Not getting enough sleep can cause ADHD like symptoms or make ADHD symptoms worse. It might be worth looking into if your not getting enough quality sleep. Getting consistent quality sleep is a solid unmedicated way to reduce ADHD symptoms.
post
replies:
All to often and I get accused of being lazy when it happens.
Like yeah I want my brain to fully disengage every time I'm not hyper focused.
I know EXACTLY what you mean. I called it vehicular narcolepsy, because long boring drives would trigger it.
Even if I was wide awake, boring tasks just cause me to shut down and I have an irresistible urge to close my eyes until things get more interesting.
You might also look into narcolepsy. Apparently it's frequently misdiagnosed as ADHD due to that being so much more common. Not saying it is that, but worth keeping in mind.
Yep. God it was hard to stay awake in geography class.
replies:
my case may be a useful data point
I am diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type and also got a full sleep study done to rule out narcolepsy, which I don't have. Though I did discover I have acid reflux, and sleeping with my upper body on a ~35Β° incline has dramatically improved my sleep quality
I can be extremely well rested with no sleep debt, fully medicated (dexamphetamine 10mg) and caffeinated (yes I shouldn't be mixing these, I know...) BUT if something is boring or simply not exciting, I will nod right the fuck off.
It was EXTREMELY distressing and humiliating in college. I put in a fuck ton of effort to get as much sleep as I possibly could as an unmedicated disaster of a student, and even on 10+ hours of sleep I would fall asleep in class. Even subjects I enjoyed. In large lecture halls I would sometimes stand up in the back to try to stay awake (it didn't work).
I fall asleep at convention panels too, which is especially heartbreaking because convention time is a limited commodity so I only go to panels I'm really excited about. Sitting still and staying quiet and paying attention to 99% of lecture format instruction/entertainment is just not compatible with my brain π
all 11 comments