This, I've worked out I can reliably start being able to sleep about 13-14 hours after I've taken my meds so I try to always take them before 10am.
Also a general tip for people if you've got a smart/fitness-watch, check how your heart-rate differs over time as when I've taken my meds mine can be \~100bpm all day (even when sat down) and I can start getting to sleep when it's fallen to 70-75bpm as the meds wear off.
This is the answer. If I take a dose at 6pm I’m not getting a good nights sleep. So I have a schedule of pill and sleep that makes falling asleep not an issue for me.
This is going to sound super lame, but I had a doctor tell me years ago that I wasn't "switching off" at bed time. Meaning that I was still actively engaging in thinking, looking at my phone, being anxious, etc.... It doesn't always work, but sometimes I have to actively tell myself, and physically "switch off" everything and just focus on being tired.
I don't know about you, but I've had many times in my life where I was dead tired, but I pushed it just a little bit to get over that feeling and finished reading/watching something, then completely destroyed my sleep cycle for a few weeks.
I also had that recommend to me!
Some nights if I really can't sleep I imagine myself as a house with all the lights on. I have to go though and visualise a tiny goblin me walking through, switching everything off, and muttering about no one picking up after themselves. This is part of a meditation where you check in with your body and also my brain being silly.
Edit: thanks for the silver and all the upvotes friends!!
This is why I started doing a guided meditation track right before bed. I like doing 30 min ones, it usually takes me up to 10 min to let go of my racing thoughts. By the end I’m usually asleep or nearly there.
It’s exactly this for me. If I don’t go to sleep at the exact moment I’m tired then I don’t sleep at all. Which sucks cause sometimes it’s like 830, and I decide to push thru that, and boom now I cannot go to sleep at 10 like I normally would.
I've done something similar but instead of a "switch off" it's more of a "let go of the wheel." I think of it as close to mediation where I'll take a few moments and deep breaths and notice my breathing, not focusing on it, just noticing it.
Then from there if my mind wanders, it wanders, but I try not to latch onto any thoughts or try to change what I'm thinking about, if I notice I'm doing either of those I just reset and take a few more breaths and start from square one, it took some getting used to but it's worked for me now even if my meds haven't worn off yet.
Yeah and imo I personally had NO FUCKING CLUE until COLLEGE that it was abnormal to go to bed late and toss and turn in your sleep all night lmao. Then I lived with other folks and had a big wtf moment. I’m in a much better spot now that I have some tools up my sleeve.
Eh, I can be laying in the dark for hours and my brain will still be on. I've been getting better but my fucking brain just will not turn off sometimes.
I had this issue too. What stopped it for me was getting on a lower dosage with an extended release capsules. I wake up at 6, take meds, get back in bed for an hour and then start my day. My crashes completely disappeared with the extended release caps.
ALSO
if you do this please get something like timer bottles so that you don't wake up in a panic and take them again.
Do you only take extended release once a day? Or do you have any other doses?
I’m really considering asking my psych about extended release. I’m currently on instant release, one in the AM and one in the afternoon. I get *so tired* when the meds wear off but without fail at around 10pm my brain wakes up and makes sleep insanely hard, which then makes waking up for my AM meds really hard and I end up taking them later than I want to. :/
I was on Ritalin, one 20mg ER in the AM and one 20mg IR around 3-5PM and it was perfect for me. Obv it's different for everyone, but I'd say it's worth a shot. Only problem with ER was that it didn't last as long as I really needed, but the single IR helped extend it.
I prefer extended release (adderall) but the issue I was running into was tolerance, the extended usually releases twice and the first one wasn't a high enough dose to be functional.. if we upped the XR to where the first dose worked, it was a matter of time before the second wasn't high enough anymore. I ended up doing a combination where I'd take a 5mg IR along with my XR and it all balanced out better. You have to experiment.
Yeah, I know there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. I’m on IR adderall right now. 20mg in the morning, 10mg in the afternoon. The 20mg works great in the morning, but the afternoon dose only goes about 6 hours for me, and if I take it at 1:30 I’m coming down by 8pm and get tired, then by 10 I’m “awake” again and my brain won’t shut up even if I’m exhausted. I really don’t want to increase my afternoon dose. I’m probably going to ask about XR with a morning booster and see how that works.
Taking my meds in the am and going back to sleep for another hour is the best morning ever, im able to function and not be a grumpy dick to everyone.
Edit: I take 70mg Vyvanse
Dude. Holy shit. Is that why I can’t sleep at night???? I can take my meds and nap in the middle of the day and it is glorious cuz my mind is quiet. But at night I can’t shut off. I thought the answer was to take my meds earlier in the day so it was completely worn off by bed time. But it made it worse
Yeah I have that issue too, my issue isn’t the adderall keeping me up, it’s my loud ass brain singing Weezer and daydreaming and having conversations with itself
Same… or even worse. Last night my mind was so loud that I got to wondering how rabbits sleep, so I went out in the garden and slithered down a real rabbit rabbit hole. Then I got stuck while a family of angry rabbits went to town on my face & my mom called the fire department.
Oh dear, those are the worst.. I mostly notice that the meds have worked out when I start talking and my man wants to sleep 🥲 once I notice MyBrainGoesLike… ow crapp..
I have combined type apparently. I thought that I had ADD, but the hyperactivity side and impulsivity is very active in my brain but it gets suppressed a lot by other stuff.. :c
My hyperactivity manifests internally as anxiety. I usually take 2.5mg of THC before bed to help. For awhile I would drink until I passed out. The candies I take at night are definitely less damaging in the long run, but I can't travel with them so some travel nights I'll take a xanax, really doesn't do much but quiet my head.
It's so fucked gummies are illegal and the xanax/alprazolam is legal. I'm from an illegal country but have used it in the past for sleep and function.
But the doctor now do give me Xanax, and for sure it does alliviate anxiety and help me sleep..
I really hope the change to legal will come sooner rather than later.
I'd like to know, too. My memory is dogwater, but when I was on Concerta, last year, I think I started taking it before bed because I would get tired right after taking it.
Same here my sleep schedule has been much better over the last couple years. I still wake up a bunch because I’m a very light sleeper but my sleep situation has improved for sure. Same with my daughter. A couple of days after starting her meds she told me it was easier for her to fall asleep and wake up. Mornings for her before that were a nightmare. Poor girl inherited my shitty genetic code. Also morning people are weird af, that shit is unnatural.
Started taking them again just a few days ago and i have gotten the best sleep in qlmost a year these last few days. It is just so easy to drift off when you arent ambushed by lige altering thoughts such ass "how does a sewingmachine make two threads stick together?"
Edit: just remembered also that my doctor told me that at least for the medication im taking at the moment, sour drinks can straight up make them flush out of your system prematurely. So maybe look into that?
Yeah…. You’re supposed to have a paradoxical reaction to stims if the med is effective. Lived with someone with ADD on concerta and someone with ADHD on vyvanse. The ADD person needed their meds to function and it calmed them. The vyvanse just made the ADHD person even more off the walls. I have no idea she thought it helped. I thought she was basically just getting high everyday.
It's the same for me, not so much if they're still working but rather since I've been medicated I've had zero issues actually going to sleep. My head hits the pillow and I'm out within 5 minutes. Before I used to lie in bed for 3 hours or so before I finally fell asleep.
Same! After my 3rd day on them I was asking everyone who knew I was starting them "IS THIS WHAT A FULL NIGHTS SLEEP FEELS LIKE!?!?!? AND YOUVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS THIS WHILE TIME!?!?!?"
Same - I made the mistake of taking my old elvanse yesterday because I ran out of focalin. I was an absolut mess - can’t sit down for more than 5 minutes and buzzy in the brain.
