Anywho with ADHD shuts down when they're bored?
4d 55m ago by app.wafrn.net/fediverse/blog/vv0ltz in adhd
Anywho with ADHD shuts down when they're bored?
I used to handle boredom fine, but now it feels like it's absolutely going downhill. I feel so sleepy the second I'm bored 😭, like almost an irresistible urge to sleep. Stimulation snaps me out of it, but it's so difficult to do the thing even if it's something I like, so most of the time I just sleep…
Sucks that I can't have meds in my country, I only have a SNRI against depression and anxiety. Anywho unmedicated has strategies that most of the time work?
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.
And once sleep is ensured to be organized, OP could check if he is also lacking in discipline to do other things. From my experience, ADHD may make the person seemingly undisciplined, so internalizing the opposite behavior may help mitigate potential behavioral issues.
You are completely right, but if they are experiencing something like I do, it's not about needing sleep. Sleep deprivation doesn't switch on and off depending on how interesting your activity is.
Just a few hours ago I was playing a video game with my daughter and feeling fine, and she started getting deep into some menus and I started dozing off, then she was done and it was time for some action and I was wide awake again.
Trading anecdotes, as someone who has terrible-quality sleep due to being severely overweight, I can be out like a light, midday, once I stop actively doing something. Having your mind engaged can absolutely help you power through low-levels of tiredness.
While that is true, the easiest way for me to stay awake when I'm sleepy is to do stuff. As soon as I'm idle, I doze off. I was obviously tired the entire time, but the experience is still similar to what OP is describing.
To my knowledge I do not have ADHD, but I am mildly neurodivergent.
Unfortunately it happens also when I get proper 6-8 hours sleep
6-8 is a minimum, depending on age and quality. Some people need more.
... you mean 7-8 ... right?
No, 6-8, because 6 is still a normal number for me to function. My problem, again, is that even with consistent sleep schedule (22:00-06:00 for example) I still have issues with getting too bored to the point of falling asleep
"Functional" does not mean you got a proper night's sleep, I'd say I'm "functional" at 5.5 but I know I'm not operating at the same level as if I'd gotten 7+ and that's more or less the direction of this comment chain.
You might be able to function with only 6 but still have problems.
Thinking about it again and I think I should try to be more consistent with my sleep, because my bedtime can shift pretty often. Sometimes it happens outside of my control though… My antidepressants also can contribute to worse sleep quality, but I prefer that over being depressed. Does melatonin genuinely work? I tried 1mg and didn't really notice the difference
Yeah it can be difficult and honestly I am not good about it myself. Not sure about melatonin, but I have a friend that has used Benadryl. The other thing I am trying to be better at is not thinking of going to sleep as a thing that just happens but instead as a process that makes sleep more likely. Is the room dark and cool? Do I have a noise to help me sleep like rain sounds or the white noise of a running fan? Do I need to de stretching or foam roller to deal with muscle pain before bed? Then when in bed, I like to have a thought to focus on that is repeating and boring. Like imagining casually mapping a floor, cutting the corners/edges of a wood cube with a knife, methodically cleaning off a dusty table. Some just engaging enough that you can focus on it but not interesting enough to keep you awake.
I understand this can be challenging. I know what I should do, but frequently don't. It's like I have ADHD or something. :)
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.
Mine was Chem
Same but with IT class, I dozed off sometimes 😭
Thankfully teachers just let me be without judgement