I work at 5am PST. I've figured out if I wake up at 3:30/4am take my meds and nap for about 45 mins, I get up 1000000% easier. I also take a low dose ritalin about 3 hours before bed it helps settle my brain so I can sleep
It sucks, working 8 hours a day, commuting and keeping up with social obligations sucks the life out of you, then you get home to workout and eat dinner and then it's time to go to bed...it's depressing. The late hours of the night are my favorite it just sucks to be tired through out the day.
You have Revenge Bedtime Procrastination. Look it up. Then make your daytime more satisfying. That is what healthy adults do instead of behaving like children and wanting the equivalent of another storybook.
I have never felt so seen and heard before. Every psychiatrist since I was 12 has misdiagnosed me or not actually taken the time to hear all my symptoms and help me understand what my brain is doing and what it needs to feel better. Thank you Dr. marks ❤ you’re a wonderful human
Same!! I am an adult just being diagnosed and when she said in one of her adhd videos "If this all seems like common sense to you, then you don't have this problem. " That's literally broke me because I felt like she sent that message to everyone who dismisses me and talks trash. Man oh man!!!
@minieyke My video editor subscribes to a service that provides stock animation. Similar concept of paying to use stock b-roll. Paying give you permission to use.
@@minieyke i think it's more like someone hired to do the drawings copying domics style and characters, seems like a lot of work to look through all of his videos to find something remotely useful to use in the edit, rather than tailored shots/scenes for what is being said on VO Edit: I'm wrong
Amazing how accurate these videos are describing what I experience. When I was younger, and years before I ever heard of ADHD, I used to call it EEP - Evil Evening Persona. Wake up tired AF, swear I would go to bed early that night then when evening arrived, my mental energy would start surging and I would do anything except go to bed. 10pm to 2am has always been my favorite time of day, which is not compatible with getting enough sleep for school/work. Now, to get to sleep before midnight without meds, I need physical exhaustion. 2 x 45 min intense cardio sessions a day is good but doing a workout in the morning is difficult.
@@TheMCvamp I get up at 4am to go to the gym (massive social anxiety, and there are fewer people then) - Combination of being so tried by the end of the day that I'm ready for bed by 9PM (7 ish hours' sleep) and it being so stupid early in the morning that I don't really wake up enough to Regret My Life Choices until I'm already there (I walk in, so no driving risk)! 😂
@@TheMCvampI have to go to group classes to consistently show up. In the mornings I go to a spin (indoor cycling) class. I book a spot the night before and there is a $20 no show fee (which I’ve still had to pay a few times 🙄). Earliest I do is 7am. In the evenings I go to martial arts (kickboxing) classes. Every 6 months I fight in a tournament with other schools. The fear of getting a public beating - also streamed on FB - mostly overrides procrastination / the will to avoid exercise/discomfort
One of my earliest memories is not being able to sleep, and bringing a stack of books to bed (only grade 1 level reading, but still, a lot of books), and then waking up being sad that they all fell between my bed and the wall. During times when I didn't need to keep a schedule, like summer break, online classes that didn't have set times, and so on, my natural sleep cycle seems to be to sleep from 2am to 10am, but that doesn't work in my new place where my window is a lot bigger and wakes me up.
Falling asleep feels almost unnatural unless I’m exhausted enough that’s it’s more like passing out than falling asleep. Random thoughts and natural curiosity, anxiety, and muscle twitches/spasms all impact falling asleep for me. Add that to problems with timing my meds, suddenly realising I’m starving, insanely thirsty, or desperately need to pee, too hot/cold, almost asleep when I get pins and needles because my head was on my arm, etc etc etc…
For me the problem isn't falling asleep, it's staying asleep. Melatonin can help, but it also makes me groggy sometimes. Even exercising to the point of physical exhaustion doesn't necessarily mean a good night's sleep for me. Sometimes it feels like I never really woke up at all until it's after dinner and then I can't sleep that night.
Try a sleeping mask. I use one and it keeps my eyes shut when I wake up at 3am every night. When my eyes are open, I think about more and stare at the ceiling. Also take your vitamin D before bed, seems to help me also. Melatonin? well Jeepers Creepers flies into my dreams every time I take it. 😱
Hey, I just wanted to suggest, if melatonin makes you groggy, try a lower dose, and make sure you're taking something with just melatonin (no other herbs). Melatonin used to make me super groggy until I realized that it was just the dose and other herbs in the pill I was taking. I ended up finding a lozenge with just 1 mg melatonin per pill, and have found by experimenting that 1-2 pills is my perfect dose. Hope that helps :)
@@Cathy-xi8cbnot necessarily. Personally I’ve experienced what op describes my entire life, and I’ve only been on meds a couple of years. I’ve found that 5htp helps a lot, but what really makes a huge difference is sticking to a later sleep schedule. (I’m privileged that I have set up a business that allows me to live in an unconventional way). My most restful sleep kicks in at about 5am regardless of what my sleep schedule is like, and how long I’ve been sticking to it. So going to bed earlier just means that I need more hours of sleep to feel ok. Going to bed later means I can harness more of the deep sleep, and this require less sleep overall to feel good.
this makes so much sense. i've had trouble explaining why I just can't get to bed and i just can't turn off the computer, because ADHD brain is always seeking stimulation, which makes you lose track of time, then boom it's suddenly 4am and I'm not even tired yet.
I always feel like such a toddler whenever I throw a mini tantrum by myself about having to go to bed. Hate bedtime, it's so mindnumbingly boring and at the same time really agitating having to lie down and not do things until you just fall asleep. :P
I put the tv on, usually with SpongeBob videos (I’m 51 but have a teen who grew up with it). I turn the backlight all the way down and reduce the contrast brightness, turn the volume to where I can barely hear it, then set a sleep timer for 60 minutes. Not gonna lie, a couple times a month I have to extend the timer another hour and restart the video, but I’m usually asleep by the second or third episode. But it gives my brain something to try to listen to/watch so that I’m not analyzing my thoughts or paying attention to what part of my body hurts the most (I also have a fibromyalgia diagnosis).
Also Cathy obviously hasn’t watched or understood the video about a Condition/Predisposition that is called ADHD 😂😂😂 Ah Cathy, people don’t CHOOSE to have it like a freakin‘ pair of pants in the morning 🙈
As someone who got diagnosed at 34 about two months ago, your ADHD videos have been incredible and describe me to a T. It's like watching a video about myself.
Me too! I'm 33 and just got diagnosed a few days ago. It is so uncanny how almost everything I learn about ADHD seems like it was based on observations of me, lol. I still feel like I'm an imposter and that they got it wrong, though. 😂
Haven’t had a full neuropsych evaluation yet, but my primary care doctor diagnosed me around the start of the year. 32 going on 33. Take care everyone. Better late than never getting the help we needed when we were younger.
This is exactly what I go through with my adhd. I was up until just past 3:30am lastnight - tired but wired! Fixated on something I want to buy and can't go to bed until I'm done researching it over and over again. It can be exhausting.
Hello, me. I am supposed to be asleep right now, I wanted to sleep early, I got into bed at a somewhat reasonable time, and now I’m procrastinating by learning about the very thing I’m currently doing
Often times I'm on the couch almost falling asleep. Okay then, let's slowly stand up, crouch to the (dark) bathroom, brush teeth calmly, lay in bed smoothly. Boom, wide awake👍 Noice
A diagnosis can be so liberating to see so many things are symptoms that you may assume are character flaws (well I did for me). Sad too as an adult bc you can see struggle and wasted potential.
I appreciate this information and am thankful for you making this readily available; but I think what annoys me about this discourse (which I have also gotten from my family, friends, and psychiatrist several times and have even been shamed for not having "good sleep hygiene") is that I do not want to sacrifice the IMMENSE creativity and productivity I have in that evening window, that I NEVER, EVER feel any other time of the day no matter how much I've "fixed" my sleep schedule. Even when I had a regular 9-5 and an organized bedtime routine, I would still feel like I was just coasting through the day in a half dream. But in the evening, I COME ALIVE. I access joy and excitement and love and all of the incredible things that make life even worth living. And when left to my devices, I naturally go to sleep around 3am, wake up at 10am, and am COMPLETELY ready and alert to take on the day. I've gotten to the point where I am looking for jobs that match my schedule rather than the other way around because I've accepted that it's absolutely ridiculous for others to expect me to function at their level in the structures that work for them but not for me.
THIS. Thank you. And if you notice she almost completely disregards that - as many psychiatrists often do - in favor of social conformity. It is maddening and insanely disappointing as it shows, at least to me, she had the academic knowledge and training to understand ADHD’s symptoms, but not the wisdom or personal drive to understand its benefits and true impacts to the people who actually live with it. I feel so seen by your comment, please consider becoming a voice for people with ADHD, we need more like you!
@@alanwest272 She is following the science, and the science tells us that you harm your brain when you do not understand that you are a biological being that makes the choice to stay up when your body should be sleeping.