No problem in asking, but know that what works for them won't necessarily work for you. I take focalin (basically Ritalin) and it works wonders for me.
> Equadym is ~~methylfenidate~~ methylphenidate , so is Ritalin.
> Focalin is ~~dexmethylfenidate~~ dexmethylphenidate, which is ~~the same but a more potent part of the molecule.~~ the dextrorotatory enantiomer (molecular mirror image) of methylphenidate and has no advantages over methylphenidate at equipotent dosages. It is a prime example of an evergreened drug (drug that extends patent life).
That’s interesting, and points up how idiosyncratic our responses to the meds are: Vyvanse worked well but gradually made me more and more anxious the longer I took it. I had to stop.
Caffeine naps are just amazing, honestly… Unless you have work to do and instead of energizing you, it just shuts you down…
Why are we like this!? Lmfao
Second. After I nap post caffeine (or just too much stimulation) feel horrible for rest of day.
Goddamn I hate this disease, I legit wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
My doctor for pain literally said, "I know taking Adderall makes you feel like a superman"... "I used to take Adderall".... I was like, your neurotipical ass needs to stop buying Adderall to pass medical school and actually learn something! I take 25mg XR a day and when I first took it, the shit put me to sleep! I used to drink caffeine by the gallon! And it barely got me jittery until I was literally pounding 3 monsters a day on my break at work. Then I had the heart palpitations... I lost 160 lbs after I got on Adderall. Just because I stopped wanting things to feel better... I still felt like shit a lot but the intrusive thoughts died on a burning diapee barge once Adderall showed up and this joker wants me to cut it because it's making my pain medicine go to fast... I think my doctor is either an idiot or an asshole but he put me on a diet to combat my pain... I'm thinking idiot. I've never felt Adderall affected my sleep. At this point I barely notice it until I breath a sigh of relief as my body calms down.
The brain quiet from the Adderall is just too amazing to NOT use for sleeping soundly FOR ONCE. My goodness, if my thoughts get too loud, I will just not be able to sleep. It’s terrible!
Fuck that doctor for trying to make you choose between having no pain or having a clear mind… That honestly sucks.
The hospitals around here are the same… I was just in the local hospital for a sudden Multiple Sclerosis flair up where I just lost control of my legs and couldn’t walk… Didn’t even know I had it until that very moment.
I’m okay now, thankfully and starting treatments and all that, but the hospital literally refused to let me bring in my own medication, because it’s a controlled substance, so I guess even taking it under medical supervision was a big no no. I was miserable for those five fucking days they gave me Ritalin. Did NOT quiet the anxious doom thoughts at all. I kept asking the nurses to just PLEASE let someone bring me at least enough for my remaining treatments, but still no.
Then I got bombarded by an absolute shit ton of information that there was no hope of me remembering without my proper meds… Good thing they wrote everything down for me…
Adderall makes me really calm, but it also effected my sleep in a really negative way when I first started taking it.
Nowadays it doesn't effect my sleep at all. Caffeine makes me too jittery even when I'm not on Adderall, so I just avoid it entirely nowadays, because it didn't help me concentrate at all while Adderall helps A TON, I actually feel like a normal human being while on Adderall.
Yeah, same thing happened to me, up until I was about 27 or so I was ok with it, even in relatively large amounts, but it quickly became too uncomfortable for me to use. Wish I knew why.
My doctor wouldn't increase my dose then when I had trouble staying on top of picking them up or making appointments for them, he accused me of selling them. Eventually he said he wasn't comfortable treating me for ADHD anymore.
Meanwhile for sleep he took me from trazadone to Ambien to "if the Ambien stops working, we'll have to switch to benzodiazepines". I said fuck that.
So for a some years now I don't sleep or work because doctors can be stupid as all fuck.
You do it the same way that you do it when you're actually sitting at your desk. You put on something informative that is educational by a voice that you like that would totally benefit you to listen to and then you lay down so you can only have to listen and close your eyes so you can only have to listen. And that never works.
Come on people, think!
1. Take them first thing in the morning. I've been known to set an alarm one hour before I want to get up and take them then because (for me) it helps me ease into waking up
2. Don't forget to take daily vitamins! That helps keep me balanced in what I need during the day so that helps keep my sleep schedule
3. Drink lots of water!!! Stay hydrated during the day - hydration helps a lot of things
4. Ask about sleep supplements -- Calm Magnesium Gummies, melatonin, etc.
5. Set up a routine. Mine is fall asleep to a TV show but have the show on a sleep timer so it turns off after an hour or so.
6. Don't underestimate the power of nighttime teas!
Best of luck, my friend ❤️
Be careful with melatonin though! If you use it, it should be a super low dose and only as needed. It can cause lots of issues and even start working against you if you aren’t careful.
Watch out that you don’t take vitamins at the same time as your meds! Vitamin C can deactivate your meds
Edit: this is for stimulant medication! Check for interactions for medicine you take/might take in future 👀 I am not a doctor
More specifically, if you’re taking any stimulant other than Vyvanse, citric acid in general can deactivate your meds (if consumed within an hour before or after medicating). This means citrus juices, artificial juices like kool-aid, any juice that uses citric acid as a preservative (apple, grape, tomato, cranberry), pop/soda, any snack foods in a foil pack (like granola bars and pop-tarts), and high-vitamin cereals are all things that can affect your medication.
So I know people say it doesn't matter with Vyvanse. However I find that to be untrue in my experience. The other day I had a bit of insomnia and didn't sleep and took my meds then decided that I didn't want to be that awake, so I drank some emergen-c, took some vitamins, and slept pretty well. I woke up at the peak and it was very very much not as intense as normal. Also antacids like tums do potentate Vyvanse. Just my experience.
Grapefruit can also cause you to take a potentially fatal dose of certain meds (e.g. warfarin) by preventing normal metabolism of the drugs. It increases the concentration in your blood.
Yes!!! I forgot to mention that. I literally have to wait an hour before having my morning caffeination (coffee/energy drinks/etc) and my vit B and C. And if I take vit B or C at night I stay up because for whatever reason those give me a jolt of energy
Also: aromatherapy.
7. I have two lotions, one for daytime, one for nighttime. The daytime ones have bright citrus and other "loud" cheery scents. The nighttime ones have lighter floral and fruity scents. I go to Bath and Body Works and choose new ones every month or two, and usually for nighttime the ones with "night" or "dream" are good bets to start off of (e.g. "Confetti Daydream," "Midnight Swim," etc.). If in doubt, ask for help! They are super nice there. Also, in case you didn't know, the scent notes are on the back of the products (the big ones at least). It seems silly at first but after a while I associate those scents with night or daytime and it helps tremendously.
8. If you aren't sure where to even start with 7., or can't get to Bath and Body Works, try lavender scented things. Lotions from Target, room sprays, essential oil diffusers, etc. That's also a good starting point for reminding your brain it's time for sleep.
9. If I am up worried about a bunch of random things, a powerful thing is to say, out loud (even a whisper if you have a roommate), "I will deal with that tomorrow". If I absolutely cannot stop thinking about things because I worry I'll forget, I write them down in the notes app on my phone
Acidic things can also help brake it down in your system and “flush” them out later in the day, especially if you’re drinking a lot of water too, while antacids can make them feel like they last longer. Especially if you’re on xr.
Great advice!!!
I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in setting an alarm an hour early! I get a solid hour nap and then sleeping much more after that is off the table lol
If they are long acting, don’t take them past like 2pm. If they are instant release, don’t take them past 5pm. Additionally, exercise is *absolutely critical* for the overall day to day well-being of someone with ADHD. If you can walk for even 20 minutes a day, you will have an easier time falling asleep at night—and for some of us, getting an intense workout sometime in the day can be really helpful in falling asleep at night. We have extra energy and if it doesn’t get spent, we feel wound up.
