"Confusion" getting up in the morning | ADHD Information
Hi,
I have the same kind of inability to wake up in the morning. I understand depending upon which one of the six types of ADHD you have that you will have trouble with mornings. My dr. told me that it was more normal than not to have this type of sleep pattern. Also, he said that after being on the "correct" medication for some time that some of this would be elevated. Six months later we are still trying to figure out the correct medication, however.
Mornings have always been a real struggle for me. Even when I sleep plenty I still am not able to function in the morning. It takes me some four or five hours to wake up. I admit, that I do need at least nine hours of sleep daily. When I don't get it I seem to walk around in a worse fog than normal.
There is only one thing I have tried that seems to work. And that is if I remember (which is difficult to do) to say, thank you to my God for waking me up this morning, instead of my normal "F" it to the sound of the alarms. Even in the soft spoken "F" gets me in trouble. Because once I have mentally said that, I'm off to sleeping until eleven or noon (and often later). I get the most done really late at night when I have no distractions, which is what promotes my inability to get up mornings. If I try to act like the so-called "normals" and get up in the morning, I spend most of the day trying to figure out what am I doing awake as I am not able to function fully. And, I certainly can not work at a productive level, so I have had take jobs that require night work instead. Even when I go to bed early I still find it difficult to wake up at a "normal" time. So, although I can sympathize with you I don't really know what the answer is, yet. But, if you have heard of any ideas, please let me know.
I find what helps clear the fog sometimes is giving myself time out. I will go lie on a blanket in the back yard and nap. Or watch the stars from the same blanket at night. Sit on the waterfront and enjoy the view and the people walking by.
Grounding yourself! Getting a bit of dirt under you can help. Just a thought!
Hi Idea and Rae,
Rae-Your post seems to suggest a form of therapy that is similar to a form of meditation that I have heard about. 'Grounding' is used as a term to describe moving one's root chakra around from the sacrum along both legs and back to the sacrum, ending with pushing the energy to a point below the ground. Both feet need to be in touch with the ground when this is performed.
Regardless of whether one believes in chakras (not too sure that I do) -- in meditation, the ability to shut yourself off from conscious thoughts, I believe, can reduce anxiety levels and result in the lifting of the fog. I believe that the fog results through a negative spiral of thoughts that arise, feeding themselves, and driven by some feeling of one's own perceived shortcomings of one's mind.
I have a real BIG problem with the fog that you talk about Idea -- haven't really talked about it on our other forum. Out of interest, I do find that medication lifts the fog -- but a big bit of me doesn't want the crutch.
By meditating (I use a tape) -- I can usually remove my conscious fixation on my own problems -- you know the deal --- why can't I concentrate? Why can't I focus? How will I ever succeed? etc..... and removing the fixation seems to lift the fog and leave me feeling mentally calm. This same effect is observed in me, on stimulant medication.
When thinking about any given real task xyz ... it can only be unconstructive to worry about other extraneous things - like, for instance your own state of mind -- because that will only occupy part of your mind's processing capacity -- and if like me, these unhelpful thoughts feed each other -- then the original task xyz can be usurped by these pointless other thoughts. Since these pointless other thoughts cannot be rationally vanquished and can only grow stronger and more intense - I feel as though they take over my mind, descend and stay -- just like a fog .. at least until one can stop feeding them -- by not thinking about them.
However, not lapsing back into such thoughts is ever so hard - because for those of us that've been doing it for quite some time - it becomes almost a reflex.
Rae mentions taking a nap - although I haven't tried this - it can be helpful to question your own negative thoughts. Why do I feel I'll never succeed? Why does it matter if I don't focus for a little while? Maybe it might help you to feel resentment that these thoughts are taking your energy away from enjoying the very short life that we are all given.
Try and identify what you enjoy - and do it more often. You won't feel the fog, if you're immersed in some enjoyable task -- just make sure it's not smoking or drinking or anything that's detrimental to your self :-)
Me personally, I feel happy when I succeed in doing something new and successfully - even if it's just trying a different recipe, reading a chapter of a book, lasting a bit longer on an exercise machine, getting another rep out of a weight training exercise in the gym.......................
I have thought of CBT - a form of therapy that helps to change the way one thinks and that tries to usurp the negative inner critic from appearing.