@@alanwest272 Oh wow thank you so much for this comment, it means the world to me. And I'm so glad it had such a positive impact on you! To be honest, I've been toying with the idea of reviving my channel and talking about mental health issues...I feel like this topic, while in recent years has become a little more prevalant, is sorely lacking in training us (neurodivergents and people with other mental conditions) how to shape our lives around how we work rather than the other way around, which is both unfair and unrealistic. The long story short is I reached a breaking point in life where I kept being told to "suck it up" and "work harder" by people who weren't living my life - and at the end all I had to show for it was $1000s in debt, burnout, and cancer. I don't tolerate that discourse anymore - those who believe in me support me, and those who judge me have nothing to provide for me. And I want to share that power and freedom with anyone else who's felt the way I did. So thank you again for responding to my comment, and I wish you well on your endeavors and your growth!💕
Wow you've just described my schedule, hello fellow similar human! I don't think I've ever heard it described so accurately before. Even when I got up early I'd always feel sluggish all day. Then from 4om onwards I start to wake up and often get my best creative ideas from 8pm. I can easily work until midnight or later then happily sleep and wake up at 10am. The problem is society expecting us to change, not us! I'd love some kind of night owl advocacy to make the 9-5 a thing of the past and truly flexible work patterns accepted everywhere.
Holy crap. This video was like finally being handed an instruction manual for a complicated machine you've been just fumbling around with for decades. I feel like this is the kind of stuff that needs to be taught in an introductory psychology course.
This works! And luckily I discovered I had more sleep problems because of it! If you've been told (like I was) that your imperfections are failures and your struggles are personality flaws, I'm sorry you were forced to feel that and I'm sending an internet hug to you right now. Sometimes people can do everything right and still not get the needed results, and that's because they need--and deserve--more help. You deserve help. What happened with me is that I'm ADHD and my psychiatrist was concerned about my sleep. The sleep specialist said I have a benign sleep function called delayed (something), where my body is just most comfortable going to bed at 12-1am and waking up later in the morning. I was using all the tips and tricks that were viable to my life, but I still slept 10 to 12 hours and woke up feeling unrested. All of these things in the video helped me get up earlier and go to bed earlier, but because they didn't improve my sleep (as they do for many people) I was frustrated about all these steps, and things to remember, and alarms, and etc etc that I just wanted to give up on it all. So, we did a sleep study. I am a young, average weight woman, and I have sleep apnea, which turns out to be much more common in younger, average wight people than commonly thought. I did everything right. I just didn't know I needed a little robot to give me mouth-to-mouth every night. I'm looking forward to getting better sleep soon!
the sleep function you might be describing is delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), common in people with ADHD! the "eveningness" thing Dr. Marks mentioned. i'm glad that you found the root of the issue and now you have a little robot friend! :]
@@BBWahoo the treatment for sleep apnea is to sleep with a little breathing tube under your nose, or a little mask over your nose and mouth. The tube is hooked up to a machine that sends a constant stream of air into the mask to help you breathe properly as you sleep. Nowadays these machines have not just air pressure controls, but humidity, and warmth controls. They track how often it prevents apnea, and even have settings that automatically adjust the air pressure. They're smart little boogers.
So glad you finally got diagnosed and are getting treated for the sleep apnea. CPAP changed my life! I’d been waking up with terrible headaches, falling asleep mid conversation in the afternoon, and had no idea why. Once I had my sleep study and started using my air mask every night my headaches went away and I was actually able to stay awake!
It makes a lot of sense. I've always been a "night owl" but I also have issues falling asleep. Haven't been officially been diagnosed with ADHD but the symptoms I'm dealing with line up.
@@Bruhsithevesthave u been diagnosed with adhd sir ? If yes could u tell how it happens how the test is ?, in my country it's very hard to get diagnosed, especially as i don't have hyperactivity while i see in many videos that it's not necessairy... So it's so frustrating, i felt handicaped my whole life, feeling semthing is seriously wrong with me without knowing what it is, and this would explain so much
@@Bruhsithevestit’s not always that simple, the person may not readily have access to things that will give them a diagnosis, and I’m sure they’re already aware of this. Furthermore, many people have been misdiagnosed by people who claim to be “professionals” and the person themselves knows that the diagnosis doesn’t fit. So, in a way, you are the best judge of what you’re struggling with, yes a person can make a mistake and misinterpret their symptoms for a disorder that they don’t have, but I’ve also seen many situations where a person does seek professional help, but it doesn’t give them the answers that they need, or the so-called professionals misdiagnose them thereselves.
Oh yes, the sleep fun with ADHD! Insomnia is so familiar. If I stick with my "disordered" sleep pattern, I'm much better off. Sadly it's a dysfunction in the 9-5 world. Edit: I've tried all the sleep hygiene habits and the schedule always loses. I'm happiest if I go to sleep between 2 or 3 am and sleep 10 hours, then I feel awake and function better.
I agree - during the summer break I usually fall asleep between 1-2 without problems and wake up between 9-10 naturally and feel refreshed. During the academic year however I have sleeping problems all the time. Waking up at 7 is just not meant for me.
Same. I know someone it went the other way for too, where sleeping from 8pm to 4am works better, and another friend prefers 3am to 11am. Working from home really helps, I can say that for sure.
This is 1000% me. I used to just think I wasn't a "morning person" - but then I realized my internal clock is just permanently off from most NT people. Thankfully, I've been able to modify my schedule to account more for it (starting work later, etc) - but appointments and things are always a challenge because normal business hours don't cater to us at all 😂
After 40yrs I finally nailed waking using a sunrise alarm, 2 phones with multiple alarms & a lot of water before bed so I have to pee bad in the morning. Now I hope I can figure out going to bed & staying asleep.
@@majken643 At this point I don't have much faith in mental health professionals in my area. Everyone seems happy to drug me but little to no actual help. Been trying to get an adult diagnosis for adhd for almost 2 years. I keep being told to get a consistent schedule but work won't do it without an ada yet I need the diagnosis. I'm sick of the drugs because I keep getting more screwed up or the mess up my sleep more.
While these are great suggestions, it can be completely unfeasable. I have long had sleep problems very much like described in the video. In the past I have tried such techniques out of necessity (sleep routine, blue light blockers, calming things, etc.)... and it made everything worse. Why? Because when you add up work, commute, cooking, cleaning, and then having to add add another 1-2 more hours to make sure sleep works... I had no time to myself where I was enjoying myself. It was all in service to responsbilities. Joyless. Maintaining a sleep regimine sucked away the few hours I had free, and funneled them into understimulating boredome at the service of getting more sleep so I can work at a job. It becomes so demoralizing and makes my depression worse. The only thing that partially works, is allowing myself to sleep and wake when I want to.
Yeah this is my problem. The suggestions might work in the winter for me but in the summer I work 12-13 hour days meaning I only have 2-3 hours at the end to make dinner, breakfast and lunch for the next day, chores, and bedtime prep. There's already never enough time just for that
This has been me my whole life. Tired asf at 3pm and as soon as it hits 9pm I’m wired and when I try to sleep I literally can’t stop moving and my brain won’t turn off
I have ADHD, and I have struggled with insomnia and poor sleep for decades. During the 2020 quarantine (once it became apparent it was going to last for quite some time), I decided to let my body do whatever it wanted with my sleep schedule. I told myself I would go to bed when I felt like it, and wake up whenever my body woke me up - no sleep aids, and no alarm clocks. After only about a week's adjustment, my natural rhythm had me falling asleep at 3AM, and waking up at 11AM. That was 8 hours' worth of sleep a night without me having to force it, and it was the best-rested, most-productive I had been in my adult life at the time. My question is: is that truly a "misalignment?" Who got to decide that 9-5 is the best work schedule, or that businesses and educational facilities have to open in the morning and close in the evening? Yeah, maybe back in the days when we had no electricity and we had to operate with the rising and setting of the sun, that made sense, but we don't have those limitations now. My thought is that there are enough people like me - the "night owls" if you will - that there's no definitive, concrete reason why everyone in our society has to operate on the same schedule. The animal kingdom has its diurnal/nocturnal species. Why can't human beings choose their own schedules? Why can't we have restaurants and businesses that open at 6PM and close at 6AM? All I'm saying is, I can't help but wonder if people like me with ADHD don't necessarily need our sleep patterns (or other quirks) "fixed" - we just need socially acceptable ways to operate as our bodies and brains are naturally inclined to do.
THIS is hands down the absolutely best comment yet!! Every word had my inner self jumping up and down while yelling "YES!! YES!! YES!!!" Thank you so much for saying what I feel doesn't get talked about by the "experts" in the field of psychology/psychiatric disorders.. I have often wondered why we (neurodivergents) are always the ones who must change who we truly are in order to appease and "fit in" with the rest of mainstream society's expectations of how we should be.. the example about different animal species you used was utterly magnificent and very thought provoking in its simplistic logic.. STAY BLESSED NOT STRESSED 😊❤😊❤
@@jennifermoody6987 Thank you! That has to be the most positive response I've ever gotten to a TH-cam comment 😊 And, yes, I agree: it seems like the "experts" on a lot of these topics don't ever even consider that it might be the social constructs themselves that could or should be changed. It's always advice on how to change US. I'm not saying that advice can't be helpful - society is what it is for the time being, and we have to live in society, so these tips and tricks have their uses. But it's a very "small picture" view, especially when there are SO MANY people who have these challenges. If there were a way to connect and unify all of us, we could probably create an entire subculture that goes along with our natural rhythms. Dunno if that would ever happen, but I can dream ❤
I am most productive in the late hours when I should be asleep but I know if I don't try to sleep at a decent hour, the next few days will be really hard. ADHD on top of Schizophrenia and bipolar is personally quite hard to manage because of this sleep issue.
