Ask for a sleep problem assessment
Sleep problems that won't go away deserve an assessment, including for possible sleep disorders and medication effects.
Not ratedADHD evidence
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Write down the sleep symptom you most want looked at.
5 minutes
Write when the problem happens, and whether anyone has noticed snoring or pauses in your breathing.
15 minutes
Write a short sleep history and your medicine list to go through with your clinician.
A plan
Arrange the right sleep assessment
- Describe sleep and daytime symptoms.
- Ask about medicine effects and signs of a separate sleep disorder.
- Follow the agreed assessment or referral pathway.
How sure the science is
Not rated, ADHD evidence
No pooled trials to rate. This rests on single studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Measured in people with ADHD.
NIMH ADHD-specific prevalence summary and NHS clinical assessment advice; no effect of assessment quantified.
The number, drawn
Why it matters
NIMH reports sleep problems in up to 70% of adults with ADHD, so sleep deserves its own place in your care. An assessment can look at trouble sleeping, daytime sleepiness, breathing symptoms and possible medicine effects. NHS sleep apnoea advice is written for the general population, but it applies when an adult with ADHD also snores, gasps or is very sleepy in the day, and those symptoms should not just be put down to ADHD.
How to do it
- Tell your clinician what the sleep problem is and what it does to your days.
- Mention loud snoring, gasping, pauses in breathing or severe daytime sleepiness.
- Bring a short account of sleep timing and any relationship to prescribed treatment.
- Ask whether a medication review, a sleep assessment or a specialist referral is the right next step.
Ongoing sleepiness, pauses in breathing or gasping need medical assessment. If sleepiness makes driving unsafe, do not drive, and get clinical advice.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- Tell the clinician if someone has noticed you stop breathing for moments in your sleep.
- Describe your daytime sleepiness in a few lines, including when it hits.
Watch out for
- Common mistakePut every sleep problem down to ADHD and you can miss a treatable disorder. Describe the symptoms.
- Common mistakeA medicine may affect sleep, but the prescriber should judge that and decide on any change.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- C Small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- The number
- Sleep problems affect up to 70% of adults with ADHD (NIMH, 2024)
- Benefit
- 67/100 The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Some effort
Sources
- Tier 1 guidelineADHD in Adults: 4 Things to KnowNIMH, 2024
- Tier 1 guidelineSleep apnoeaNHS, 2026
- Tier 1 guidelineCommon questions about methylphenidate for adultsNHS, 2025
- Tier 1 guidelineAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management (NG87), recommendationsNICE, 2019
General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.