I also have exactly the same problems that you describe. As you'll know from some of my other posts, the sorts of drugs that're used in treating ADD -- also have anti-depressant actions. As you also know though, there can be tolerance issues with stimulants, and I have 4 messages recruiting information from all of our fellow ADDers -- attempting to find the magic combo that maximises the effectiveness of the drugs. I think I'm getting close and have posted some of my global observations, on the Amen and ADDForums site.
My thread on this site has yielded some useful information too, and if you have a quick look -- it seems as though from the 2 individuals that have posted -- medication rotation and drug vacations are useful.
I personally am thinking about using wellbutrin alongside low doses of stimulant medication to help all of the problems that you describe.
It'll be a bit of a struggle for us though Idea, because we'll have to rely on our (I think shared) practitioner prescribing this combination. You're going to I.N. aren't you?
When's your appt? Mine is on the 31/8.
If this is of any use to you - I am taking nortriptyline - a TCA anti-depressant, and it has lifted my depression - but underneath it remains all of the problems -- concentration/focus/motivation that together conspired to cause the depression.
Sorry for the somewhat disjointed nature of this post, but just to bring what I've been saying all together:
The problems that you seem to be having are treatable with medication - but the decision to take this medication should not be taken lightly, and once on it one must be extrememly careful; in fact the top thread at the moment on Amen is from an individual that lapsed into stimulant abuse - and who is now sadly in some trouble.
There are alternative ways of beating the problem - and I am a believer, alongside medication, in exercise, not pushing oneself too hard and in meditation.
The onus is on one, not to rely on medication, but to use medication as a means of changing one's life, in a positive way, in order that perhaps one may cease to need the medication in future.
Since your life will improve substantially on medication, that may be all that you need in order to regain the joys of life - something that in your current mood might be difficult to feel, and hopefully this will give you all of the energy to lift yourself out of the rut that you feel you're currently in.
The reason why I can write about all of this without any hesitation, is that all of the advice I'm giving you, I've worked out for myself and use on myself, over the years of frustration that I have had these problems.
CU on Adders soon.
SB
PS
I have just finished writing a post to you, in your other thread.
Unfortunately I've somehow lost the whole piece -- so just to precis myself.....please look at what Chaz says.
There're some very real benefits to his advice.
All that I would add is that a 6. and 7. might be yoga/stretching and the joy of having a pet.
I love my life. I have a job that is SOOO wonderful to me. I get to work at home and have very low stress. I have interests and friends and family who love me. And, I have successfully handled my depression with supplements. I'm not a lazy person at all. When I have energy and focus; I love to pour it on and try to dive into my interests.
Umm....I cannot seem to move my butt out of my bed in the morning either. I happen to LOVE 4 a.m. I wish it could be 4 a.m. all day long. I just love the way it feels at that time of the day for some reason. I always feel so thankful if I happen to wake up at that time, but all I do is sit there and stare for a LONG time.
Here's what I have been doing though lately that kind of works for me. When I wake up, I will either put on a kettle and make some green tea. Then, I'll just sit and stare and drink my green tea. The caffeine starts to work on me and then I feel like getting up and accomplishing stuff.
Or...I will get up and take 1/2 Ritalin and then just sit there and allow myself to take a "nap." Within about 15 min., my eyes fly open and I'm all excited about getting going on the day. This is the miracle drug for me.
But, it is a guarantee (and everyone who knows me will testify to this) that I will end up taking a nap at about 8:30 a.m. (for like an hour or so). It's just what I do.
I'm trying to stay away from meds, but dang...I love the way Ritalin and Dexedrine feel when it kicks in. I realize that I really do love life, that I'm not depressed, that I'm not stupid or lazy. My head just seems to need a spark plug in order to fire. Would love to find something natural that does the trick as well.
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SB,
Thanks for your long post, which I'll probably have to scan again a couple of times to reply to any other points you've raised.
Yes, I am seeing IN on the 3rd September. For everyone else, IN is Integrated Neurocare, one of the few (less than 10?) specialists in the UK who deal in adult ADHD.
I think there are a lot of good ideas coming out of this forum. I will admit that for the last 2 months I have suffered from "excusitis" - "I am in this hole, so I'll stay in this hole", and also perhaps now a sense of hanging on for a miracle cure all with my appointment.
Both are obviously unrealistic attitudes, but even if I haven't got out of my rut before the appointment, I am sure there will be a big relief in knowing that my suspicions about this condition are true.