Finally!!!!! You explained my ENTIRE life!!😭🙏🏼 thank you . Now I just need a doctor to believe me to help me. I’ve haven’t been able to sleep more than 3 hrs of sleep a day. It’s killing me. My problem is falling asleep, not staying asleep. My brain will NOT shut off or up. 😢
You are sleeping more than 3 hours/night or you would be dead. Your sleep is likely very poor quality and very fractured, but since you aren't complaining of massive cardiac or psychiatric disability, you are not sleeping that little. And no board-certified sleep physician won't believe you. You probably don't have the ability to afford one, but if you do, see one tomorrow.
I have never felt so heard. This video was so spot on with my adhd and sleep! Also me: watching this video late at night learning about my adhd and sleep knowing I should be trying to get to sleep 😅
Thank you 🙏🏼 Things to help sleep, Blue light blocking glasses 2 hours before bed, warm foot bath, meditation, music, tapping, 👍🏻Excercize during the day.
Dr. Marks, I hear the sleep support part, but I'm still wondering about the daytime part. I've struggled with this a lot, and making myself sleep doesn't seem to help with the daytime, I still seem to *only* get that natural "I'm awake and ready to do life! " feeling in the evening. Training to sleep earlier is kinda like throwing away my most productive hours, meds, or no meds. Do you have any insight on that daytime slog part - if it persists even with adequate sleep?
I have that exact issue. No matter what I do, I just physically feel better living on a night schedule. I exclusively work night shifts now, and can finally keep a schedule without feeling progressively more exhausted throughout the week and sleeping through my days off. I've even found a way to schedule it so in the summers my shift ends just before sunrise, I can go home, do some gardening, and enjoy the morning (even run a few errands) before closing my blackout curtains and getting a good sleep then going straight into work full of energy in the evening. That won't work for everyone because society isn't made to accommodate anything but the norm so anyone with kids or who works a gov't job or wants a normal career is pretty much screwed. We simply are not allowed to get work done on our own schedules in most jobs, even working from home. Night shift work is relatively looked down on in our society even when the work is necessary. We've seen how "essential workers" are treated even in daytime jobs. Still, since it's seen as less desirable to work at night, it's often paid better and comes with fewer distractions and better traffic.
You should consider seeing a sleep specialist. This was actually a really poor video in terms of covering what could be wrong and how to treat it. Full on sleep disorders are quite common with ADHD and you don't fix those with just nighttime routines.
Some people do better just going with their natural rhythm. Others (like me) feel better when keeping a more normal schedule - my theory is my circadian rhythm is only partly off, and the part that isn't off is the part that dictates how I feel.
I have so many thoughts about this. As a neurodiversity-affirming ADHD coach, I take issue with the idea that we should try to fit ourselves to neurotypical behavior or sleep patterns. All the medication and "sleep hygiene" in the world can't make us neurotypical, and I find it very sad that we are considered broken. Our brains work differently, and that includes being tired and getting our best sleep at different times of the day. I know that there are some aspects of fitting into society that we can't avoid, but I truly believe the world would be a better place if we were allowed to follow our unique circadian rhythm, instead of spending our whole lives trying to conform to a neurotypical way of being. Throughout history, it has been a good thing that some of us are more alert at night (protection, jobs that can only be done at night, etc.). Getting to bed "on time" and then laying there wide awake isn't useful to anyone. What is useful is being able to fall asleep naturally following our NATURAL (yes, we are allowed to have a natural rhythm that is different from the norm) rhythm. No amount of meditation or sleep aids will ever make us neurotypical and I wish we weren’t fed this garbage that we should keep trying. 2am-10am is still 8 hours of sleep, and that’s what’s important.
A couple thoughts about earlier comments. 1) it’s true that deeper causes of poor sleep were not discussed, but this is a good starting point if you already know that you have ADHD. Other common issues like sleep apnea, or less common ones like narcolepsy, could definitely still affect your sleep. 2) While I hear what the ND-affirming coach is saying, and agree with it very much, I’d like to point out that Dr. Marks only used 11 PM as an example time. She didn’t call 11 PM the optimal time or the only time to go to sleep. She just said, “these are things that will help you go to sleep at your self-assigned bedtime.” And other than the somewhat vague phrase “in the morning,” there was nothing prescriptive about wake-up times either. Most commonly, people are socially expected to wake up in the early morning and go to bed fairly early in the night. If you’re able to adopt a schedule that works differently, that’s a big win! But we also live in this breakneck capitalist world where most of the available jobs are in the early daytime. So even if you fully love and accept yourself, and you want to create the perfect circadian schedule, you might not economically be able to do that. Which sucks, but if that’s you, it’s not your fault. 🤷 just one other ND person’s opinion. Love yourselves, ask for help when you need it, and remember that our society isn’t always willing to take sound medical advice. Especially in workplaces.
You’ve got millions LITERALLY millions of fans. I’m old now but I’m so glad I heard your channel before I died. I identify with everything you said. Thank YOU! I’m crying.
That's what makes comorbid ADHD and bipolar so challenging. Good sleep is essential to manage episodes but quite hard to get because of all of the buzz.
i have a chronic issue with waking up because of my adhd and depression, so here are some tips: i have my alarm at a specific time and a second alarm 5 minutes after to ensure i’m awake. i set the alarm sounds to be pleasant instead of accidentally traumatizing myself. i keep multiple alarms across my room so i have to walk around instead of remaining in bed. if i don’t feel ready to get up, i’m gentle with myself and listen to a meditation or podcast to give myself energy, and i make a 10 minute box in my morning routine dedicated to my wake up process. if i don’t wake up on time, i have an alarm 30 minutes later that alerts me that i am late. this keeps me disciplined because if i am late, then i have to spend half an hour walking straight to the bus station instead of taking the detour bus to it 20 minutes earlier. taking the bus to school keeps me accountable because i *have to* leave at a set time. (i also only take the bus to school because otherwise i’ll zone out and miss my stops). if you’re a student like me i also recommend starting your most fun class first, something to look forward to. i used to worry about taking a class that had previously started at my waking time before implementing these habits so i almost skipped the opportunity, but now i wake up with excitement to return to my study group in class. also setting yourself up with a few things off your plate the night before is helpful, like not having to rely on choosing your outfit the day of or finishing your homework when you can’t estimate how long these tasks will take you with accuracy. with adhd you have to work smarter, not harder :)
Thank you so much for making these ADHD videos ❤️. They have given me a better understanding of why I am the way I am and why I have the shortcomings I do. I have started passing these along to my Mom because she has it as well. Sleeping at night is definitely a struggle for me. I am going to try the method in the video, and hopefully I can eventually reset my circadian rhythm.
Same here. It helps me feel better seeing others with the same issues I have. It’s hard for me to do things other people find “normal” and easy like: keeping a schedule, sleeping normally, eating normally. To anyone out there going through similar struggles, you are not alone! Keep going!
Circadian rhythm disorders are common with ADHD. If you can't fix your sleep schedule with routines you may not be producing melatonin when you should and unlike what's said in this video, it's not just a matter of getting in the right habits. Was very disappointed with how this video doesn't address that at all.
in UK I saw an NHS Psychiatrist if I perhaps had ADHD, he said "No you would be in prison". That's the level of treatment we get here. Years of treatment focused on A and D b y Psychiatrists, and CBT by Phsychologists who treated adults and weren't trained in ADHD and Dyspraxia as only kids get those - That is NHS problem.Dr Marks describes my life experience almost perfectly
The only time in my life when I didn't feel groggy all the time was when I was a freelancer, and I woke up at whatever time my brain decided, no matter the time I went to bed. The rest of my life, since I started pre-school, has been a constant fight to get up in the morning and feel awake the rest of the day. "Try to meditate" or "do some exercise" is the general recommendation by doctors, but meditation just exacerbates the constant noise in my brain, and exercise makes me feel even more sleepy... It's so difficult to cope with society....
I remember around 30 years ago telling my psychiatrist that I thought I had delayed sleep phase, and showed her pages of written proof and studies to back it up. She just looked at me like I was an interesting specimen again.
I always say that my hours of operation are usually between 3pm and 2am. Once 3am comes around I am TIRED! and I can sleep like a baby but I don't get any rest bc I have to wake up early in the morning so all morning I am moody and I really cannot function all morning until 3pm when I get that sweet jolt of energy 😅 I love sleeping between 3am and 11am. They're the only times I get decent rest.
This is mildly traumatic because my father would just increase the intensity of the yelling when I couldn't wake up in the morning for school. Why can't you wake up!? I wish I had known omg!
