Create an environment conducive to sleep

Make sure the bedroom is cool, dark, quiet, and free of any distractions that might impede or disturb sleep. Put away toys and dim the lights.

Unplug before bedtime

Television and video games can rev up a kid who should be calming down. Turn off all the electronics well before bedtime.

Make calming down part of that ritual

Have your child do a relaxing activity prior to bedtime. “Spend about 20 minutes or half an hour in bed with them, reading to them or listening to music — doing something to soothe

Create a bedtime ritual.

Ritualized behavior can send a strong signal to the brain that it is time to go to sleep. Create a simple ritual for your child’s bedtime, so she can follow it even if you’re not around.

10 Tips for Better Sleep

Parents can do a lot to help a child with ADHD get a better night’s rest:

Difficulty staying asleep

In the same study, between 27 and 49 percent of children with ADHD tossed and turned in bed, and between 25 and 36 percent woke frequently during the night.

Difficulty falling asleep

In one study, between 71 and 84 percent of children with ADHD had a hard time falling asleep.

Periodic limb movement syndrome

This is a condition similar to restless leg syndrome, but it involves the arms as well as the legs.

Restless leg syndrome

As many as one in four children with ADHD will experience this condition, in which their legs move and jerk to relieve perceived discomfort

Snoring and sleep apnea

Habitual snoring is three times more common in people with ADHD than in those with other psychiatric disorders. Snoring can also be a sign of sleep apnea, which is when a person stops breathing for very short periods of time while asleep. Sleep apnea disturbs restful sleep, often without the person being aware of it.

troubled by weight loss

Are you an adolescent troubled by weight loss, or a parent of a preteen with obese tendencies? No one wants to have weight problems, but especially not teens. Television and magazine ads bombard us with images of attractive actresses and thin models. Unrealistic; or reality?