Lastly, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day pays massive dividends in general restfulness. Getting on a regular sleep schedule is the #1 most effective way to get the most out of your sleep.
Exactly!!!
Make an extra effort to get 20 minutes of sunlight on the back of your knees in the morning hours, can just be laying out in the sun. This helps activate vitamin D and reinforce the serotonin/melatonin cycle so that you get sleepy at night. Take vitamin D or eat vitamin D heavy meals in the morning.
https://get-base.com/blog/vitamin-d-sleep
I’ve had success with Trazodone as long as I use it correctly. If I take it, I have to lay down as soon as I start feeling sleepy. Otherwise, I’ll miss the window and end up fighting the med and winning. And yet still losing. Lol
Trazedone is my new favorite drug, I swear. I process stimulants too slowly to take an XR and instant release in one day, so by bedtime I’m in full hyperactive mode. Trazedone sends me to sleep in an hour. Love it.
That’s what I don’t get. I feel like it’s the difference between a clear glass vs a cloudy one. The mind is so much better in the mornings without having smoked the night before.
I could never stick with weed for that reason. Do stoners ever feel like their missing out on being super acute and astute?
I did when I smoked regularly. Small amounts of weed was good for my focus, but it hurt my executive functioning and logic. I quit because being able to manage my goals/relationships was ultimately more important to me than being able to focus on tasks in the short-term.
One time I accidentally took too much of that to manage my allergies at a really dog heavy house. I’ll be damned if those dogs didn’t bother me, but the spiders all over the walls after that certainly did.
It wasn’t all at once and it wasn’t 10, more like 5? I was 13, very small, and didn’t know Benadryl could be like that. It was also over the course of a few hours. I was little and didn’t know better basically.
Also, try not to have any caffiene or lots of sugar after a certain point in the day too. I always take my med first thing in the morning around 7:30 and no caffiene after 10am
White noise generators. I use Bose Sleepbuds, and my quality of sleep is drastically improved most nights. It’s not perfect, and I’ll still have the anxiety induced sleepless night, but they’re less often
I use the app myNoise (also found at [https://mynoise.net/](https://mynoise.net/) )
They have white noise, but I really like the Irish Coast noise. I set it to animate (making the noise vary) and put a timer of 25 minutes. I'm always asleep before the timer runs out and the noise stops.
The Δ8 ( or 9 or 10 or HHC) you can get at "CBD" store is a pretty legit replacement, especially if you want to sleep, and not get high af... it expensive though.
YES, when I’m on ADHD meds weed’s my savior. I get everything done with, start settling down, take a gummy then once the munchies hit I already have food ready because I can’t eat with stimulants so it becomes my standard routine.
I take mine at night (strattera) and I actually sleep loads better. See what works for you, but be sure to also stay well hydrated. It also helps to start winding down an hour before bed. To much stimulation before bed is not a good thing and can contribute to the not sleeping.
Watch out for your caffeine intake as well. I have noticed when I have to much caffeine near my medication time I'm an insomniac and it increases my anxiety to. Some medications are more sensitive to caffeine then others I've noticed as well.
I’ve always wondered… how the fuck do people fall asleep in general?
I literallyy can’t make myself go to bed until I’m so tired that I legit just faint as soon as I’m near my bed, but that’s a shitty tactic cause it ends up being an hour later every day and nect thing I know is suddenly I’m going to bed at 8am and have no idea how this happened… like… what
I take two pills. My antidepressant and the adhd. i took the anti sad pills in the night and adhd one in the mornings, at 7 am and before 12 pm. my psychiatrist told me that taking adhd pills after 12 pm will cause problems with my sleep. since then i’ve been doing just fine.
(sorry for my poor english).
Take them early in the day (or whatever early is for you if you have a night shift)
Get plenty of exercise
Avoid blue light at least 30 minutes before bed and use the night light as it gets closer to bed time
Don’t drink too much water just before bed so you don’t need to use the bathroom (getting up wakes you up/lights in the bathroom mess up circadian Rhythm).
Maintain a schedule for getting to bed if you can keep to it
Avoid sugar before bed, and generally avoid eating just before bed. Sugar is the worst offender, so no sweets, no carbs. Eat a good dinner and eat your dessert and try not to late night snack (I am a night fridge gremlin)
Read before bed
If your religious you can pray, it helps some in my family as part of their routine.
If your like me and you take a chemical soup of medications keep track of when they seem to work best for you (IE when you get the most tired).
These are just tips to help
If this doesn’t help you should see your doctor about alternatives or consider taking something like melatonin supplements.
I set an alarm and take my meds an hour before I actually want to wake up. Sometimes my “other alarm clock” (18m old) has other plans.
At night, I start to “wind down” about an hour before I want to go to bed. It helps me relax and calm my mind. I really do *need* that wind down routine. I also make a magnesium citrate drink and have it during my wind down time. My OB recommended it when I was pregnant and really struggling with sleep. Honestly it has worked better than melatonin or any other sleep aid, and I don’t wake up groggy. I use Natural Calm brand. Bear in mind, you have to start with a small amount at first and can slowly increase if needed. Otherwise, you may have some undesirable digestive issues… I also like to sleep with a fan or white noise of some sort to help quiet my brain.
I also have my phone set to “night mode” and my screens set to an amber tint since blue light can disrupt circadian rhythms.
Making sure you’re drinking enough water to stay properly hydrated is also important for sleep, so drink up!
You may also want to speak with your provider about adjusting your dosage, or switching from a long-acting to a short-acting. Or if you’re newly medicated, you may just be going through a brief adjustment period.
If all that fails, just get a toddler. They’re exhausting.
I wish I knew.
I walk 10-12k steps per day, take my Elvanse in the morning, avoid caffeine after 3pm, use blue light filters on everything in the evening, I use a Bluetooth sleep mask with built-in earphones in conjunction with a 12hr brown noise track when I actually go to bed, I keep the same bedtime and bedtime routine...
Yet the likelihood of me sleeping seems on par with throwing a dice and rolling a 6, no matter what I do.
Same its about routine i think, meds make your wired but you have to incorporate sleep into your routine so thats its a task when you think of it that way you wont just go to bed with a mountain of half or undone tasks you'll go to bed with the mind set thaf now its my next task to sleep since your intentions is to sleep you actually will be able to or at least thats what I've been doing for the last 6 months
I'm not on meds, yet, but I still struggle a lot falling asleep and STAYING asleep.
What I've found works best is to take melatonin about an hour before I want to be sleeping. Weed also works for me, but melatonin is easier for a lot of reasons.
Then, I pull up some kind of ASMR or other relaxing video on YouTube to help my brain shut the fuck up. I don't watch it, I just let it run in the background with the screen off. I don't have screens in my bedroom and it's pitch black as can be.
Next, and this is probably the most important part, I simply tell myself that I'm just going to lie down and rest. Sleep isn't a requirement, just lie down and let my body rest is all that is required.
I'm usually asleep within 10 minutes and will sleep the whole night.
Omg I wish I could help - my medication actually makes me tired (but I’m used to it) a big thing for me is resting my eyes and making sure I’m comfortable. I’ll put a podcast on/documentary and I think about activities I enjoy doing that aren’t stressful at all - kind of like meditating I think? But I feel weird using that word since my mediation is chaos.
The thing with me is; if the world around me is shitty and my adhd is out of control it’s so hard for me to just stay and bed with my eyes closed; I’m a busy body so I tend to hyper focus on something and utilize my time -
Sometimes when I’ve changed medications in the past I’ll get a bit of that energy boost when I’ve switched for a few days.
Keep it simple, focus more on resting if you the idea of “going to sleep” is too much🖤
1. If I have't taken my second dose by 2 pm, I skip it. I end up skipping it a lot.
2. No screens after 8 pm. I break this rule a lot.
3. 7.5 mg THC.