New research shows there are four different kinds of sleep patterns including circadian. As an intermittent sleeper I was excited to read new research. It changed how I feel about weird sleep patterns.
Any links or names directing to the research? I’ve heard about how some people may need intermittent Blocs of 4 hour sleep, and I think that might apply to me, though it’s very difficult to apply to a diurnal schedule without getting nothing done...
OM! Thank you so much for your videos! I recently realized I had ADHD and have been so harsh on myself for so many years for being "different." Now I know Im not alone and there is a dx and tx for this. It's very comforting. Thanks again, @DrTracyMarks.
Literally the best video ever. My god, you said everything I’ve gone through my whole life, 46 years. I’ve spent 35 years going to dozens of doctors with no results, it’s ridiculous. But finally 4 years ago I finally received my miracle medications and they help, I’m so grateful to feel just 1% better but still don’t feel “normal”. There’s something missing and no one can figure it out. My mother has it and so did her mother, and mom mom actually started dementia in her late 50’s. It was horrible watching what she went thru, I’m trying to prevent that from happening to me & my mother. I wish you were my doctor
I am so happy to see there are comments on this video from ADHD people who do not feel this is helpful - at all. Thank you 👏 I immediately knew this provider didn’t fully understand (or care, as is, unfortunately, often the case with most psychiatrists) when she suggested the highly regulated sleep schedule and boiled it down to sleep hygiene/medication while largely disregarding the productivity and natural energy shift people with ADHD often experience (citing it as a form of social disregulation.) As if almost anyone who struggles with this can’t already talk, at length, about all the things they have tried to fit into a “normal” cycle quite literally since childhood. I watched this video intently and to me, it is clear this is a psychiatrist who is more concerned with making ADHD people fit into a post-industrial revolution mold than equipping them to exist despite it and empowering them with tools to combat and change the world around them. As if to rob us of the time we often feel (and objectively ARE) the most productive, creative, and energized in the name of social conformity and reducing the impact ADHD has on the neurotypical. For me, if she were my psychiatrist, after 34 years of living with ADHD and trying to fit the mold, this would be the last visit I ever had with her. I am very fortunate to have had excellent mental health providers in my life and one changed my life forever when he said (paraphrasing): there is not only nothing wrong with you, but rather studies are finding that many of our most artistic and brilliant-minded people are ADD/ADHD for a good reason - you are evolutionarily predisposed to a thought and living pattern that sets you apart and allows you to perceive the world differently than those around you; it is a gift and I will not assist in helping you squash it or fit society, but I will help you survive this stunted world despite it. That man changed my life and I hope everyone can experience something like that level and kind of transformative care at some point in their life. If you are watching this video and thinking this does not sound helpful or is just more of the same mentally-normative health care that you see spewed across academia and from the mouths of providers who just don’t get it, know this: I see you, I hear you, and good, compassionate, understanding providers DO exist. You are not broken, you do not have to “fit in”, this is not all there is - keep searching, you WILL eventually find a provider who actually “gets it”, usually because they have it themselves or loves someone who does, and it will change your life forever.
I love your comment and totally agree with you. Night time is when I paint, when all the neurotypicals are watching TV and going to bed. The man who helped you sounds wonderful.
Ty for this video! For me, routine becomes mundane and then becomes inaccessible. Here's the "routine" I can kinda stick to: I add mentally engaging + physical flow activities into my pre-wind down routine so I can still get that "i stayed up late in the zone" feel without staying up. It's important for the big sads and can't be skipped. (Usually a podcast + cleaning/chore). Then I stick to: dinner, shower, dog out, snack, teeth brush, bed. From there, I accommodate as necessary depending on how active my mind or body feels. Do I need a body muscle tension to release exercise? In bed stretching video? Comfort tv show in the background on a sleep timer? Figured I'd share in case hearing an example applied out and why helps. If you're reading, hope you sleep well soon- you deserve that!
I think this is the first ADHD sleep video I've seen that actually offers up actionable solutions! Thank you so much for this! I'll definitely be trying out some of your suggestions
For me sleep seems like something unnecessary thing that you have to do (but ofc its necessary) and i often don’t feel that “i want to sleep now, lets go to bed” I might be tired but not sleepy at all And yeah time at night is best time for rest and productivity
Hi Dr. Marks. I love this video, but was hoping you could do another one to talk about those of us with ADHD + Chronic fatigue + Excessive daytime sleepiness? One of the things I constantly feel guilty about is how I don’t have a normal amount of energy compared to neurotypical/non chronic illness folk and I really would like to hear your feedback on the category of us who live with ADHD and Excessive sleep issues. For further clarification: my labs are all normal and I have a healthy amount of Vitamin D & B12, my thyroid function is also normal and my psychiatrist and doctor and I have just chalked it up to this being a symptom of my ADHD. Would really love to hear any feedback from your point of view!
Agreed! I was actually diagnosed with fibromyalgia within 5 years of my ADHD diagnosis and was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 2017. I have read that fibromyalgia and ADHD are relatively common comorbidities, maybe because of the sleep problems.
@@gypsypath1 I have Fibro and chronic fatigue syndrome too. And adhd, and an autoimmune condition which I believe started it all and here we are 😂 but i swear it seems like every diagnosis I have has like a 20000 page list of comorbidities. No wonder.
Check cortisol levels. Did a 24 hour urine, and it showed I had incredibly high cortisol levels in the evening, and they plummeted in the morning. You need a certain amount of cortisol to wake up. This spike and crash is due to adrenal fatigue and eventually leads to chronic fatigue syndrome
I was told my issues were due to either digestive issues (I'm gluten intolerant and have a couple other food allergies that make me very tired, and wore down my system before I learned what to avoid), or the fact I have POTS, which seems to be a pretty common diagnosis to either mistake for ADHD, or have in addition to. I was initially told my ADHD could be autism + POTS, but I most certainly met the criteria.
Good video. But if you're only suffering from a few days deficit of sleep. You're doing great. I feel most of us with this issue end up having decades-long deficits. And are basically maintaining while dealing with the normies.
My chronic insomnia has existed for as long as I can remember. It was lights off and in bed at 7.30 when I was a child. Long before noisy bright modern life - I lay in bed in the quiet dark till around 5 am and then I fell asleep. I got woken at 7.30 - 8am to go to school. I spent my days in brain fog. That has been my lifelong routine. Sometimes I can get to sleep around 3 am. And sleep till 8 if there’s no heavy machinery etc burring up near my house. Ive tried every sleep medication. I tried hypnosis, and other psychological therapies. I stopped ADHD meds. Nothing I have ever tried has worked. I’m 73 now and feel more exhausted than ever I have severe circadian disorder I believe it is related to ADHD. What you had to say about ADHD made me feel angry and sad because for some of us it just doesn’t apply. Our brain won’t switch off. Ive lived with it all my life. It drives me to the brink of insanity. I get so exhausted and run down but still can’t sleep. My latest fix is as I can please myself with my time, due to my age and retirement, then I lie down whenever I feel sleepy. It could be 3 or 4 times in a 24 hour cycle. I get up and be busy when I’m awake. I just cannot tolerate laying in the dark for hours and hours waiting to go to sleep anymore. So I sleep an hour here, 3 hours there, sometimes 4 hours straight. I feel the most rested I ever have. Just know we don’t all fit into your neat assessment. Your analyses and recommendations don’t apply to all with ADHD. There are outliers, and our chronic severe insomnia makes our lives hell. So please don’t talk with assumptions. It only makes people with my condition frustrated and sad
I've had these problems my whole life, and I've tried all the sleep hygiene tips and tricks. They work. For a while. They work for a few weeks while I'm really focused on it, or while I have an external motivator for it. They don't feel good. I don't feel good doing them. I don't feel good going to bed right when my mental energy starts to surge, and I keep thinking maybe it'll shift to an earlier time of day if I just stick to the schedule. It doesn't. I keep thinking that maybe it'll be easier to wake up, easier to fall asleep, easier to STAY asleep, if I stick to the schedule. Stick to the schedule. Stick to the schedule. Stick to the schedule. Stick to the schedule. Everybody, every time I ask, everywhere I go. Stick to the schedule. I can't stick to it longterm. I always lapse back to my natural rhythm--falling asleep later, waking up later. I sleep better when I do that. I sleep soundly, I feel well rested. I have creative time late at night and then I wake up late in the morning. I would be happy to live like that all the time. I would be so, so glad if I could just life my life a few hours later in the day than most people. But no. No, I have to force myself into a schedule that isn't natural and doesn't feel good for me, because otherwise I can't work. I can't go to the doctor, get to the bank, go to the post office, go to jury duty, anything. The world is built around a schedule that my body simply does not like, and I just have to cope with it. I wish videos like this would talk about that. It hurts to be told over and over again, stick to the schedule, without ever acknowledging that it can be hard. It can be unpleasant. It can feel unnatural and it can be difficult to keep up long term, and then when you break schedule by even half an hour, it all falls apart and you feel that shame and failure all over again. Sticking to the schedule works to keep your body in that rhythm, but it doesn't solve everything, and it still might not feel right. I don't know what else to do, aside from hope for a society of fellow night owls to pop up somewhere.
