Insomnia is the monkey wrench in my gears.

My goal since getting ADHD dxed has been to get it under control. Some days I feel as if I mastered it, others? back to being bozo bob where sleep or the lack thereof is the variable.

So, here I am at 3:30 AM, had a good day, not anxious, not depressed, not hyperfocusing, and completely unable to fall asleep. Four hours from now I am suppose to be bright and chipper and perform my job. I am not even going to bother with my Adderall because all of it will be spent on fatigue with non left for focus control.

Went to doc and told her the problem. She said it is the Adderall. I said how do you explain 30 years with the same problem and 29 of them with no Adderall. I stumped her. She had no answer. So neither do I now. Tried eliminating caffeine. Doesn't work. Even though I suspect some culpability.

I'll go three, four days in a poor sleep cycle. Then I'll have a 12 hour catch-up and be ok for a few days. Then a recycle.

I think we can rule out bi-polar because it is not a matter of not needing sleep. I need it desparately. Just can't get it. Nor is there any sense of euphoria.

What am I to do?

Bob

i also have sleep issues. can go several nights in a row just laying there with sleep not coming. the only thing that has helped me maintain any sort of sleep routine is xanax ... which sucks because apparently it is addictive.

I've also tried benadryl, which supposedly works great for some people (dr's who can't take prescription sleep meds, etc), but it always made me feel more rotten than if I hadn't slept at all.

Of course, it tends to improve if you "stop worrying" about it, but I have no idea how exactly this is done.

Not sure about you, but I find that when I'm in a really bad sleep pattern I tend to get colds regardless of season and health status of those around me. I suppose that is my biggest incentive right now to maintain sleep schedule (I'm not working - home with my kids ft).

I hope you find relief soon; not being able to sleep stinks and sleepiness is even worse. :(

Yeah, I am right there with you,
It is the thing that threatens me the most right now.
It seems like if I am like bored to death in my life I sleep fine,
but if I am like in charge or control or a lot is expected out of me, then I cannot sleep, no sir-I already know that. Why can't I be normal. I have a degree and certification to teach, but I know as soon as I get the job I will be up all hours of the night, if you ever find out how you stop the worrying about it, thinking about it-or else just calmy choosing to sleep because it makes sense-whatever works, I want to know how. It is the thorn in my side. thanks for this thread.

melv,

Thanks for your response. Sometimes I get this very unwanted feeling that there are some aspects of ADHD that'll be uncontrolable until the grave.

I become much more susceptable to depression when I'm fatigued. It's not a show stopper, in fact, I'm depressed now. But it sucks feeling like this.

Hope I'm wrong - for both our sakes.

Bob

Brilliant !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is another variable I did not see. I had a good day. That is a pattern with me. Good days - no sleep. Bad days - sleep like a rock.

This demonstrates how beneficial to share experiences with each other. I don't think I would have saw that in a billion years.

Thanks,
Bob

PS Would have been comatose tonight except you just flipped a bad day to good. Hey, thanks away.


Yeah, I am right there with you,
It is the thing that threatens me the most right now.
It seems like if I am like bored to death in my life I sleep fine,
but if I am like in charge or control or a lot is expected out of me, then I cannot sleep, no sir-I already know that. Why can't I be normal. I have a degree and certification to teach, but I know as soon as I get the job I will be up all hours of the night, if you ever find out how you stop the worrying about it, thinking about it-or else just calmy choosing to sleep because it makes sense-whatever works, I want to know how. It is the thorn in my side. thanks for this thread.

I had problems falling asleep since I was 10 or 11...

I also had problems waking up for years....I could sleep some days until 2pm (if my kids would let me) like a rock -of course after it took me half a night to fall asleep...:)


In my case -after an interesting day I can not shut off my mind-thoughts come and go and I can not stop them...

some of my strategies:
try to focus on one subject-like decorating the house I did not bought yet or spending a nice day at the beach...

if that does not work, I'll just get out of bed and browse on the internet aimlessly for half an hour, or watch a boring movie....

anamari,

I read you post about being stressed out over buying a house. I didn't respond because I felt I had nothing to help. Buying a house is a very stressful event. What I hated about it every time was being at the mercy of the lenders. I think it is one of those life events where the only comfort is knowing everyone else gets as stressed, even the so called "normals."

Thanks for you input on the sleep thingy. Man, I hate it. Maybe I got 3 hours last night and that just leaves me feeling like a zombie, that is, more so than normal. :D

Bob

reading often makes me fall asleep. i cant believe i forgot that.

Bob,

thanks for your thoughts...today and tonight will be very stressful -I know the lender got the package from the mortgage broker and we are waiting on them to make a decison- that is hard to guess due to my husband's financilal bad habits(spending) and hocus pocus...

Last nigh I laid in bed half asleep -it is like you are almost sleeping but you can still hear all noises in the house. My 19 months old is getting her molars-so that does not make it easier....(me and my husband took turns holding her)...now she is sleeping like a rock and I can't nap.grrrr...

as opposed to melv-reading never puts me to sleep. it is a warranty It will keep me awake all nigh long 9because after I will close the book I'll keep on thinking about it)...