I have never had the problem of not being able to fall asleep. Instead, my sleep problem is different and is embarrassing at times.
There have been numerous incidents when I have found myself losing interest in the middle of a lecture, meeting, anything that requires me to just sit and listen. As a result, I find myself dosing off uncontrollably. It gets more embarrassing when the meeting is only a few people and it is clearly noticeable that I am struggling to stay awake. Even more, when I am confronted by the speaker and I have no explanation! This even happens when I know that it is important for me to grasp what I am going to listen to. I just lose control over it for some time.
Anyone else faces anything like this? Is this ADHD related? I have only seen people having trouble falling asleep, but not the other way around. Help!!
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ScientistWithADD
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Hi there, I have inattentive adhd (the type of adhd that does not include hyperactivitiy) and what you're describing is what happened to me all throughout my life until I finally sought treatment for ADHD in my mid 20s and was able to turn my life around for the better. Teachers would frequently get mad at me and make fun of my "day dreaming" in my younger years. The reason for the lack of focus comes from people with ADHD having low levels of Dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that deals with concentration and motivation. People with ADHD also lack other neurotransmitters as well, which gives us difficulty in many areas. I'm not sure what type of ADHD you have, but if you're interested, I have a ADHD youtube channel where I go in depth and share my ADHD research and experience working with the ADHD population (if you click my picture, it'll take you to my profile, and in the bio section, you'll find the youtube link, as well some other helpful items). Hope this helps.
Thanks for confirming that I am not the only one facing this. I do have Inattentive type ADHD and hope to get the right kind of treatment that works for me soon!
I am reading a book called Healing ADD by Dr. Amen. The book suggests that, in some cases, the brain actually slows down when the individual is “trying harder” to focus. This has happened to me in the past for sure. The book has many resources and treatment ideas for each type of ADD. ❤️🙌🏻
This is NOT ADHD related. Sounds like you might have sleep apnea or narcolepsy. You need what is called a sleep study. Talk to your doctor and tell them about this issue.
Thank you! The psychiatrist who was treating me for ADHD knew about this but didn’t suggest anything specific other than prescribing amphetamines while being very fearful of increasing dosage. I’m on the lookout for a new doctor!
Yes I had this issue also. I do have ADHD but I also have sleep apnea. I ended up having a stroke at 51. I am ok and they are not sure why but the only significant risk factor I had was the sleep apnea. I love my cpap machine. I can't take stimulants anymore (and I miss them) but I am no longer so sleepy because of the CPap. Please get a sleep study!!
Agree that you should be checked for Narcolepsy, and Sleep Disorders. That said, many persons with ADHD need more stimulation to stay alert and focused. I used to take copious notes that I did not need for memory but for stimulation. Some people with ADHD squeeze a soothing stress ball regularly in these situations. Some take notes on their computer --mine are always paper(probably a function of my age.) One fellow grad student asked her prof for an accommodation to allow her to knit during lectures. This is, I admit, simplistic advice, that you have probably already tried, but sometimes I forget the most basic doping tools if I have not used them in a while.
Haha yes I’ve tried those but I’ve fallen asleep while taking notes. For me, what has worked best is snacking and sipping coffee while attending. Can’t do that everywhere though and if it is too long and I run out of my coffee, it has happened then too. I will ask my doctor about sleep disorders but I doubt if that is what it is since I’m not tired or sleepy or anything like that before and after the lecture. If I’m doing something fun, this never happens at all! That made me connect, only after I knew I had ADHD, that losing focus could be causing it. This has happened since a long time (I remember from high school) and I just couldn’t explain what could it be. I just thought I’m bored and that’s why this is happening.
It happens to me all the time. Even when I am doing something that interests me, like attending a seminar on a subject that I really want to know about, like ADD. And your right, it is really embarrassing. I will say that it has come and gone at different times in my life, unfortunately this is a period when it is currently happening. I have tried pinching myself, drinking ice water, nothing seems to work. So if anyone out there has found a solution, please share.
I know this is an old post but others may find this helpful. That sounds more like Sluggish Cognitive Tempo comorbid with ADHD-I. Just ADHD then losing interest is one thing. But also falling asleep makes me think ADHD comorbid with SCT or just SCT.
Here is what I did due to falling asleep during the day, even when I really liked the subject matter. ...
I ate candy, and all my friends in class would hit me up when they needed an attention boost. It's not the sugar that does the job. It's the taste stimulation and movement action. Eating and sleeping are opposing processes and our brains can do one at a time and eating usually wins. Eating also triggers the metabolic process which can boost our metabolism a bit too keeping us slightly more alert. Sugar free is better for health reasons unless it has certain types of sugar alcohols. Which may have a lower glycemic index than table sugar, but still has one. And some have side effect like makin gas which is not good in a crowded room. And watch out for really hard candies like my favorite fireballs or gobstoppers. Broke more than one tooth on them.
Don't rely on caffeine except as a last resort. Relying on it makes dependence and dependence means you are below baseline without it and feel even worse. And caffein is actually much more addictive than amphetamine. The over all effects may be less but it is a more addictive substance.
Prescription solution. For the wakefulness issue, I would avoid stimulants. See if a non stimulant like Strattera (Atomoxetine) works because even as a "non-stimulant" medication it is not a controlled substance but does actually stimulate you. Worked for me. And as and ADHD med, it works on the ADHD symptoms too. Modafinil is what is most recommended to try by researchers of SCT and if your ADHD symptoms are naturally not too bad, it can handle those as well without needing to add something for the ADHD symptoms.
Using CNS stims like Adderall and methylphenidate based drugs in my opinion is the wrong way to go when you have wakefulness issues unless other things didn't work. CNS stims can easily cause stimulant insomnia. Less sleep = more tired during the day which needs more stims to stay awake which means more stim insomnia. Which is what eventually ruined my life and now struggling to find a good therapist to get me of Adderall and onto something that still works but doesn't damage my brain and endocrine system causing more issues than it solves.
Reading other peoples posts, sounds like many people are comorbid ADHD-I and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo. Research says 30 to 60% of ADHD-I types are comorbid with SCT. That is a huge amount of people. Yet almost no therapist has heard of it. Left out of the DSM-5 last minute due to not yet having enough people in agreement with how to define it or best treatment. BTW, one of the guys who wrote the DSM-5 section on ADHD is the industry go to guy for ADHD meds reseach for the pharma industry among many other people stated modafinil is the likely best cadidate for SCT symptoms. And other research confirmed it but some comorbid with ADHD may need a second low does ADHD specific med to pick up some slack on ADHD symptoms if not covered well enough.
Daytime sleepiness is just one of many symptoms of SCT and many things can make you sleepy during the day especially on boring tasks. But it is a good candidate, which you have very little chance of getting diagnosed with since Like I said, left out of the DSM-5 last minute. DSM-5 being one of the most popular psychiatrist guide book on disorders and therapies/drugs across the globe. Check out my question about anyone who may have been diagnosed with SCT and if they also have similar symptoms to what many are describing here. You can check wikipedia for SCT for a rundown of other symptoms and comparison to ADHD.
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