I feel exactly the same as you. We shouldn't have to change this about ourselves, I've learnt that it's not possible to change it anyway. It's time society stopped expecting everyone to have the same schedule.
@@katec9893 Truly! There are so many of us out here just struggling and suffering every single day of our lives, all because the people who built every institution and infrastructure in our society decided that their personal schedule was the schedule that every other human being on the planet HAS to stick to. As if there aren't millions and millions of people who might have a naturally different rhythm. We've been taught that our natural cycles are a failure of our willpower and told we have to sacrifice our wellbeing to conform. It's just not right.
@@ecamville2928 I honestly think we need to form a group to advocate for rights to change the system. I had burnout because of having to work long hours with early starts. My natural preferred work time is between 2pm and midnight so I'll have to either be self employed or find some kind of late shift job which I'm not sure exists. If I have to get up early I often feel physically ill and depressed whereas if I can sleep til 10am and have a quiet relaxed morning I function well the rest of the day. I'm v creative with a lot to offer society like many of us, we shouldn't be punished for our innate traits.
Oh my god. I feel so validated. I’m not a monster. Thank you so much. I totally have delayed phase sleep disorder, however I know that I can manage this.
My entire life is in this video, thank you so much! A couple of years ago I took a genetic test and it showed that I have a mutation in a gene regulating circadian rythms. But your descriptions shows that my biological clock is certainly affected by my ADHD either. Your hacks for sleep regulation are very helpful, and I derived most of them personally through my own experience. But the thing with warming feet is totally new to me, and I am certainly going to try this one. There is also one thing with managing my schedule that I suffer from for my whole life. This thing is being late all the time, everywhere, no matter how early I wake up. I have no idea how to handle this issue. It causes a bunch of troubles, and I feel guilty for being so irresponsible every time that I'm late. But I just can't stop being distracted from my morning routine by other activities. Is there anything that can help?
Dr Mark, I am a professional Counsellor, your knowledge, content and the length of your video is perfect. Everybody who has responded in the comments thank you, there is an incredible amount of learning and sharing from just reading the comments! Thank you all!
5:36 1: Great Idea, I have the yellow light option on my phone but not on the other devices 2: I can't control which genre of music I'm gonna ("I want") listen so it may turn out exciting instead of relaxing 3: Meditation and relaxation techniques are waay too boring for my ADHD 4: Tapping, again it's too boring for my ADHD, the little dopamine "I have" is almost entirely on videogames 5: Meditating colouring, again, impossibly boring 6: Warm foot bath, amazing idea, can't do in summer tho 7: Exercise, great tip, I do like 2 months a year of intense exercise and 10 of nothing depending on the stress/anxiety inducing events of my life 8: Help
@@scscyou I do in fact find them boring but in some periods of my life I'm able to do the first step and then the dopamine kiks in so I'm able to persist for some times but then at the first stressful thing I lose all my good habits 😔
We have GAD with severe adhd. I sleep 5 hours. I’m not bi polar. Folks with ADHD needs naps. I have brain fog from never getting rest. I wake up with anxiety and am brain dead till 2 pm
I've had this hit randomly late at night. I've gotten home from hockey at 11:30pm ready to go to sleep, showered and gotten into bed and suddenly I'm just up until 2am...
This is the video I’m going to share with everyone when they ask me why I don’t sleep like most people. Yep, this showcases my typical process. Thank you for the helpful tips
I've had insomnia for 3 decades. Can't get to sleep, can't stay asleep. Tried everything. THEN, I tried some probiotics (15 bacterial species, including Streptococcus thermophilus. I only mention that one because others are always Lacto & Bifido sp.) Anyhow, I am sleeping!! I finally have the 'sleep drug' back in my body.
This gives me hope!! I literally just saved an article from Neuroscience about probiotics helping the brain recover from chronic sleep loss, and now reading your comment is making me even more excited to try it. I’ve had insomnia my entire life (according to my parents I was often awake in my crib when they went in to check on me) and it’s the worst it’s ever been now at 44. Hoping I share your success, and congratulations on finding a solution that works 😊
I always loved being a night owl when I started elementary school but getting up early for school made me take so many mini naps in my classes. I still made it through that though! *whew* Now my 30s, staying up late with an "early" shift at 9:30am can make me fail at work. My new adult workaholic mentality for $$$ just for groceries has made going to sleep even more stressful so I've had to take melotonin and magnesium instead of going to sleep naturally at 2am like I used to for years 😅
Watching this at 04:53. Was finally formally diagnosed with ADHD last week at 52. I cried. So much lost time and so many lost opportunities... yet so much achieved im proud of. The conflictions are huge, and tearing me apart. These videos are helping so much. Thank you...
I feel like you have been looking in my window and studying Me. You described me to a Tee Dr.,Tracy. Thank for sharing your knowledge. I’m tired all the time. I have trouble falling asleep and sometimes staying asleep. I get up around 6 or 7. But I don’t feel “awake” until 11am-12pm. 💤😩
Thank you for this video, I have struggled with sleep my entire life, it's affected jobs and my ability to function. It's nice to know it's a symptom of my adhd, it's not because I'm useless!
I really appreciate the frequent switching up of the style throughout the video, like going from your face to AI drawings to title slides. Really helped me focus ❤
This video came at the perfect time, thank youuuuu ❤ Ive always had problems with my sleep, and have had forever changing sleep patterns, but Im finally in a place in my life I really want to try and sleep like a normal person 😅 and I struggle with oversleeping too, and I feel like Im wasting my days But on the other hand, I feel like its very hard to get through a full day with an ADHD brain. I wonder if it would be any use to do a video on staying awake during the day for ADHD? For me, I find when there is nothing my brain is interested in doing, I will just sleep, because its too boring/frustrating being awake. I also find a nap helps me when I get overstimulated from going out, but then I might not sleep well that night. How do I cope with day-to-day life having ADHD? How do I cope with understimulation and overstimulation? Thank you for all your helpful videos Dr. Tracey ❤
I greatly appreciate the fact that you mentioned medication only works in tandem with behavioral changes as well. I wish med providers told us this information.
The trick is medication stabilizes the patient just enough to be somewhat functional, and highly responsive to therapy and behavioral treatments. If the patient does learn the appropriate adaptations while on medication, it helps re-structure the brain; that's especially pronounced in children, whose brain is far more receptive to changes induced by learning.
I’m not ADHD but I’m like one. My serious problem is being more motivated and creative at late night when the world goes silence. my body and brain are tired, I’m able to sleep but I just don’t want to. In the end I don’t sleep enough nor get anything done.
If you aren't aware that every single antidepressant damages some phase of sleep, then you need to ask your prescriber for details. Well studied, rarely mentioned because they are afraid you won't take the drugs.. If you cannot figure out that being unable to function and being desperately sad makes relaxing impossible, then you might be experiencing the cognitive damage that comes with depression.
@@SimonBrisbane Great to get people to fall asleep. Doesn't do anything for REM-deficient sleep disorders. The REM cycle is the part where your emotions are processed. So...nah.
@@SimonBrisbane Simon, look up the reasons that you cannot get Agomelatine in the US; liver/kidney toxicity and drug interactions. Testing showed that it was not more effective than other antidepressants and way more dangerous. We take safety seriously here.
At the moment, I haven’t been sleeping until late/ early morning, so thank you for this reminder to review my evening routine. I wonder if you’ve heard of this idea my psychiatrist has got me to try: a micro dose of stimulant in the evening. It actually helps me sleep for two reasons: 1) I can choose and follow though with a relaxation activity or two. I have the focus to do it vs starting and stopping many things or getting stuck scrolling 2) As I am relaxing doing the chosen activity, I can recognise my signs of sleepiness and I feel more at ease about going to bed. Once in in bed though, I’m anxious with no stimulus - I can’t just lie there waiting to fall asleep. I know that it keeps me awake, but I normally play a simple game like solitaire and have a video on on the background to soothe that feeling until I’m tired, at which point I keep the video playing and only listen to it; I’m usually asleep pretty quickly after that.
I have wondered about microdosing in the evening to be able to focus enough to follow through on the bedtime routine. I have often felt my weakened executive functioning (ability to focus and not just seek mental stimulation and distraction) were a major part of blowing through any kind of bedtime. A few times when I took a small dose later in the day I felt more able to focus on the sleep-inducing activities I had previously planned to engage in.
Thanks for the informative video. I was diagnosed a few months ago but I didn't know about the effects ADHD has on sleep. This describes my sleep behaviors I have had all my life. Only exception is I never sleep through a alarm. Thanks Dr. Marks. 🙂
“You need to get more sleep” - you have no idea how infuriating this is to hear when you have ADHD with sleep phase disruption. Going to sleep and waking up requires gym/workout level of programmed behavior. That said, it’s a fun superpower to be able to stay up as long as one needs to without doing anything
Lol, I was just thinking this when she was explaining "just set a sleep schedule". Like, ok, but what about when I wake up and lay in bed staring at a wall in the dark for 5 hours remembering every embarrassing thing I've ever done or said, thinking about what needs to go on the grocery list tomorrow, and wondering whether gorillas have opinions about chimpanzees or orangutans? What about when I've been tossing and turning and I can feel every inch of my body, and my back hurts and my neck hurts and my arms hurt, and I've been taking "sleep aids" every day for the past week but just like every other brand I've ever tried, they Don't Work???? And every time I try to force myself into a day schedule, I'm just so much more tired .... I've tried all the things, why my body hates me?
