Tools to use · for parents

Sleep diary

Sleep is one of the most common struggles for children with ADHD. Their body clock often runs later, and as they get older a busy head can keep them awake long after the lights go off. Two weeks written down shows you patterns that are hard to see when you're exhausted, and it's exactly what a GP or an assessment will want to see.

Print it and keep it somewhere you'll see it in the morning.

How to use it

  • Fill it in the next morning. Last night is still fresh, and it takes about a minute.
  • Rough is fine. "About 10pm" is as useful as the exact minute.
  • Missed a day? Carry on. A few gaps won't spoil it. Just pick it up again tomorrow.
  • Two weeks is enough. That's long enough for patterns to show, and short enough to keep going.

The two weeks

One row for each night. Write in whatever you can, and leave the rest.

Week 1

Day and dateTime to bedRoughly when asleepWoke in the nightHow many times, and for how longTime woke upNapsFor little onesHow was the next day?Good, OK or hard? Mood, energy, tricky momentsNotesAnything different: late screen, busy day, illness, medication time
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7

Week 2

Day and dateTime to bedRoughly when asleepWoke in the nightHow many times, and for how longTime woke upNapsFor little onesHow was the next day?Good, OK or hard? Mood, energy, tricky momentsNotesAnything different: late screen, busy day, illness, medication time
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14

What we've tried

Worth keeping alongside the diary. It saves you trying to remember everything in a ten-minute appointment, and it shows how much you've already done.

Some ideas families try: a later bedtime that ends in sleep, the same wind-down every night, dimmer lights in the evening, background noise such as a fan, a notepad to park worries, more movement earlier in the day.

What we triedWhen we startedHow long we tried itDid it help?Yes / A bit / No / Too early to tellNotes

At the end of the two weeks

Sit down with a cup of tea and read it back. A few words for each is plenty.

What patterns do you notice?

What seemed to help, even a little?

What's the hardest part for your child, and for you?

What do you want to ask the GP or school?

If the hardest part is how tired you are, that counts too. The parent self-care guide is written for exactly that.

I'm a coach, not a doctor. If sleep is a real worry, for your child or for you, take this diary to your GP. It's worth mentioning to school too, so they understand it's a real difficulty you're working on, not late nights by choice. You know your child better than anyone, and keeping this is already a good step.

If you're wondering whether it might be ADHD, Might my child have ADHD? is a good place to start.

When nights are hard for everyone

Book a free 30-minute consultation - a calm, no-pressure chat about what's happening at home, what you're finding hardest, and how I can help.

Book a free consultation