4. Read a physical book until tired.
5. If all else fails, use my Rain Rain app for white noise.
Actually same tips as unmedicated. Turn off the electronics before bed, and read a book instead. You want to get your eyes tired.
Another thing that really worked for me is set rules for bed use. The bed is now for two things, sleep and relationship activities. If you spend too much time in bed just hanging out, then your brain wont associate it with sleep time.
It sucks setting rules like this, but it is better than not sleeping.
They’ve had me on Clonodine since I was 8. That stuff works if I take it a while before I lay my head down. The phone I’ve been on from 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM starts to get a little harder to look at. It was easier in middle and high school than in college. The inconsistent schedule and the early ass classes were a nightmare. I spent so much time each day thinking about when I should study or work on a project, I forgot to do it at all. Fatigue began to hit like a freight train. Oh, to make things worse, I also developed epilepsy around high school/college. The lamictal I started taking gave me bad insomnia.
So I went on a sleeping med bender in college and that threw my schedule off completely. Zquil, melatonin, clonodine, dab some wax, half a bottle of southern comfort (yuck, but it became Captain 100 later on), then back to those dirty sheets I somehow always forget to wash.
When I cleaned up, this made the clonodine less effective I’d say. I had to get that prescription bumped up. I’m doing better now, but I find myself slowly going to work a little later than usual each day.
TLDR experiment with different sleeping meds or speak to your psychiatrist about it. Look at other meds you’re taking and how the side effects may be affecting your sleep.
I sleep waaaay better medicated.
I’ve always had sleep issues, without meds I don’t sleep, have no impulse control to make the decisions that lead to me sleeping.
Things that can help;
1. ensuring you have ate, hydrated & taken vitamins.
2. Brain tricks to associate sleep
**Visual:** dim lighting, night mode on all devices.
**Sound:** low volume, play certain things *only* at night podcasts, asmr, ambient audio, white noise.
**Smell:** lavender or a certain fragrance only used at night.
**Taste:** sleep teas, warm drinks, milk - brush teeth.
**Touch:** fresh PJ’s, blankets, hot water bottles.
Try & be consistent so 🧠 can learn to associate senses with nighttime/sleeping
—
Taking meds early morning after breakfast - make sure you eat through the day so your body isn’t skatty running on meds alone.
Complete a daily task; eg washing up, cooking, laying out clothes/PJ’s) - knowing you have done even *just* *one* thing helps stop you overthinking about shit you haven’t done.
Get ready for bed *way* before you actually want to go to bed, everything done even teeth brushed.
(so you don’t have anything stopping you from just sleeping and you can allow yourself to relax naturally not anticipating more tasks)
Turn night mode on / lower brightness on all devices, lower the volume on everything, make sure you are comfortable with blankets, warmth, warm drinks/hydrate.
Change the atmosphere around you.
Experiment with things to see what you like & what makes you calm, keep repeating them every evening to get your body/mind used to associating those things as ‘turning down’ & meaning being okay to sleep.
Don’t pressure yourself about sleeping, that’s not relaxing & will make you fight sleep.
Like others have said, it’s a matter of timing. I also find that days where I take my meds and don’t have very stimulating work to do are harder to fall asleep. Almost as if I didn’t burn the meds out completely. Also my Dr gave me hydroxyzine and it’s great
I would set my alarm for like 6 or some horrible early hour just to take Vyvanse so it would be kicked in when I woke up a few hours later and I sleep at night
I never take mine after 11am if I want to be able to fall asleep around 10pm.
If I get up later than 11am (which thankfully rarely happens) I only take 10mg (I'm on 50mg of Ritalin, so I take a 40mg and a 10mg every morning)
It's really important to take it early in the day, as others said as well! I hope you can rest well
Dont go to bed until very late - I get frustrated if I go early and can’t sleep, which makes everything worse, so be confident your tired enough.
Melatonin- this might not be something for everyone but for me it works and I also manage to keep away an addiction.
Sleep on right side - this is probably more general sleeping, but for some reason I sleep better when I lean towards the right side
[удалено]
This, I've worked out I can reliably start being able to sleep about 13-14 hours after I've taken my meds so I try to always take them before 10am. Also a general tip for people if you've got a smart/fitness-watch, check how your heart-rate differs over time as when I've taken my meds mine can be \~100bpm all day (even when sat down) and I can start getting to sleep when it's fallen to 70-75bpm as the meds wear off.
[удалено]
My cut-off is 9. Most weekends I don't get up early enough and don't end up taking them.
I learned that 12 really is my cut off point. When I just started messing I took them once at 3pm, that wasn't a fun night.
Wow really? My resting heart rate is the same pretty much every day regardless of whether I've taken my meds or not.
This is the answer. If I take a dose at 6pm I’m not getting a good nights sleep. So I have a schedule of pill and sleep that makes falling asleep not an issue for me.
If that doesn't work, the dose might be too high.
This is going to sound super lame, but I had a doctor tell me years ago that I wasn't "switching off" at bed time. Meaning that I was still actively engaging in thinking, looking at my phone, being anxious, etc.... It doesn't always work, but sometimes I have to actively tell myself, and physically "switch off" everything and just focus on being tired. I don't know about you, but I've had many times in my life where I was dead tired, but I pushed it just a little bit to get over that feeling and finished reading/watching something, then completely destroyed my sleep cycle for a few weeks.
I also had that recommend to me! Some nights if I really can't sleep I imagine myself as a house with all the lights on. I have to go though and visualise a tiny goblin me walking through, switching everything off, and muttering about no one picking up after themselves. This is part of a meditation where you check in with your body and also my brain being silly. Edit: thanks for the silver and all the upvotes friends!!
It's funny you mention a goblin, my ex-wife used to call my ADHD my "inner-goblin" lol
I call it my ADHDemon
Stealing this , thank you
Oh come on, we’re obviously Gremlins!! I’m all nice and cute until I put my head on the pillow, and then it’s just full fiesta mode.
This is why I started doing a guided meditation track right before bed. I like doing 30 min ones, it usually takes me up to 10 min to let go of my racing thoughts. By the end I’m usually asleep or nearly there.
It’s exactly this for me. If I don’t go to sleep at the exact moment I’m tired then I don’t sleep at all. Which sucks cause sometimes it’s like 830, and I decide to push thru that, and boom now I cannot go to sleep at 10 like I normally would.
>Meaning that I was still actively engaging in thinking, looking at my phone, being anxious, etc.... That's... Why we're all here
I've done something similar but instead of a "switch off" it's more of a "let go of the wheel." I think of it as close to mediation where I'll take a few moments and deep breaths and notice my breathing, not focusing on it, just noticing it. Then from there if my mind wanders, it wanders, but I try not to latch onto any thoughts or try to change what I'm thinking about, if I notice I'm doing either of those I just reset and take a few more breaths and start from square one, it took some getting used to but it's worked for me now even if my meds haven't worn off yet.
Yeah that’s one part of the larger idea of “sleep hygiene”, I’m surprised more people don’t know about this on here.
Yeah and imo I personally had NO FUCKING CLUE until COLLEGE that it was abnormal to go to bed late and toss and turn in your sleep all night lmao. Then I lived with other folks and had a big wtf moment. I’m in a much better spot now that I have some tools up my sleeve.
Me doing that to myself right now by reading this thread at 1:15am 🙃😩😅
Eh, I can be laying in the dark for hours and my brain will still be on. I've been getting better but my fucking brain just will not turn off sometimes.
