why is sleeping so hard | ADHD Information

i had to take a job that i could work third shift because i cannot sleep ever i hear that it is common for adhd people to suffer from insomnia? Any thoughts?Ever since I was little it was always hard for me to get to sleep and to this day, even with medication, I find myself waking up in the middle of the night not being able to get back to sleep. Or, sometimes the Geodon (the pill that I take for sleeping) doesn't want to work and so I end up staying up the entire night which isn't good. But yeah, I guess it's common for ADHD'ers to have trouble sleeping. Sometimes I don't see how normal people do it, they make it look so darn easy.I find that puzzling myself. I know naturally as we age people require less sleep. When I was a teenager I could sleep a straight 12 hours & lay in bed all day. On the same token I could also stay up unil 3 AM. I am now almost 34 years old and it takes me until midnight getting to sleep. It's exactly the same pattern I had as a young person, but I was forced to go to bed at 9 PM for school. All I did was sit awake and stare at the ceiling for hours. I guess having ADD makes our minds constantly want to think all night and not want to rest.meredi:
I have had trouble falling asleep since I can remember. If anything is on my mind- happiness, sadness, boredom, ANYTHING at all, I can not sleep. Even if nothing is on my mind, I lie down wondering how to fall asleep. Somehow, it seems to be a skill. Suddenly, when I hit my a pillow, I get a burst of energy. After twenty minutes in one position, I flip to the next. Then I turn the fan on or off...then i add a pillow or subtract one...then I make a 3AM meal- thinking that greasy foods will weigh me down and make me tired...I turn the TV on or start a book...I am too tired to pay attention to either...My alarm clock rings, and it's time to wake up- 12 noon or so.
There was a show on the Discovery channel a while ago about messed up circadian rhythms. Maybe yours is messed up.

I read a research study the other day that said that kids with sleep disorders are 4 times more likely to exhibit adhd tendencies...



 

I have had a sleep problem for the last couple of years.  I am up until 12am at least. some nights it takes until 4 or 5 am to fall asleep. When I was a kid my hyperness was primarily physical. Now as an adult it  seems that my mind is hyper. I am always thinking it seems like. If I am stressed for some reason I can forget about sleep unless I take nyquil or something which is BAD. Strattera helps quash my anxiety but the mental restlessness is constant. I am going to try to start provigil and see if that helps regulate me.

 

I, too, have a hard time falling asleep!  I literally have to be wiped out to fall asleep.  Which, during the school year since I am a teacher, is not a problem.  However, during the summer, UGH!  I am usually up til 1-3 am. 

Also, I will start dreaming instantly!  I will still be aware of what is going on around me and I am falling asleep, but already dreaming. 

I believe it has something to do with our overactive brains.  One suggestion, caffiene works the oppisite for us ADD/HDers.  Try drinking some before bed!  It works.  I find I am more wound up when I have not had caffiene. 

 

lol i always wondered why coffee didn't do me much good. I remember taking some to help me stay up all night to study one time and it did not give me the energy like so many people get from it. That was long before I found out i had ADHD. That makes sense about coffee having the opposite effect on us adhders, super t.

Anyway, lately has been really bad for me with insomnia. I am such a light sleeper and it has taken me forever to get to sleep and sometimes I'll wake up during the night and can't fall back to sleep for hours. it is soo frustrating! Then I start getting sick and I'm thinking "this is soo unfair! it's not like I was staying up all night and partying!!" then It would be only fair if I  got sick but I TRY to sleep and i just have the worst time.

The other day I took my concerta WAYY too late. I have heard it is not good to do that but I didnt think it would effect me because in the morning when I take it around 11 i still can get enough sleep but man, i took it at 3:30 and i only got like 2 hours of sleep. I was tossing and turning in bed all night until like 5 something in the morning. I went to bed at 11ish. What a miserable night!

I hope we can all figure out ways to get a good nights rest!

Hey-Just the Girls!  One way I have found to sleep better is to take Estroven.  I am 38 and in what is called perimenopause.  Yes, even at 38 it happens!!  Anywhooo...one thing that I have started taking is Estroven, which you can buy over the counter.  A side effect of it is sleep!  You have to take it right before you go to bed!!  Also, I have heard of Kava Kava but never tried it.yeah, i had insomnia. maybe its coz we have too many things running through our heads and high energy levels etc..

[QUOTE=meredi]i had to take a job that i could work third shift because i cannot sleep ever i hear that it is common for adhd people to suffer from insomnia? Any thoughts?[/QUOTE]

Yup!! Had that myself for my whole life.

I remember as a teen having marathon waking sessions because I just couldn't get the internal peace required to sleep.  It was hard - I needed to get the chatter in my mind down where I could just zonk out.  Once I got to sleep it was OK.

These days - as it's been mentioned here - I need less sleep as I reach near 40.  I work rotating shifts (days, afternoons and graveyard shifts) and I don't often have trouble sleeping - even while I take amphetamines.  Sometimes if I don't get to bed when I know I must then I'll lose sleep but I just need to discipline my mind and keep it together.  Now I do fine usually on 5 to 6 hours of quality sleep a night/day.  Not always but usually.

I think it's pretty common in ADHD to not sleep soundly or get to sleep easily.  It's just hard to get the mind and body settled where you can initiate it.  Especially when you are a teen, when sleep seems like a waste of time until you are exhausted from it all. 

 

Before getting on meds, I could fall asleep great, and sleep all through the night.

 Now that I'm taking strattera I'm not sleeping well at night , and I'm  drowsy all day. I can't wait for my boyfriend to go to work at 3:30 pm so I can take a nap.

Meredi I love your signature!  Without spell check I'm pretty sure Know one would understand what I was writing.