ADHD & insomnia: symptoms and diagnosis

• ADHD and insomnia share symptoms like focus issues, brain fog, and mood swings.
• Overlapping signs can make it tricky to tell ADHD and insomnia apart.
• ADHD is diagnosed through specialist tests, interviews, and ruling out other causes.
• Insomnia is diagnosed by tracking sleep issues over time.

What symptoms do ADHD and insomnia share?

Some symptoms of ADHD and insomnia can overlap. This can make it harder to distinguish between the two conditions, making diagnosing them more complicated.

How are they diagnosed?

ADHD and insomnia are diagnosed differently.

For ADHD, the process usually involves visiting your GP, who’ll refer you to a specialist after carrying out an initial assessment.

The specialist will then rule out the possibility of another condition before or while completing a series of interviews and assessments.^[1]

There's no specific test to determine whether you have ADHD; your specialist will make a diagnosis based on the data gathered.

For insomnia, your GP will ask a couple of questions about your sleeping patterns. If you’re struggling to sleep for at least three nights a week, you may be diagnosed with acute insomnia.

If it affects you for at least three months, you may be diagnosed with chronic insomnia. Your GP may also carry out other tests to see if there's an underlying condition or if your insomnia is causing other health issues.

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Overview

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Management

References:

1. NHS (2019). Diagnosis - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). NHS.