Do these symptoms sound familiar to others with ADHD? (Sleep issues, brain fog, overwhelm)

[Cursed_life]

Hi everyone, I’m struggling with a mix of symptoms that overlap with ADHD, but I’m not sure how much is "typical" ADHD vs. something else (like a sleep disorder). I’d love to hear if others relate or have advice.

My symptoms:

- Chronic exhaustion: Even with 10+ hours of sleep, I often wake up feeling like I didn’t sleep at all.

- ADHD-like issues: Impulsivity, slow processing (feeling "stuck" mentally), terrible semantic memory (forgetting basic facts/words), facing confusion when solving a problem, and getting overwhelmed by tasks.

- Emotional dysregulation: Frustration/self-criticism when I see others manage complex tasks, mood swings.

- Sleep problems: Stressful, overthinking dreams; sometimes wake up energized (rarely) vs. utterly drained (usually).

Unfortunately, the place and time I was born in (wartime in a developing country😥) don't give sufficient attention to mental health so I request your help to have answers to some questions in my mind:

Does anyone else experience non-restorative sleep like this, even with long hours in bed? Do you suffer speach poverty/slowness, bad grammar or proper words?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

[Burnout67]

Hi, my adult son has sleep difficuties and when I read about speech slowness , I defenitly can say he has that and gets his speech / words mixed up . I originslly thought it was the medicine he is on for epilepsy but now I am wondering🤔

[BalconyUmbrella]

This sounds a lot like my husband, who is not diagnosed but I think he has ADHD (or something!)

He seems to need a lot of sleep but is still always tired and overwhelmed.

He is intelligent but struggles with slow processing and finding the right words to express himself

He gets very frustrated with not being able to do as much as others can.

I don't know anything about sleep disorders, so I don't know if this helps, but I think you are definitely right to look into it anyway!

[ADJB]

It could be ADHD and there may be enough here to consider seeking an assessment. One symptom you didn't mention, but which might be a factor in your current deliberations, is a low level of self confidence. Your message suggest hesitancy - or perhaps it's an acknowledgment that your symptoms might be attributable to something else.

Many of the people who will read your message here have tons of valid life experience with ADHD, but in terms of whether you have ADHD or not, only a suitably qualified professional can assess you, as I am sure you know. ADHD tends to effect everyone a little differently because everyone is a little different to begin with.

In the UK we have very long waiting lists for assessment on the National Health Service - in some areas more than 10 years. This is bad news for anyone seeking an assessment - life continues regardless and opportunities missed cannot be recovered. Wherever you may be I would encourage you to seek an assessment from a qualified professional who is well regarded for their expertise in assessing patients for ADHD.

In preparation you might read one of the many books by experts on the subject and note those symptoms described in the books which you also experience. I used Thomas E. Brown's "A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults: Executive Function Impairments" which I found very useful. I took the list to my assessment (with examples from my life which demonstrated how the symptoms manifested and the affect they had), to remind me - I was concerned that the information would slip from my mind during the assessment without a list. I was also able to share the list with the psychiatrist who assessed me.

Having read through the book(s) you may feel that you don't have ADHD and not seek an assessment - that's a matter for you. If so, your search will continue if you want to understand the issues you've encountered and receive the help you need to overcome them.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope it goes well.

[Mamamichl]

I would ask your doctor if you can have a sleep study done. It may help you and your doc know the next steps.

[CHADDMOM]

Hi Cursed_life,

While there are many reasons for your symptoms, many can fall under cooccurring issues with ADHD such as anxiety/ depression.

You mentioned being in environment of conflict and war. This can also impact your mental health with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. This unexpressed emotional “well” can manifest as physical symptoms of pain, sleep issues and chronic fatigue.

High stress has been studied as sometimes the trigger for autoimmune issues or chronic pain/fatigue syndromes.

However, these symptoms can also have organic origins which you should rule out with your physician.

I hope that you find some answers 💜

[Prettywings]

as an ADHDER myself I can relate to all those symptoms you have mentioned! I think the key is to do research and educate yourself on the condition, be aware that not all ADHD symptoms are the same for everyone with the condition, I think healthy eating along with exercise and some great supplements can really help with a lot of the symptoms! Unfortunately ADHD is a lifetime condition with no cure so kinda got to learn to live the best life you can with it, its not all bad you know lol try and look for the positives.

[teaolive]

I was just recently diagnosed with ADHD and I have had all those symptoms. I wake in the middle of the night and am kept awake with uncontrollable negative thoughts. I have periods of being exhausted despite hours of sleep and am easily overwhelmed. My emotions are like a volcano erupting with upset or anger. It’s certainly worth exploring ADHD. Adderral has helped my emotions and self control but not sleep. Good luck.