CLARIFICATION: the Dr is great! I’m referring to all the people out there who have no trouble sleeping who say “you need to sleep more!” or “this is the second time you’ve missed your alarm in 6 months… what, are you 12??” They have no idea how much focus and discipline it requires. It’s almost like telling a narcoleptic person, “hey! Stay awake!! Stop nodding off.” Or a depressed person “just be happy!”
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have blessed me with your gift of teaching! You are so talented! You explain this disease in a clear, organized, understandable format! Thank you for taking the time to educate all of us who have, or will, listen to these videos! I FEEL comforted and encouraged when I listened to these videos! I'm not an outcast! I was dx ADHD w Anxiety, and EFD in my late 40's. As I have gotten older the anxiety, forgetfulness, loss of focus and learning new things have increased in intensity. I'm sixty now and have been on meds and have had three different ones, and different dosages. My doc is still adjusting my meds! Would love to hear any research/studies which are related to older adults! Thanks again!
Watching at 1:24AM - The suggestions you give are what I implement as a parent. We tech down at least 30 minutes before bed. As a mom, there's ALWAYS something to do and so I keep pushing my bedtime back later and later. Thank for the video - I will be sure to take care of me!
Really disappointed with the focus on behaviour causing delayed sleep. It's common to have a proper disorder where we produce melatonin later or not at all, and not just a matter of setting a habit. Also disappointed in the tone taken towards meds - both for ADHD and for treating the sleep issues. Melatonin taken *correctly* for a disorder doesn't lose effectiveness. And ADHD meds *can* improve sleep quality, they obviously have the potential to make issues worse but it's not a given. There is too much potential for parents to watch this video and double down on blaming their kids for not trying to sleep soon enough, and reinforcing the idea that ADHD meds are bad. If you have good sleep hygiene and still can't sleep when you need to, you probably have a circadian rhythm disorder and need a sleep study. You can't train yourself out of a circadian rhythm disorder, and taking meds intermittently isn't the recommended way to treat one. No mention of light therapy either!
I love the fact that the cartoonist added the dribble :P My sleep patterns have split into tired enough for bed at 3-4am, unable to wake up before 12 noon BUT at 3-4pm I need another couple of hours (and I only get up because my dogs need feeding!). I'm a late diagnosis autist (so ASD, ADHD, EUPD (US => BPD) and PDA...the last one few actually believe in unless you suffer from it, of course). Now doing a Masters in ASD with the intention of solving that one (and/or spending the rest of my life researching it with the aim to solve it if possible). Currently I'm exploring the re-editing of non-declarative emotional memories as I suspect this can help in PDA, PTSD and, to a lesser extent, ADHD. If you have any input on that (and time of course) be very appreciated :). LOTS of work for this so no one get excited please. Nicely explained/described, Subscribed xx
Funny, this ADHD gal (me) needs the visual to remember. There are different types of learning styles, Doc is trying to hit all of them so everyone can benefit!
The timing of this video is uncanny. I've been having trouble falling asleep, and waking at 3am regularly since I started Strattera, and couldn't figure out why. It's been days, and I'm having trouble getting more than four hours of sleep a night. Many thanks for the video.
I found out that, if left to myself, I will naturally feel sleepy after 4am, and always wake up naturally at around 11 to 12. At some point I just decided to try and roll with it and arrange my day around that, now I actually feel a bit better, at least in terms of at least keeping a somewhat steady rhythm. It's not ideal but it's more like fixing stuff with duct tape, kinda work is better than broken
I had sleep problems long before social media. I’d clean, read, learn something new, do crafts, etc. My mind is so clear at night and it’s so depressing that we live in daytime world. I’ve tried everything imaginable but I won’t take prescription sleep medicine. I’ll sleep when I retire, lol
If I slept better, I’d have missed watching this at 5:50 AM PST ❤️
I'm In Australia (currently trying to fall sleep) I thought the same lol
same!! woke up an hour ago and now wish i hadn’t check the time, but i was laying awake going insane
I work at 5am PST. I've figured out if I wake up at 3:30/4am take my meds and nap for about 45 mins, I get up 1000000% easier.
I also take a low dose ritalin about 3 hours before bed it helps settle my brain so I can sleep
🎶 Chocolate rain 🎶
True
It sucks, working 8 hours a day, commuting and keeping up with social obligations sucks the life out of you, then you get home to workout and eat dinner and then it's time to go to bed...it's depressing.
The late hours of the night are my favorite it just sucks to be tired through out the day.
It sucks so bad. Wish the world worked different but what can ya do
You have Revenge Bedtime Procrastination. Look it up. Then make your daytime more satisfying. That is what healthy adults do instead of behaving like children and wanting the equivalent of another storybook.
@@Cathy-xi8cb YUCK. Just…just YUCK.
@@Cathy-xi8cb you need to go mother your children because clearly you think it’s ok to keep talking to adults like they are children.
@@Cathy-xi8cb Oh here you are again being unnecessarily rude and judgmental.
I have never felt so seen and heard before. Every psychiatrist since I was 12 has misdiagnosed me or not actually taken the time to hear all my symptoms and help me understand what my brain is doing and what it needs to feel better. Thank you Dr. marks ❤ you’re a wonderful human
Same!! I am an adult just being diagnosed and when she said in one of her adhd videos "If this all seems like common sense to you, then you don't have this problem. " That's literally broke me because I felt like she sent that message to everyone who dismisses me and talks trash. Man oh man!!!
I came to the comments to say the same thing!!
Yep lol my MIL
50! I was fifty when I finally properly diagnosed and still working to get this right because my doc retired recently
Dr Marks. thanks so much for all that you do. How about a playlist for the spouses dealing with ADHD, etc.? Or do you have one already?
Give the animator a raise! 😊 it makes the video very approachable
They're clips from another youtube channel, Domix. I wonder how she got permission to use them.
@minieyke My video editor subscribes to a service that provides stock animation. Similar concept of paying to use stock b-roll. Paying give you permission to use.
@@minieyke i think it's more like someone hired to do the drawings copying domics style and characters, seems like a lot of work to look through all of his videos to find something remotely useful to use in the edit, rather than tailored shots/scenes for what is being said on VO
Edit: I'm wrong
@@juanjm12 most or all the animations have @Domics at the bottom right corner
@@KettuKakku you're absolutely right, i did not see it
Amazing how accurate these videos are describing what I experience. When I was younger, and years before I ever heard of ADHD, I used to call it EEP - Evil Evening Persona. Wake up tired AF, swear I would go to bed early that night then when evening arrived, my mental energy would start surging and I would do anything except go to bed. 10pm to 2am has always been my favorite time of day, which is not compatible with getting enough sleep for school/work. Now, to get to sleep before midnight without meds, I need physical exhaustion. 2 x 45 min intense cardio sessions a day is good but doing a workout in the morning is difficult.
I'm glad the activity helps you. I'll be those cardio sessions feel good afterwards, but carving out 1.5 hrs isn't an easy task. Best wishes to you 👍🏽
Are you still able to get yourself to do that morning workout? If you have tips I’d love them 🙏🏼
@@TheMCvamp I get up at 4am to go to the gym (massive social anxiety, and there are fewer people then) - Combination of being so tried by the end of the day that I'm ready for bed by 9PM (7 ish hours' sleep) and it being so stupid early in the morning that I don't really wake up enough to Regret My Life Choices until I'm already there (I walk in, so no driving risk)! 😂
@@TheMCvampI have to go to group classes to consistently show up. In the mornings I go to a spin (indoor cycling) class. I book a spot the night before and there is a $20 no show fee (which I’ve still had to pay a few times 🙄). Earliest I do is 7am.
In the evenings I go to martial arts (kickboxing) classes. Every 6 months I fight in a tournament with other schools. The fear of getting a public beating - also streamed on FB - mostly overrides procrastination / the will to avoid exercise/discomfort
One of my earliest memories is not being able to sleep, and bringing a stack of books to bed (only grade 1 level reading, but still, a lot of books), and then waking up being sad that they all fell between my bed and the wall. During times when I didn't need to keep a schedule, like summer break, online classes that didn't have set times, and so on, my natural sleep cycle seems to be to sleep from 2am to 10am, but that doesn't work in my new place where my window is a lot bigger and wakes me up.
Falling asleep feels almost unnatural unless I’m exhausted enough that’s it’s more like passing out than falling asleep. Random thoughts and natural curiosity, anxiety, and muscle twitches/spasms all impact falling asleep for me. Add that to problems with timing my meds, suddenly realising I’m starving, insanely thirsty, or desperately need to pee, too hot/cold, almost asleep when I get pins and needles because my head was on my arm, etc etc etc…
I always end up basically passing out. I get little involuntary kicks when i start drifting off into sleep more and it wakes me up
For me the problem isn't falling asleep, it's staying asleep. Melatonin can help, but it also makes me groggy sometimes. Even exercising to the point of physical exhaustion doesn't necessarily mean a good night's sleep for me. Sometimes it feels like I never really woke up at all until it's after dinner and then I can't sleep that night.