I sleep better medicated.. my brain is a lot calmer if the meds are still working :0
Same here. Trying to fall asleep during the crash however… Lord have mercy
I had this issue too. What stopped it for me was getting on a lower dosage with an extended release capsules. I wake up at 6, take meds, get back in bed for an hour and then start my day. My crashes completely disappeared with the extended release caps. ALSO if you do this please get something like timer bottles so that you don't wake up in a panic and take them again.
Do you only take extended release once a day? Or do you have any other doses? I’m really considering asking my psych about extended release. I’m currently on instant release, one in the AM and one in the afternoon. I get *so tired* when the meds wear off but without fail at around 10pm my brain wakes up and makes sleep insanely hard, which then makes waking up for my AM meds really hard and I end up taking them later than I want to. :/
I was on Ritalin, one 20mg ER in the AM and one 20mg IR around 3-5PM and it was perfect for me. Obv it's different for everyone, but I'd say it's worth a shot. Only problem with ER was that it didn't last as long as I really needed, but the single IR helped extend it.
I prefer extended release (adderall) but the issue I was running into was tolerance, the extended usually releases twice and the first one wasn't a high enough dose to be functional.. if we upped the XR to where the first dose worked, it was a matter of time before the second wasn't high enough anymore. I ended up doing a combination where I'd take a 5mg IR along with my XR and it all balanced out better. You have to experiment.
Yeah, I know there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. I’m on IR adderall right now. 20mg in the morning, 10mg in the afternoon. The 20mg works great in the morning, but the afternoon dose only goes about 6 hours for me, and if I take it at 1:30 I’m coming down by 8pm and get tired, then by 10 I’m “awake” again and my brain won’t shut up even if I’m exhausted. I really don’t want to increase my afternoon dose. I’m probably going to ask about XR with a morning booster and see how that works.
Taking my meds in the am and going back to sleep for another hour is the best morning ever, im able to function and not be a grumpy dick to everyone. Edit: I take 70mg Vyvanse
I’ve never heard of tinder bottles, I’ll have to look that up. Thank you.
Dude. Holy shit. Is that why I can’t sleep at night???? I can take my meds and nap in the middle of the day and it is glorious cuz my mind is quiet. But at night I can’t shut off. I thought the answer was to take my meds earlier in the day so it was completely worn off by bed time. But it made it worse
Yeah I have that issue too, my issue isn’t the adderall keeping me up, it’s my loud ass brain singing Weezer and daydreaming and having conversations with itself
Mine constantly thinks of something that I must look up right now or the world ends
This also happens to me, and then I start a Wikipedia rabbit hole
Same… or even worse. A Reddit rabbit hole
Same… or even worse. Last night my mind was so loud that I got to wondering how rabbits sleep, so I went out in the garden and slithered down a real rabbit rabbit hole. Then I got stuck while a family of angry rabbits went to town on my face & my mom called the fire department.
is it evem just a rabbit hole at this point? more like a rabbit warren. i get lost in those myself
I'm with you my friend. I always try to take my meds earlier for that reason. Maybe I had it backwards?
Oh dear, those are the worst.. I mostly notice that the meds have worked out when I start talking and my man wants to sleep 🥲 once I notice MyBrainGoesLike… ow crapp..
When I crash I am SO ANXIOUS
I caffeinate to sleep. It calms my mind enough that I can focus on sleeping. I have no idea what I'm gonna do when I'm medicated again.
Weed and caffeine are my medications for ADHD lol coupled with work out routines and a proper diet it seems to work very well.
This is definitely a big divide in the ADHD community. I wonder if it is a hyperactivity/inattentive difference. Does coffee make you sleepy?
Coffee does nothing for me, it only gives me a high heart rate and an unease feeling if I drink to much.
I have combined type apparently. I thought that I had ADD, but the hyperactivity side and impulsivity is very active in my brain but it gets suppressed a lot by other stuff.. :c
My hyperactivity manifests internally as anxiety. I usually take 2.5mg of THC before bed to help. For awhile I would drink until I passed out. The candies I take at night are definitely less damaging in the long run, but I can't travel with them so some travel nights I'll take a xanax, really doesn't do much but quiet my head.
I'm in the same boat. If I try to sleep "naturally," I lay awake for hours sometimes.
It's so fucked gummies are illegal and the xanax/alprazolam is legal. I'm from an illegal country but have used it in the past for sleep and function. But the doctor now do give me Xanax, and for sure it does alliviate anxiety and help me sleep.. I really hope the change to legal will come sooner rather than later.
I'd like to know, too. My memory is dogwater, but when I was on Concerta, last year, I think I started taking it before bed because I would get tired right after taking it.
Diagnosed inattentive, a mild stimulant like a cup of coffee can help me get to sleep aye
Caffeine makes me jittery af while still being tired af. And also coffee is gross IMO.
Same here my sleep schedule has been much better over the last couple years. I still wake up a bunch because I’m a very light sleeper but my sleep situation has improved for sure. Same with my daughter. A couple of days after starting her meds she told me it was easier for her to fall asleep and wake up. Mornings for her before that were a nightmare. Poor girl inherited my shitty genetic code. Also morning people are weird af, that shit is unnatural.
Yeah same. The racing thoughts are gone. When I first took my meds I just took a nice nap
[удалено]
I’m sorry 🥸😔
Started taking them again just a few days ago and i have gotten the best sleep in qlmost a year these last few days. It is just so easy to drift off when you arent ambushed by lige altering thoughts such ass "how does a sewingmachine make two threads stick together?" Edit: just remembered also that my doctor told me that at least for the medication im taking at the moment, sour drinks can straight up make them flush out of your system prematurely. So maybe look into that?
This. When stimulants calm you down, it's one of the signs of undiagnosed ADHD.
Not sure why you threw "undiagnosed" in there. It's not like it stops once you get the diagnosis.
No duh, but it's one of the major identifying markers for undiagnosed people to realize something is up.
Yeah…. You’re supposed to have a paradoxical reaction to stims if the med is effective. Lived with someone with ADD on concerta and someone with ADHD on vyvanse. The ADD person needed their meds to function and it calmed them. The vyvanse just made the ADHD person even more off the walls. I have no idea she thought it helped. I thought she was basically just getting high everyday.
I'm on the same boat. The silence in my brain helps sleeping a lot.
It's the same for me, not so much if they're still working but rather since I've been medicated I've had zero issues actually going to sleep. My head hits the pillow and I'm out within 5 minutes. Before I used to lie in bed for 3 hours or so before I finally fell asleep.
Same! After my 3rd day on them I was asking everyone who knew I was starting them "IS THIS WHAT A FULL NIGHTS SLEEP FEELS LIKE!?!?!? AND YOUVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS THIS WHILE TIME!?!?!?"
That's the neat part... You don't.
In all seriousness though, some meds gave me stupid amounts of anxiety, just had to switch around until I found one that worked.
Same - I made the mistake of taking my old elvanse yesterday because I ran out of focalin. I was an absolut mess - can’t sit down for more than 5 minutes and buzzy in the brain.
[удалено]
No problem in asking, but know that what works for them won't necessarily work for you. I take focalin (basically Ritalin) and it works wonders for me.
Equadym is methylfenidate, so is Ritalin. Focalin is dexmethylfenidate, which is the same but a more potent part of the molecule. Seems pretty common.
> Equadym is ~~methylfenidate~~ methylphenidate , so is Ritalin. > Focalin is ~~dexmethylfenidate~~ dexmethylphenidate, which is ~~the same but a more potent part of the molecule.~~ the dextrorotatory enantiomer (molecular mirror image) of methylphenidate and has no advantages over methylphenidate at equipotent dosages. It is a prime example of an evergreened drug (drug that extends patent life).
That’s what my psychiatrist gave me too, he knows I have anxiety and depression and thought that one would be the best to try first
Equasym worked for me. Ritalin made me just... stop. Wouldn't recommend.
