As the rest of the world tucks into bed, our phones and brains grow quiet. We are able to process and focus and create with a special clarity at night — and the later the better, it seems. This is what adults with ADHD told
For many people, nighttime is usually associated with fewer disturbances. This makes it an ideal time to get things done, especially for those with ADHD who may naturally have a hard time focusing.
Some of the more common sleep disorders to watch for include: Insomnia. Along with medications and trouble sticking to a schedule, there are other reasons people with ADHD are at risk for insomnia. You may get a burst of energy at night, along with racing thoughts that make it hard to get to sleep.
There are fewer distractions, everything is silent and more peaceful. Night owls with ADHD have even reported their brains are less stimulated at night, and can actually focus.
ADHD-related sleep problems may be a side effect of impaired arousal, alertness, and regulation circuits in the brain. Other researchers believe that ADHD-related sleep problems can be traced to a delayed circadian rhythm with a later onset of melatonin production .
ADHD burnout is a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that can be caused by long-term, unmanaged ADHD symptoms and stressors. It is often characterized by feelings of overwhelming fatigue, reduced productivity, and a sense of hopelessness or despair.
If, on the other hand, an individual with ADHD loses interest in an activity, his nervous system disengages, in search of something more interesting. Sometimes this disengagement is so abrupt as to induce sudden extreme drowsiness, even to the point of falling asleep.
Brain activity and efficiency are affected by the time of day. According to research, the average brain is more active at night than at any other time of the day. This affects the brain's ability to learn.
A lot of people get more energy at night than during the day, often to the point where it's difficult to sleep. There are a few reasons you may have unstable energy levels throughout the day, but one of the most common underlying causes is an imbalance in your daily cortisol rhythm.
The Best Time to Learn Something New
Learning is most effective when the brain is in acquisition mode, generally between 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m. and then again from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Night owls beware: think twice before pulling an all-nighter. The lowest learning valley occurs between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Executive functions have other roles which affect how someone thinks. In people with ADHD, these executive dysfunctions impact thinking in numerous ways. People with ADHD don't really think faster than people without it, but it can sometimes seem like they do. People with ADHD do think differently though, in a sense.
A: ADHD brains need more sleep, but find it doubly difficult to achieve restfulness. It is one of those ADHD double whammies: ADHD makes it harder to get enough sleep, and being sleep deprived makes it harder to manage your ADHD (or anything else).
ADHD and Circadian Rhythm Dysfunction
It's common for people with ADHD to have delayed circadian rhythms– known more commonly as “being a night owl.” With a delayed circadian rhythm, your sleep signals are delayed by two hours or more beyond what is considered a normal bedtime.
ADHD brains have low levels of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is linked arm-in-arm with dopamine. Dopamine is the thing that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure center.
While alcohol may appear as a short-term solution to restlessness and anxiety often associated with ADHD, heavy consumption can intensify symptoms of ADHD and render some ADHD medications ineffective.
At night, there is less cortisol in your blood. As a result, your white blood cells readily detect and fight infections in your body at this time, provoking the symptoms of the infection to surface, such as fever, congestion, chills, or sweating. Therefore, you feel sicker during the night.
ADHD is associated with abnormally low levels of the neurotransmitters transmitting between the prefrontal cortical area and the basal ganglia i.e., dopamine and noradrenaline. Dopamine is closely associated with reward centers in the brain, and also interacts with other potent neurotransmitters to regulate mood.
Consistency is king when it comes to sleep.
Routinely maintaining our sleep time “sweet spot”—between 6 to 8 hours and avoiding riding the high and low sleep rollercoaster—could be crucial to brain health and perhaps improved health in general.
Brain fog occurs in the morning as the brain tries to replenish cerebral blood flow, it literally takes time for the blood to flow back into your brain in the morning. Anything that brings the brain activity to normal may reduce sleep inertia and help you feel more refreshed in the morning.
If you have ADHD, you might have greater “postural sway,” meaning your body sways more to stay balanced. Whether you're standing or sitting, your body is always seeking balance. Even without your conscious effort, your muscles and sensory system constantly work to keep you from falling over.
Some signs that you might be understimulated include: Lack of motivation. Physical hyperactivity. A sense of unease, making you feel "flat" or irritable.
Boredom is a feeling people with ADHD know all too well. Writing emails seems like an impossible task and looking at (someone else's) spreadsheet feels mind-numbing. An ADHD brain wants immediate relief from boredom and will chase it at the expense of your priorities.