If you are taking stimulants for ADHD, that could be it, in a nutshell.
Try a sleeping mask. I use one and it keeps my eyes shut when I wake up at 3am every night. When my eyes are open, I think about more and stare at the ceiling. Also take your vitamin D before bed, seems to help me also. Melatonin? well Jeepers Creepers flies into my dreams every time I take it. 😱
Hey, I just wanted to suggest, if melatonin makes you groggy, try a lower dose, and make sure you're taking something with just melatonin (no other herbs). Melatonin used to make me super groggy until I realized that it was just the dose and other herbs in the pill I was taking. I ended up finding a lozenge with just 1 mg melatonin per pill, and have found by experimenting that 1-2 pills is my perfect dose. Hope that helps :)
I have to be careful with exercise too...sometimes I feel like it leaves me more wired at night (possibly too much inflammation from overexertion)
@@Cathy-xi8cbnot necessarily. Personally I’ve experienced what op describes my entire life, and I’ve only been on meds a couple of years. I’ve found that 5htp helps a lot, but what really makes a huge difference is sticking to a later sleep schedule. (I’m privileged that I have set up a business that allows me to live in an unconventional way). My most restful sleep kicks in at about 5am regardless of what my sleep schedule is like, and how long I’ve been sticking to it. So going to bed earlier just means that I need more hours of sleep to feel ok. Going to bed later means I can harness more of the deep sleep, and this require less sleep overall to feel good.
this makes so much sense. i've had trouble explaining why I just can't get to bed and i just can't turn off the computer, because ADHD brain is always seeking stimulation, which makes you lose track of time, then boom it's suddenly 4am and I'm not even tired yet.
The part she mentioned about blowing past your body’s sleep signals was very relatable
Me too!!!
…don’t have to call me out a year later…
I always feel like such a toddler whenever I throw a mini tantrum by myself about having to go to bed. Hate bedtime, it's so mindnumbingly boring and at the same time really agitating having to lie down and not do things until you just fall asleep. :P
I put the tv on, usually with SpongeBob videos (I’m 51 but have a teen who grew up with it). I turn the backlight all the way down and reduce the contrast brightness, turn the volume to where I can barely hear it, then set a sleep timer for 60 minutes. Not gonna lie, a couple times a month I have to extend the timer another hour and restart the video, but I’m usually asleep by the second or third episode. But it gives my brain something to try to listen to/watch so that I’m not analyzing my thoughts or paying attention to what part of my body hurts the most (I also have a fibromyalgia diagnosis).
Rust: I am so sorry that you have so little emotional maturity that you cannot address sleep like an adult. That must be a very difficult way to live.
@@Cathy-xi8cb Seriously?! I here thought RustFox was just trying to be humorous about a frustrating situation. YMMV. 🙃
Cathy might be suffering from self-hatred. Self-hatred is often expressed tangentially. It can take out innocent bystanders.
Also Cathy obviously hasn’t watched or understood the video about a Condition/Predisposition that is called ADHD 😂😂😂 Ah Cathy, people don’t CHOOSE to have it like a freakin‘ pair of pants in the morning 🙈
As someone who got diagnosed at 34 about two months ago, your ADHD videos have been incredible and describe me to a T. It's like watching a video about myself.
Me too! I'm 33 and just got diagnosed a few days ago. It is so uncanny how almost everything I learn about ADHD seems like it was based on observations of me, lol. I still feel like I'm an imposter and that they got it wrong, though. 😂
35, last tuesday 😂
How did you get diagnosed?
Haven’t had a full neuropsych evaluation yet, but my primary care doctor diagnosed me around the start of the year. 32 going on 33. Take care everyone. Better late than never getting the help we needed when we were younger.
Same! Just got diagnosed at 33 in September 2022.
This is exactly what I go through with my adhd. I was up until just past 3:30am lastnight - tired but wired! Fixated on something I want to buy and can't go to bed until I'm done researching it over and over again. It can be exhausting.
I do this too... so frustrating!
WTF😅 Do u live in my head. Why did u just write out my life!!!!!
You need CBT for insomnia to retrain how you think.
Sounds like me tbh
Hello, me. I am supposed to be asleep right now, I wanted to sleep early, I got into bed at a somewhat reasonable time, and now I’m procrastinating by learning about the very thing I’m currently doing
Often times I'm on the couch almost falling asleep. Okay then, let's slowly stand up, crouch to the (dark) bathroom, brush teeth calmly, lay in bed smoothly. Boom, wide awake👍 Noice
Really relatable
Ughhh i hate this! As if your brain telling you just dont brush your teeth and no need to sleep comfortably in a bed. 😂
After 50 years of struggling with this I see it's not a weakness in character. Thanks.
A diagnosis can be so liberating to see so many things are symptoms that you may assume are character flaws (well I did for me). Sad too as an adult bc you can see struggle and wasted potential.
I appreciate this information and am thankful for you making this readily available; but I think what annoys me about this discourse (which I have also gotten from my family, friends, and psychiatrist several times and have even been shamed for not having "good sleep hygiene") is that I do not want to sacrifice the IMMENSE creativity and productivity I have in that evening window, that I NEVER, EVER feel any other time of the day no matter how much I've "fixed" my sleep schedule. Even when I had a regular 9-5 and an organized bedtime routine, I would still feel like I was just coasting through the day in a half dream. But in the evening, I COME ALIVE. I access joy and excitement and love and all of the incredible things that make life even worth living. And when left to my devices, I naturally go to sleep around 3am, wake up at 10am, and am COMPLETELY ready and alert to take on the day. I've gotten to the point where I am looking for jobs that match my schedule rather than the other way around because I've accepted that it's absolutely ridiculous for others to expect me to function at their level in the structures that work for them but not for me.
THIS. Thank you. And if you notice she almost completely disregards that - as many psychiatrists often do - in favor of social conformity. It is maddening and insanely disappointing as it shows, at least to me, she had the academic knowledge and training to understand ADHD’s symptoms, but not the wisdom or personal drive to understand its benefits and true impacts to the people who actually live with it. I feel so seen by your comment, please consider becoming a voice for people with ADHD, we need more like you!
@@alanwest272 She is following the science, and the science tells us that you harm your brain when you do not understand that you are a biological being that makes the choice to stay up when your body should be sleeping.
@@alanwest272 Oh wow thank you so much for this comment, it means the world to me. And I'm so glad it had such a positive impact on you!
To be honest, I've been toying with the idea of reviving my channel and talking about mental health issues...I feel like this topic, while in recent years has become a little more prevalant, is sorely lacking in training us (neurodivergents and people with other mental conditions) how to shape our lives around how we work rather than the other way around, which is both unfair and unrealistic.
The long story short is I reached a breaking point in life where I kept being told to "suck it up" and "work harder" by people who weren't living my life - and at the end all I had to show for it was $1000s in debt, burnout, and cancer. I don't tolerate that discourse anymore - those who believe in me support me, and those who judge me have nothing to provide for me. And I want to share that power and freedom with anyone else who's felt the way I did. So thank you again for responding to my comment, and I wish you well on your endeavors and your growth!💕
Wow you've just described my schedule, hello fellow similar human! I don't think I've ever heard it described so accurately before. Even when I got up early I'd always feel sluggish all day. Then from 4om onwards I start to wake up and often get my best creative ideas from 8pm. I can easily work until midnight or later then happily sleep and wake up at 10am. The problem is society expecting us to change, not us! I'd love some kind of night owl advocacy to make the 9-5 a thing of the past and truly flexible work patterns accepted everywhere.
Holy crap. This video was like finally being handed an instruction manual for a complicated machine you've been just fumbling around with for decades. I feel like this is the kind of stuff that needs to be taught in an introductory psychology course.
This works! And luckily I discovered I had more sleep problems because of it!
If you've been told (like I was) that your imperfections are failures and your struggles are personality flaws, I'm sorry you were forced to feel that and I'm sending an internet hug to you right now. Sometimes people can do everything right and still not get the needed results, and that's because they need--and deserve--more help. You deserve help.
What happened with me is that I'm ADHD and my psychiatrist was concerned about my sleep. The sleep specialist said I have a benign sleep function called delayed (something), where my body is just most comfortable going to bed at 12-1am and waking up later in the morning. I was using all the tips and tricks that were viable to my life, but I still slept 10 to 12 hours and woke up feeling unrested. All of these things in the video helped me get up earlier and go to bed earlier, but because they didn't improve my sleep (as they do for many people) I was frustrated about all these steps, and things to remember, and alarms, and etc etc that I just wanted to give up on it all. So, we did a sleep study. I am a young, average weight woman, and I have sleep apnea, which turns out to be much more common in younger, average wight people than commonly thought. I did everything right. I just didn't know I needed a little robot to give me mouth-to-mouth every night. I'm looking forward to getting better sleep soon!
the sleep function you might be describing is delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), common in people with ADHD! the "eveningness" thing Dr. Marks mentioned.
i'm glad that you found the root of the issue and now you have a little robot friend! :]
What's this about a robot? 😳
@@BBWahoo the treatment for sleep apnea is to sleep with a little breathing tube under your nose, or a little mask over your nose and mouth. The tube is hooked up to a machine that sends a constant stream of air into the mask to help you breathe properly as you sleep. Nowadays these machines have not just air pressure controls, but humidity, and warmth controls. They track how often it prevents apnea, and even have settings that automatically adjust the air pressure. They're smart little boogers.
