2 The Sleep Paradox: The Effect of Weekend Catch-Up Sleep on Homeostasis and Circadian Misalignment.
Hsiao FC, Huang YH, Yang CM. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 2025;175:106231. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106231.
3 Circadian Phase in High-School Students: Weekday-Weekend Shifts and Relationships to Other Sleep/Circadian Characteristics. Hasler BP, Oryshkewych N, Wallace ML, et al. Sleep. 2025;48(4):zsaf031. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsaf031.
4 Sleep Timing, Sleep Consistency, and Health in Adults: A Systematic Review.
Chaput JP, Dutil C, Featherstone R, et al. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism = Physiologie Appliquee, Nutrition Et Metabolisme. 2020;45(10 (Suppl. 2)):S232-S247. doi:10.1139/apnm-2020-0032.
5 Sleep Inconsistency Between Weekends and Weekdays Is Associated With Changes in Brain Function During Task and Rest. Zhang R, Tomasi D, Shokri-Kojori E, et al. Sleep. 2020;43(10):zsaa076. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsaa076.
