Neurodivergent Sleep Guide: How to Calm Racing Thoughts at Night

You’re exhausted, but your brain won’t shut off. I get it. With all that’s happening… ::gestures_wildly:: your thoughts can get stuck on a loop. Your body may feel restless, or tense, and you can’t relax. For many ADHDers and autistic folks, this can happen when the brain gets stuck in hyperarousal, a state where the nervous system stays on high alert instead of shifting toward rest.

Even when there’s no immediate danger, the body remains in fight-or-flight mode, making it difficult to slow down the thoughts and get some sleep. Insomnia and autism can go together for this very reason of hyperarousal, and we know that insomnia is closely related to well-being and quality of life (Larson et al., 2020). In other words, some decent sleep would be great.

This dual-tasking exercise engages working memory and set-shifting to interrupt thought loops and help your weary brain transition toward sleep. Maybe. As always, take what you need and leave what you don’t.

Step 1: Choose Two Categories of Things

Pick a pair of categories that feel right for you. You can play alone or with someone else, taking turns naming things. The goal is to gently engage your brain without overstimulating it.

• Animals (Antelope, Badger, Cat)
• Plants (Aloe, Bamboo, Cactus)
• Comfort Foods (Apple pie, Banana bread, Cheesecake)
• Soft Things (Alpaca fleece, Blanket, Cotton)
• Favorite Movies (Anastasia, Back to the Future, Coraline)
• Calming Places (Attic nook, Beach at sunset, Campfire)
• Objects with Nice Textures (Amber stone, Brushed velvet, Clay pottery)
• Things that Smell Good (Almond extract, Basil leaves, Cinnamon sticks)

Step 2: Play the Alphabet Game to Stop the Spinning

• Start with A and name something from the first category.
• For B, switch to the second category.
• Keep alternating until you get to Z or until you fall asleep.

Example Using Plants and Favorite Movies

• A – Aloe
• B – Back to the Future
• C – Cactus…

Example Using Soft Things and Comfort Foods

• A – Alpaca fleece
• B – Banana bread
• C – Cotton… etc.

Step 3: Help This Strategy Work for Your ADHD or Autistic Brain

• Skip letters if they’re too hard.
• If you get stuck, make something up.
• Say it in your head, whisper it, or write it down.
• If words don’t work, try picturing the things instead.
• If you reach Z and you’re still awake, start again but flip the order of categories. This keeps the brain engaged without slipping into autopilot.

You can try pairing this with slow, rhythmic stimming or grounding sensory input, which can also support sensorimotor regulation. Deep-pressure stimming, for example, provides proprioceptive input, which can activate the vagus nerve, helping to downregulate arousal and promote a calmer state.

Beyond Sleep: How This Trick Helps ADHD Focus

It may seem paradoxical, but what can help us get to sleep can also help us get to work. This Alphabet Game isn’t just for sleep. It can also help with task initiation especially for people with ADHD who feel sometimes get stuck when trying to start something.

For ADHDers, so-called executive dysfunction can create an invisible wall between knowing what needs to be done and actually starting to Do the Thing. When a task feels overwhelming, the brain struggles to switch into an engaged state. This alphabet game can act as a low-effort cognitive warm-up. It engages your working memory and set-shifting just enough to create momentum.

Pairing this with light movement (pacing, tapping) might help stimulate dopamine, making it easier to shift into focus mode. For ADHDers who feel frozen when trying to start something, this can be a gentle way to begin. The goal is to be able to stop the spinning thoughts, to calm the racing thoughts, to regulate for a bit, to interrupt some of the loops.

How to Use It for Task Initiation

Before trying again to Do the Thing, play one round of this Alphabet Game. Choose categories related to the task if that helps (e.g., if writing an essay, you might pick “words I like” and “cool facts about this”).

Move right into the task after the Alphabet Game. The goal is to ride the momentum. Once your brain is engaged, it’s easier to keep going.

Your Brain Works Differently and Here’s How to Work With It

Your brain isn’t failing you. It’s responding the way it’s built to. ADHD brains and autistic brains often need structured engagement, not forced stillness, to transition between states.

This exercise works because it respects how neurodivergent minds typically process information. It can either gently redirect runaway thoughts at night (to hopefully help with sleep initiation) or activate focus (to help with starting a task) when all of it feels impossible because our minds are spinning a million times per hour.

Try it, tweak it, and see whether it fits into your regulation toolbox. Take what you need and leave what you don’t.

Want to discuss this topic?

* There is this post on bluesky and this thread on facebook *  

Reference

Lawson, L. P., Richdale, A. L., Haschek, A., Flower, R. L., Vartuli, J., Arnold, S. R., & Trollor, J. N. (2020). Cross-sectional and longitudinal predictors of quality of life in autistic individuals from adolescence to adulthood: The role of mental health and sleep quality. Autism, 24(4), 954-967. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320908107