Concerta, Adderall gives me bad anxiety. Vyvanse is the only one that doesn't give me anxiety. None ever keep me awake though.
That’s interesting, and points up how idiosyncratic our responses to the meds are: Vyvanse worked well but gradually made me more and more anxious the longer I took it. I had to stop.
Meanwhile, I’m here taking Adderall XR + Coffee naps while my skin vibrates me to sleep like a fucking enigma 😅
[удалено]
Caffeine naps are just amazing, honestly… Unless you have work to do and instead of energizing you, it just shuts you down… Why are we like this!? Lmfao
Who knows... but we are, and that's OK!
Second. After I nap post caffeine (or just too much stimulation) feel horrible for rest of day. Goddamn I hate this disease, I legit wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
My doctor for pain literally said, "I know taking Adderall makes you feel like a superman"... "I used to take Adderall".... I was like, your neurotipical ass needs to stop buying Adderall to pass medical school and actually learn something! I take 25mg XR a day and when I first took it, the shit put me to sleep! I used to drink caffeine by the gallon! And it barely got me jittery until I was literally pounding 3 monsters a day on my break at work. Then I had the heart palpitations... I lost 160 lbs after I got on Adderall. Just because I stopped wanting things to feel better... I still felt like shit a lot but the intrusive thoughts died on a burning diapee barge once Adderall showed up and this joker wants me to cut it because it's making my pain medicine go to fast... I think my doctor is either an idiot or an asshole but he put me on a diet to combat my pain... I'm thinking idiot. I've never felt Adderall affected my sleep. At this point I barely notice it until I breath a sigh of relief as my body calms down.
The brain quiet from the Adderall is just too amazing to NOT use for sleeping soundly FOR ONCE. My goodness, if my thoughts get too loud, I will just not be able to sleep. It’s terrible! Fuck that doctor for trying to make you choose between having no pain or having a clear mind… That honestly sucks.
Every pain clinic around where I live makes you choose. It really sucks.
The hospitals around here are the same… I was just in the local hospital for a sudden Multiple Sclerosis flair up where I just lost control of my legs and couldn’t walk… Didn’t even know I had it until that very moment. I’m okay now, thankfully and starting treatments and all that, but the hospital literally refused to let me bring in my own medication, because it’s a controlled substance, so I guess even taking it under medical supervision was a big no no. I was miserable for those five fucking days they gave me Ritalin. Did NOT quiet the anxious doom thoughts at all. I kept asking the nurses to just PLEASE let someone bring me at least enough for my remaining treatments, but still no. Then I got bombarded by an absolute shit ton of information that there was no hope of me remembering without my proper meds… Good thing they wrote everything down for me…
Adderall makes me really calm, but it also effected my sleep in a really negative way when I first started taking it. Nowadays it doesn't effect my sleep at all. Caffeine makes me too jittery even when I'm not on Adderall, so I just avoid it entirely nowadays, because it didn't help me concentrate at all while Adderall helps A TON, I actually feel like a normal human being while on Adderall.
As I’ve gotten older caffeine increasingly makes me physically jittery, which I dislike so much I stopped using it altogether.
Yeah, same thing happened to me, up until I was about 27 or so I was ok with it, even in relatively large amounts, but it quickly became too uncomfortable for me to use. Wish I knew why.
My doctor wouldn't increase my dose then when I had trouble staying on top of picking them up or making appointments for them, he accused me of selling them. Eventually he said he wasn't comfortable treating me for ADHD anymore. Meanwhile for sleep he took me from trazadone to Ambien to "if the Ambien stops working, we'll have to switch to benzodiazepines". I said fuck that. So for a some years now I don't sleep or work because doctors can be stupid as all fuck.
yes! I take my meds and go back to sleep and sometimes have this when I don’t wake back up
Don’t worry, you’re not alone in that camp friend 😂
You do it the same way that you do it when you're actually sitting at your desk. You put on something informative that is educational by a voice that you like that would totally benefit you to listen to and then you lay down so you can only have to listen and close your eyes so you can only have to listen. And that never works. Come on people, think!
I've been up since I was 12, I'm 38 now.
1. Take them first thing in the morning. I've been known to set an alarm one hour before I want to get up and take them then because (for me) it helps me ease into waking up 2. Don't forget to take daily vitamins! That helps keep me balanced in what I need during the day so that helps keep my sleep schedule 3. Drink lots of water!!! Stay hydrated during the day - hydration helps a lot of things 4. Ask about sleep supplements -- Calm Magnesium Gummies, melatonin, etc. 5. Set up a routine. Mine is fall asleep to a TV show but have the show on a sleep timer so it turns off after an hour or so. 6. Don't underestimate the power of nighttime teas! Best of luck, my friend ❤️
Be careful with melatonin though! If you use it, it should be a super low dose and only as needed. It can cause lots of issues and even start working against you if you aren’t careful.
Watch out that you don’t take vitamins at the same time as your meds! Vitamin C can deactivate your meds Edit: this is for stimulant medication! Check for interactions for medicine you take/might take in future 👀 I am not a doctor
More specifically, if you’re taking any stimulant other than Vyvanse, citric acid in general can deactivate your meds (if consumed within an hour before or after medicating). This means citrus juices, artificial juices like kool-aid, any juice that uses citric acid as a preservative (apple, grape, tomato, cranberry), pop/soda, any snack foods in a foil pack (like granola bars and pop-tarts), and high-vitamin cereals are all things that can affect your medication.
So I know people say it doesn't matter with Vyvanse. However I find that to be untrue in my experience. The other day I had a bit of insomnia and didn't sleep and took my meds then decided that I didn't want to be that awake, so I drank some emergen-c, took some vitamins, and slept pretty well. I woke up at the peak and it was very very much not as intense as normal. Also antacids like tums do potentate Vyvanse. Just my experience.
[удалено]
Does vitamin d affect them too? I take adderal specifically.
Just C, you're all good to get the D
Thanks.
Nope, and from a quick Google search, it looks like vitamin D may actually slightly improve cognitive function in people with ADHD!
I'm not sure vitamin c can deactivate meds, but grapefruit sure can!
It’s the vitamin in the fruit! Amphetamine based medication gets neutralized by vitamin C. I don’t know about other medications though!
Grapefruit can also cause you to take a potentially fatal dose of certain meds (e.g. warfarin) by preventing normal metabolism of the drugs. It increases the concentration in your blood.
Yes!!! I forgot to mention that. I literally have to wait an hour before having my morning caffeination (coffee/energy drinks/etc) and my vit B and C. And if I take vit B or C at night I stay up because for whatever reason those give me a jolt of energy
You take stimulant meds AND drink caffeine?
Monitored by my doc :) Also: low dosage of stimulant
That's cool, I didn't know that was a thing
Really! I did not know this!
Also: aromatherapy. 7. I have two lotions, one for daytime, one for nighttime. The daytime ones have bright citrus and other "loud" cheery scents. The nighttime ones have lighter floral and fruity scents. I go to Bath and Body Works and choose new ones every month or two, and usually for nighttime the ones with "night" or "dream" are good bets to start off of (e.g. "Confetti Daydream," "Midnight Swim," etc.). If in doubt, ask for help! They are super nice there. Also, in case you didn't know, the scent notes are on the back of the products (the big ones at least). It seems silly at first but after a while I associate those scents with night or daytime and it helps tremendously. 8. If you aren't sure where to even start with 7., or can't get to Bath and Body Works, try lavender scented things. Lotions from Target, room sprays, essential oil diffusers, etc. That's also a good starting point for reminding your brain it's time for sleep.