Before I started feeling really sorry for myself, I was setting an alarm to go off on the floor below my room (I'm on the top floor). By the time I'd gone down the stairs, I could continue to the fridge, and get myself a glass of juice.
Bluebird, fresh orange juice (not stuff from concentrate) is natural and full of goodness. I think I would still need a caffeine fix, but don't drink tea or coffee. Maybe I could try a pro-plus tablet, but then again, maybe I will be prescribed some meds which are taken first thing in the morning.
I am just thinking that whatever meds I am given on 3rd September (I assume he'll recommend somthing), there will be a certain placebo effect & a rush forward, but it remains to be seen how long this will last - maybe days, weeks, but hopefully months or years. I think it is another 6 months before they do a follow up appointment?
I think I will carry on gathering ideas for the time being, making sure I have plenty of "ammunition" for if and when things slow down again after 3rd September.
Ideaspring - Well YEAH! it can be but it is also very much a sign of depression. Also Chronic Fatigue is a possibility - have you had any viral illness in the last 6 months that knocked you around.
But the procrastination sounds very very much like me!
ADD is basically the inability to focus and pay attention to day dream a lot. and ADHD is the same but add a bit of hyperactivity in that - but that does not sound like you are extremely hyper at the moment .
The other symptoms you descibe sound very much like depressions or ill health. I would talk to your GP and perhaps start taking some vitamins
Rae,
I've always been like this, just a great deal worse lately.
I've tried various vitamins, they can help, but ultimately they don't clear up the mental fog. To use a train analogy, I want to go full steam ahead, but instead my head is full of steam!
I have had various blood tests, which have shown there is nothing physically wrong - it is all "in the mind", but it will be interesting to see if and how this clears up after my appointment in September.
Can anyone else relate to this?
I usually oversleep, sometimes by quite a few hours. Although more recently I think this has been due to depression (nothing to get up for), most of the time, I feel as if I am just trying to work out what I was dreaming about before I awoke.
Sometimes I'll then accidentally nod back off to sleep, and wake up maybe 2 hours later, repeating the same cycle.
I do use various alarms, but have a habit of ignoring them. Downstairs I have a clock which calls the time out on the hour, every hour. Hearing this go off enough times eventually stirs me into action.
I am currently way "off schedule" as far as any kind of routine goes, work from home & therefore have no "requirement" to be up at a certain time for anyone, unless one of my few remaining clients calls. I am planning to restart a routine in September, when I have my appointment with one of the leading specialists in ADHD in the UK.
Is this classic ADHD behaviour?
I also replied to your other thread and I very much relate. I've thought about it some more and I think that sometimes you have to accept how your body functions and believe its okay that your not one of the people that has this hard wired alarm clock.
Also having a pet that is noisy in the morning and thery are very helpful (if you like animals). I have two finches and they are much better to hear in the moring than an alarm and are even more reliable. Plus they are really cute and I could never curse at them like I do with my alarm.
"In fact I have been told that ADHD people have trouble getting out of bed and Bipolar people get up early" Creative Crazy
I whish this were true, cause then you would think things would even out and I would wake up midmorning. I am also bipolar and I am definatly not a morning person. I however sometimes suffer from insomnia when I'm hypomanic and I don't sleep at all, sometimes for 2 to 3 days.
"I am just thinking that whatever meds I am given on 3rd September (I assume he'll recommend somthing), there will be a certain placebo effect & a rush forward"
30 minutes after I took the first 10 mg dose of ritalin it was like a light bulb went off. I think that is the usual not unusual case from what I have read and heard.
Recently I changed medication. I changed from Concerta XR to 10 mg of Adderall XR and that seems to have made a big difference in my ability to wake up and stay up in morning. But, I still have problems going to bed a normal time in the evening. It's as if I come alive at night and my brain clicks on, that's definitely a big problem in creating a condusive environment to waking up and functioning during the day and I've always been this way. Maybe someday I'll be able to hang with the day people.
I have been told that one of the symptoms of ADHD is having trouble getting out of bed. In fact I have been told that ADHD people have trouble getting out of bed and Bipolar people get up early....start a poll and see how many people on this site have trouble getting up in the morning...also I find if my brain is racing or if I have a ton of stuff to do I would just rather sleep that way I am not conscious when I am slacking...or staring at the television with no idea what is on....