We are delighted to share that Dr Bruna Sanader Vukadinovic, our Clinic Director and Consultant Psychiatrist, has been invited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists as an expert speaker on ADHD and sleep for its Insomnia and Sleep Disorders seminar. Dr Bruna will speak about circadian rhythm disorders and their relationship with ADHD, drawing on her specialist clinical experience in adult ADHD and sleep medicine. Her session will explore the important connection between sleep, circadian rhythms and ADHD, and consider what this means for assessment, treatment and everyday clinical practice.
Sleep and circadian rhythm difficulties can be an important part of the clinical picture in ADHD. They may affect concentration, emotional regulation, energy, daily functioning and mental health. This makes understanding sleep particularly relevant when considering ADHD assessment and treatment.
Sleep difficulties are not all the same.
For some people, the main difficulty is insomnia. For others, the problem may involve the timing of sleep itself. A person may find it difficult to fall asleep until very late, struggle to wake at the time required for work or family life, or find it difficult to maintain a consistent pattern of sleeping and waking.
The body’s circadian system helps regulate when we feel awake and when we become ready for sleep. When this internal timing becomes significantly out of step with a person’s daily schedule, the effects can extend beyond sleep and influence daytime functioning.
This can be particularly relevant in ADHD because difficulties involving sleep, concentration, restlessness, mood and everyday functioning may overlap.
Understanding the relationship between circadian rhythm disorders and ADHD therefore requires more than asking whether someone is sleeping well. The timing and pattern of sleep, how long difficulties have been present and how they affect daily life can all provide useful clinical information.
At our clinic, sleep is considered as part of the wider clinical picture when it is relevant to a patient’s presentation.
Someone seeking an ADHD assessment may also describe longstanding difficulties falling asleep at a conventional time or waking when required. Another person may experience insomnia or an irregular sleep pattern alongside difficulties with attention or emotional regulation.
These experiences need to be understood individually rather than assuming that everyone with ADHD experiences the same type of sleep problem.
Distinguishing between insomnia, circadian rhythm difficulties and other factors that may affect sleep can help clinicians develop a clearer understanding of a patient’s symptoms and inform decisions about appropriate treatment.
Dr Bruna’s presentation for the Royal College of Psychiatrists will explore circadian rhythm disorders and their intersection with ADHD, bringing together current evidence with insights from clinical practice.
Her session will consider developments in sleep and circadian medicine and what they mean in everyday clinical settings.
The subject is relevant not only to clinicians working specifically with ADHD or sleep disorders, but also to professionals working across psychiatry and wider medical services, where sleep difficulties may form part of a more complex presentation.
A better understanding of circadian rhythms can encourage more precise conversations about sleep. It is important to consider not simply whether a patient is sleeping well, but when they sleep, how consistent that pattern is and how their sleep relates to symptoms and everyday functioning.
The relationship between ADHD and sleep continues to be an important area of clinical interest.
Recognising sleep and circadian rhythm difficulties does not mean assuming that one condition explains another. Instead, it allows clinicians to consider how different factors may be interacting for an individual patient.
This can be particularly important when symptoms cross traditional boundaries between sleep medicine, psychiatry and neurodevelopmental care.
Dr Bruna’s contribution to the seminar will bring these areas together, translating evidence and clinical experience into practical insights for professionals working across psychiatry, ADHD and sleep services.
The Insomnia and Sleep Disorders Seminar, organised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, focuses on sleep disorders and their management within psychiatric practice.
Dr Bruna’s session, “Circadian rhythm disorders and the intersection of ADHD and circadian rhythm disorders,” will examine an area where sleep medicine, ADHD and psychiatry increasingly meet in clinical practice.
We are pleased to see our Clinic Director contributing her experience to this important professional discussion.
Further information about the programme and registration is available directly from the Royal College of Psychiatrists Insomnia and Sleep Disorders Webinar.