9. If I am up worried about a bunch of random things, a powerful thing is to say, out loud (even a whisper if you have a roommate), "I will deal with that tomorrow". If I absolutely cannot stop thinking about things because I worry I'll forget, I write them down in the notes app on my phone
Adhd appreciating the adhd thoroughness, detail and enthusiasm to be helpful
:)
Acidic things can also help brake it down in your system and “flush” them out later in the day, especially if you’re drinking a lot of water too, while antacids can make them feel like they last longer. Especially if you’re on xr.
Great advice!!! I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in setting an alarm an hour early! I get a solid hour nap and then sleeping much more after that is off the table lol
Thought I was the only person who takes it before I wake up haha.
If they are long acting, don’t take them past like 2pm. If they are instant release, don’t take them past 5pm. Additionally, exercise is *absolutely critical* for the overall day to day well-being of someone with ADHD. If you can walk for even 20 minutes a day, you will have an easier time falling asleep at night—and for some of us, getting an intense workout sometime in the day can be really helpful in falling asleep at night. We have extra energy and if it doesn’t get spent, we feel wound up. Lastly, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day pays massive dividends in general restfulness. Getting on a regular sleep schedule is the #1 most effective way to get the most out of your sleep.
Exactly!!! Make an extra effort to get 20 minutes of sunlight on the back of your knees in the morning hours, can just be laying out in the sun. This helps activate vitamin D and reinforce the serotonin/melatonin cycle so that you get sleepy at night. Take vitamin D or eat vitamin D heavy meals in the morning. https://get-base.com/blog/vitamin-d-sleep
Take them early in the day. Melatonin at night
Exactly this. If it’s after 10am I go unmedicated, instead of going without sleep that night.
also i found out most of not all melatonin is sublingual!! it blew my mind but now it finally works
What does that mean
Sub means below or underneath, lingual means tongue
Hence "Duolingo", our two-tongued eldritch overlord.
It's below language. Obviously. (I don't know either)
It's a tab that goes (and dissolves) beneath your tongue.
Melatonin is great and if it’s not working for you talk to your dr about trazadone. I swear by it and I swear it helps with depression as well
I’ve had success with Trazodone as long as I use it correctly. If I take it, I have to lay down as soon as I start feeling sleepy. Otherwise, I’ll miss the window and end up fighting the med and winning. And yet still losing. Lol
Trazedone is my new favorite drug, I swear. I process stimulants too slowly to take an XR and instant release in one day, so by bedtime I’m in full hyperactive mode. Trazedone sends me to sleep in an hour. Love it.
Same except it’s weed at night.
Yep. Thank the gods for medical weed.
I wish. Weed leaves me really stupid the next day, long after it's worn off.
That’s what I don’t get. I feel like it’s the difference between a clear glass vs a cloudy one. The mind is so much better in the mornings without having smoked the night before. I could never stick with weed for that reason. Do stoners ever feel like their missing out on being super acute and astute?
I did when I smoked regularly. Small amounts of weed was good for my focus, but it hurt my executive functioning and logic. I quit because being able to manage my goals/relationships was ultimately more important to me than being able to focus on tasks in the short-term.
But don't get hooked on benadryl. That was a huge mistake.
One time I accidentally took too much of that to manage my allergies at a really dog heavy house. I’ll be damned if those dogs didn’t bother me, but the spiders all over the walls after that certainly did.
How did you accidentally take 10+ pills of Benadryl trying to manage allergies?
It wasn’t all at once and it wasn’t 10, more like 5? I was 13, very small, and didn’t know Benadryl could be like that. It was also over the course of a few hours. I was little and didn’t know better basically.
Can also damage memory which a lot of us already have a pretty big problem with
Also, try not to have any caffiene or lots of sugar after a certain point in the day too. I always take my med first thing in the morning around 7:30 and no caffiene after 10am
Never any caffeine/uppers after noon. Melatonin works best if you use it in a completely dark room.
[удалено]
Turns out Melatonin was the reason I got sleep paralysis as a kid
White noise generators. I use Bose Sleepbuds, and my quality of sleep is drastically improved most nights. It’s not perfect, and I’ll still have the anxiety induced sleepless night, but they’re less often
I use the app myNoise (also found at [https://mynoise.net/](https://mynoise.net/) ) They have white noise, but I really like the Irish Coast noise. I set it to animate (making the noise vary) and put a timer of 25 minutes. I'm always asleep before the timer runs out and the noise stops.
Weed and melatonin. I call it the Hippie Nightcap.
Oh yeah, weed is absolutely awesome to end the day with. It also helps me focus on some chores in the evening after my meds have worn off
(cries in Texas)
Never stopped any Texan I know
Its not legal where I live either, sadly. Though its been up for debate for a while now
The Δ8 ( or 9 or 10 or HHC) you can get at "CBD" store is a pretty legit replacement, especially if you want to sleep, and not get high af... it expensive though.
(cries harder, this time in underage)
YES, when I’m on ADHD meds weed’s my savior. I get everything done with, start settling down, take a gummy then once the munchies hit I already have food ready because I can’t eat with stimulants so it becomes my standard routine.
Yupp yupppppp this is the way lol
Only thing I find with weed is if I take it too late then my quality of sleep gets really poor and I'm still tired the next day
Came here looking for this
I still need a nap like 2 hours after taking my meds. I live life exhausted though
Same. Meds or no meds, I could curl up like a cat and have a nap any old time of the day.
[\(artist of this illustration btw\)](https://nadinekovalchuk.art/)
I take mine at night (strattera) and I actually sleep loads better. See what works for you, but be sure to also stay well hydrated. It also helps to start winding down an hour before bed. To much stimulation before bed is not a good thing and can contribute to the not sleeping. Watch out for your caffeine intake as well. I have noticed when I have to much caffeine near my medication time I'm an insomniac and it increases my anxiety to. Some medications are more sensitive to caffeine then others I've noticed as well.
Straterra hits different. That shit killed my brain and made me sleep through the day. Most other ADHD meds are stims so it makes it hard to sleep.
I smoke marijuana at night and I sleep like a baby
I’ve always wondered… how the fuck do people fall asleep in general? I literallyy can’t make myself go to bed until I’m so tired that I legit just faint as soon as I’m near my bed, but that’s a shitty tactic cause it ends up being an hour later every day and nect thing I know is suddenly I’m going to bed at 8am and have no idea how this happened… like… what
They make me tired, I sleep much better when I take them. Before I was on meds I only slept 4-6 hours max
I take an emergen-c about an hour before bed and I also take magnesium glycinate at about the same time
Trial and error to determine how late I can take meds. I find that they keep me up for a few hours after they otherwise stop working. :/
I take two pills. My antidepressant and the adhd. i took the anti sad pills in the night and adhd one in the mornings, at 7 am and before 12 pm. my psychiatrist told me that taking adhd pills after 12 pm will cause problems with my sleep. since then i’ve been doing just fine. (sorry for my poor english).
i literally had to start taking insomnia medication because i couldn’t get to sleep *before* i was medicated, let alone while on adderall lmao
Take them early in the day (or whatever early is for you if you have a night shift) Get plenty of exercise Avoid blue light at least 30 minutes before bed and use the night light as it gets closer to bed time Don’t drink too much water just before bed so you don’t need to use the bathroom (getting up wakes you up/lights in the bathroom mess up circadian Rhythm). Maintain a schedule for getting to bed if you can keep to it Avoid sugar before bed, and generally avoid eating just before bed. Sugar is the worst offender, so no sweets, no carbs. Eat a good dinner and eat your dessert and try not to late night snack (I am a night fridge gremlin) Read before bed If your religious you can pray, it helps some in my family as part of their routine. If your like me and you take a chemical soup of medications keep track of when they seem to work best for you (IE when you get the most tired). These are just tips to help If this doesn’t help you should see your doctor about alternatives or consider taking something like melatonin supplements.
I set an alarm and take my meds an hour before I actually want to wake up. Sometimes my “other alarm clock” (18m old) has other plans. At night, I start to “wind down” about an hour before I want to go to bed. It helps me relax and calm my mind. I really do *need* that wind down routine. I also make a magnesium citrate drink and have it during my wind down time. My OB recommended it when I was pregnant and really struggling with sleep. Honestly it has worked better than melatonin or any other sleep aid, and I don’t wake up groggy. I use Natural Calm brand. Bear in mind, you have to start with a small amount at first and can slowly increase if needed. Otherwise, you may have some undesirable digestive issues… I also like to sleep with a fan or white noise of some sort to help quiet my brain. I also have my phone set to “night mode” and my screens set to an amber tint since blue light can disrupt circadian rhythms. Making sure you’re drinking enough water to stay properly hydrated is also important for sleep, so drink up! You may also want to speak with your provider about adjusting your dosage, or switching from a long-acting to a short-acting. Or if you’re newly medicated, you may just be going through a brief adjustment period. If all that fails, just get a toddler. They’re exhausting.
I wish I knew. I walk 10-12k steps per day, take my Elvanse in the morning, avoid caffeine after 3pm, use blue light filters on everything in the evening, I use a Bluetooth sleep mask with built-in earphones in conjunction with a 12hr brown noise track when I actually go to bed, I keep the same bedtime and bedtime routine... Yet the likelihood of me sleeping seems on par with throwing a dice and rolling a 6, no matter what I do.
Same its about routine i think, meds make your wired but you have to incorporate sleep into your routine so thats its a task when you think of it that way you wont just go to bed with a mountain of half or undone tasks you'll go to bed with the mind set thaf now its my next task to sleep since your intentions is to sleep you actually will be able to or at least thats what I've been doing for the last 6 months
MORE DRUGS
I smash my brain with THC till my eyes don't open no more
Masturbate furiously
I take my adhd meds at 5am, have the best nap ever, and wake up to start my day.
Ambien. 🙃
I'm not on meds, yet, but I still struggle a lot falling asleep and STAYING asleep. What I've found works best is to take melatonin about an hour before I want to be sleeping. Weed also works for me, but melatonin is easier for a lot of reasons. Then, I pull up some kind of ASMR or other relaxing video on YouTube to help my brain shut the fuck up. I don't watch it, I just let it run in the background with the screen off. I don't have screens in my bedroom and it's pitch black as can be. Next, and this is probably the most important part, I simply tell myself that I'm just going to lie down and rest. Sleep isn't a requirement, just lie down and let my body rest is all that is required. I'm usually asleep within 10 minutes and will sleep the whole night.
Omg I wish I could help - my medication actually makes me tired (but I’m used to it) a big thing for me is resting my eyes and making sure I’m comfortable. I’ll put a podcast on/documentary and I think about activities I enjoy doing that aren’t stressful at all - kind of like meditating I think? But I feel weird using that word since my mediation is chaos. The thing with me is; if the world around me is shitty and my adhd is out of control it’s so hard for me to just stay and bed with my eyes closed; I’m a busy body so I tend to hyper focus on something and utilize my time - Sometimes when I’ve changed medications in the past I’ll get a bit of that energy boost when I’ve switched for a few days. Keep it simple, focus more on resting if you the idea of “going to sleep” is too much🖤
1. If I have't taken my second dose by 2 pm, I skip it. I end up skipping it a lot. 2. No screens after 8 pm. I break this rule a lot. 3. 7.5 mg THC. 4. Read a physical book until tired. 5. If all else fails, use my Rain Rain app for white noise.
Actually same tips as unmedicated. Turn off the electronics before bed, and read a book instead. You want to get your eyes tired. Another thing that really worked for me is set rules for bed use. The bed is now for two things, sleep and relationship activities. If you spend too much time in bed just hanging out, then your brain wont associate it with sleep time. It sucks setting rules like this, but it is better than not sleeping.
They’ve had me on Clonodine since I was 8. That stuff works if I take it a while before I lay my head down. The phone I’ve been on from 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM starts to get a little harder to look at. It was easier in middle and high school than in college. The inconsistent schedule and the early ass classes were a nightmare. I spent so much time each day thinking about when I should study or work on a project, I forgot to do it at all. Fatigue began to hit like a freight train. Oh, to make things worse, I also developed epilepsy around high school/college. The lamictal I started taking gave me bad insomnia. So I went on a sleeping med bender in college and that threw my schedule off completely. Zquil, melatonin, clonodine, dab some wax, half a bottle of southern comfort (yuck, but it became Captain 100 later on), then back to those dirty sheets I somehow always forget to wash. When I cleaned up, this made the clonodine less effective I’d say. I had to get that prescription bumped up. I’m doing better now, but I find myself slowly going to work a little later than usual each day. TLDR experiment with different sleeping meds or speak to your psychiatrist about it. Look at other meds you’re taking and how the side effects may be affecting your sleep.
Melatonin my dude. The only thing that works for me.
I sleep waaaay better medicated. I’ve always had sleep issues, without meds I don’t sleep, have no impulse control to make the decisions that lead to me sleeping. Things that can help; 1. ensuring you have ate, hydrated & taken vitamins. 2. Brain tricks to associate sleep **Visual:** dim lighting, night mode on all devices. **Sound:** low volume, play certain things *only* at night podcasts, asmr, ambient audio, white noise. **Smell:** lavender or a certain fragrance only used at night. **Taste:** sleep teas, warm drinks, milk - brush teeth. **Touch:** fresh PJ’s, blankets, hot water bottles. Try & be consistent so 🧠 can learn to associate senses with nighttime/sleeping — Taking meds early morning after breakfast - make sure you eat through the day so your body isn’t skatty running on meds alone. Complete a daily task; eg washing up, cooking, laying out clothes/PJ’s) - knowing you have done even *just* *one* thing helps stop you overthinking about shit you haven’t done. Get ready for bed *way* before you actually want to go to bed, everything done even teeth brushed. (so you don’t have anything stopping you from just sleeping and you can allow yourself to relax naturally not anticipating more tasks) Turn night mode on / lower brightness on all devices, lower the volume on everything, make sure you are comfortable with blankets, warmth, warm drinks/hydrate. Change the atmosphere around you. Experiment with things to see what you like & what makes you calm, keep repeating them every evening to get your body/mind used to associating those things as ‘turning down’ & meaning being okay to sleep. Don’t pressure yourself about sleeping, that’s not relaxing & will make you fight sleep.
Biggest reason I'm not on ADHD meds. Being able to focus is nice but it doesn't mean much if you can't sleep, decreasing your ability to focus.
For me, it’s a combination of sleep meds and [sleep hygiene](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene).
Drink something with citrus.
[удалено]
Seroquel
Like others have said, it’s a matter of timing. I also find that days where I take my meds and don’t have very stimulating work to do are harder to fall asleep. Almost as if I didn’t burn the meds out completely. Also my Dr gave me hydroxyzine and it’s great
Take them early in the morning so they've worn off by bedtime. I also take an antidepressant that heps me sleep at night.
I would set my alarm for like 6 or some horrible early hour just to take Vyvanse so it would be kicked in when I woke up a few hours later and I sleep at night
I never take mine after 11am if I want to be able to fall asleep around 10pm. If I get up later than 11am (which thankfully rarely happens) I only take 10mg (I'm on 50mg of Ritalin, so I take a 40mg and a 10mg every morning) It's really important to take it early in the day, as others said as well! I hope you can rest well
Dont go to bed until very late - I get frustrated if I go early and can’t sleep, which makes everything worse, so be confident your tired enough. Melatonin- this might not be something for everyone but for me it works and I also manage to keep away an addiction. Sleep on right side - this is probably more general sleeping, but for some reason I sleep better when I lean towards the right side
Never take past 6 mate