Sleep apnea treatment hasn't worked for me after so much trying, hope it works for you!
So glad you finally got diagnosed and are getting treated for the sleep apnea. CPAP changed my life! I’d been waking up with terrible headaches, falling asleep mid conversation in the afternoon, and had no idea why. Once I had my sleep study and started using my air mask every night my headaches went away and I was actually able to stay awake!
It makes a lot of sense. I've always been a "night owl" but I also have issues falling asleep. Haven't been officially been diagnosed with ADHD but the symptoms I'm dealing with line up.
Gotta get diagnosed man, don’t wanna self diagnose or misdiagnose, it does a lot more harm than good
@@Bruhsithevesthave u been diagnosed with adhd sir ? If yes could u tell how it happens how the test is ?, in my country it's very hard to get diagnosed, especially as i don't have hyperactivity while i see in many videos that it's not necessairy...
So it's so frustrating, i felt handicaped my whole life, feeling semthing is seriously wrong with me without knowing what it is, and this would explain so much
getting diagnosed is a rare privilege. @@Bruhsithevest
Me too
@@Bruhsithevestit’s not always that simple, the person may not readily have access to things that will give them a diagnosis, and I’m sure they’re already aware of this. Furthermore, many people have been misdiagnosed by people who claim to be “professionals” and the person themselves knows that the diagnosis doesn’t fit. So, in a way, you are the best judge of what you’re struggling with, yes a person can make a mistake and misinterpret their symptoms for a disorder that they don’t have, but I’ve also seen many situations where a person does seek professional help, but it doesn’t give them the answers that they need, or the so-called professionals misdiagnose them thereselves.
Oh yes, the sleep fun with ADHD! Insomnia is so familiar. If I stick with my "disordered" sleep pattern, I'm much better off. Sadly it's a dysfunction in the 9-5 world.
Edit: I've tried all the sleep hygiene habits and the schedule always loses. I'm happiest if I go to sleep between 2 or 3 am and sleep 10 hours, then I feel awake and function better.
THIS. THANK YOU. 👏
I agree - during the summer break I usually fall asleep between 1-2 without problems and wake up between 9-10 naturally and feel refreshed. During the academic year however I have sleeping problems all the time. Waking up at 7 is just not meant for me.
Same. I know someone it went the other way for too, where sleeping from 8pm to 4am works better, and another friend prefers 3am to 11am. Working from home really helps, I can say that for sure.
Same. I love working from home for that reason. Forcing myself to fit into a schedule that's unnatural to me only names me miserable.
This is 1000% me.
I used to just think I wasn't a "morning person" - but then I realized my internal clock is just permanently off from most NT people. Thankfully, I've been able to modify my schedule to account more for it (starting work later, etc) - but appointments and things are always a challenge because normal business hours don't cater to us at all 😂
After 40yrs I finally nailed waking using a sunrise alarm, 2 phones with multiple alarms & a lot of water before bed so I have to pee bad in the morning. Now I hope I can figure out going to bed & staying asleep.
Have you considered seeing a sleep specialist to get sleep studies done? This video really doesn't touch on them at all.
@@majken643 At this point I don't have much faith in mental health professionals in my area. Everyone seems happy to drug me but little to no actual help. Been trying to get an adult diagnosis for adhd for almost 2 years. I keep being told to get a consistent schedule but work won't do it without an ada yet I need the diagnosis. I'm sick of the drugs because I keep getting more screwed up or the mess up my sleep more.
While these are great suggestions, it can be completely unfeasable. I have long had sleep problems very much like described in the video. In the past I have tried such techniques out of necessity (sleep routine, blue light blockers, calming things, etc.)... and it made everything worse.
Why? Because when you add up work, commute, cooking, cleaning, and then having to add add another 1-2 more hours to make sure sleep works... I had no time to myself where I was enjoying myself. It was all in service to responsbilities. Joyless. Maintaining a sleep regimine sucked away the few hours I had free, and funneled them into understimulating boredome at the service of getting more sleep so I can work at a job. It becomes so demoralizing and makes my depression worse.
The only thing that partially works, is allowing myself to sleep and wake when I want to.
100%
Same
Have you had a sleep study before?
This ☝🏼
Yeah this is my problem. The suggestions might work in the winter for me but in the summer I work 12-13 hour days meaning I only have 2-3 hours at the end to make dinner, breakfast and lunch for the next day, chores, and bedtime prep. There's already never enough time just for that
This has been me my whole life. Tired asf at 3pm and as soon as it hits 9pm I’m wired and when I try to sleep I literally can’t stop moving and my brain won’t turn off
This is literally my life 😢. So glad I’m not alone.
I have ADHD, and I have struggled with insomnia and poor sleep for decades. During the 2020 quarantine (once it became apparent it was going to last for quite some time), I decided to let my body do whatever it wanted with my sleep schedule. I told myself I would go to bed when I felt like it, and wake up whenever my body woke me up - no sleep aids, and no alarm clocks. After only about a week's adjustment, my natural rhythm had me falling asleep at 3AM, and waking up at 11AM. That was 8 hours' worth of sleep a night without me having to force it, and it was the best-rested, most-productive I had been in my adult life at the time.
My question is: is that truly a "misalignment?" Who got to decide that 9-5 is the best work schedule, or that businesses and educational facilities have to open in the morning and close in the evening? Yeah, maybe back in the days when we had no electricity and we had to operate with the rising and setting of the sun, that made sense, but we don't have those limitations now. My thought is that there are enough people like me - the "night owls" if you will - that there's no definitive, concrete reason why everyone in our society has to operate on the same schedule. The animal kingdom has its diurnal/nocturnal species. Why can't human beings choose their own schedules? Why can't we have restaurants and businesses that open at 6PM and close at 6AM?
All I'm saying is, I can't help but wonder if people like me with ADHD don't necessarily need our sleep patterns (or other quirks) "fixed" - we just need socially acceptable ways to operate as our bodies and brains are naturally inclined to do.
THIS is hands down the absolutely best comment yet!! Every word had my inner self jumping up and down while yelling "YES!! YES!! YES!!!" Thank you so much for saying what I feel doesn't get talked about by the "experts" in the field of psychology/psychiatric disorders.. I have often wondered why we (neurodivergents) are always the ones who must change who we truly are in order to appease and "fit in" with the rest of mainstream society's expectations of how we should be.. the example about different animal species you used was utterly magnificent and very thought provoking in its simplistic logic.. STAY BLESSED NOT STRESSED 😊❤😊❤
@@jennifermoody6987 Thank you! That has to be the most positive response I've ever gotten to a TH-cam comment 😊 And, yes, I agree: it seems like the "experts" on a lot of these topics don't ever even consider that it might be the social constructs themselves that could or should be changed. It's always advice on how to change US.
I'm not saying that advice can't be helpful - society is what it is for the time being, and we have to live in society, so these tips and tricks have their uses. But it's a very "small picture" view, especially when there are SO MANY people who have these challenges. If there were a way to connect and unify all of us, we could probably create an entire subculture that goes along with our natural rhythms. Dunno if that would ever happen, but I can dream ❤
I am most productive in the late hours when I should be asleep but I know if I don't try to sleep at a decent hour, the next few days will be really hard. ADHD on top of Schizophrenia and bipolar is personally quite hard to manage because of this sleep issue.
THISS!!
Finally!!!!! You explained my ENTIRE life!!😭🙏🏼 thank you . Now I just need a doctor to believe me to help me. I’ve haven’t been able to sleep more than 3 hrs of sleep a day. It’s killing me. My problem is falling asleep, not staying asleep. My brain will NOT shut off or up. 😢
You are sleeping more than 3 hours/night or you would be dead. Your sleep is likely very poor quality and very fractured, but since you aren't complaining of massive cardiac or psychiatric disability, you are not sleeping that little. And no board-certified sleep physician won't believe you. You probably don't have the ability to afford one, but if you do, see one tomorrow.
how are you now?
I have never felt so heard. This video was so spot on with my adhd and sleep!
Also me: watching this video late at night learning about my adhd and sleep knowing I should be trying to get to sleep 😅
Same over here at 4am with 2 hours of sleep the night before, but somehow still WIDE awake😅
YES! I first found this video somewhere around 2am...
Yes. While scrolling the comments and still listening 😅
Thank you 🙏🏼 Things to help sleep, Blue light blocking glasses 2 hours before bed, warm foot bath, meditation, music, tapping, 👍🏻Excercize during the day.
Dr. Marks, I hear the sleep support part, but I'm still wondering about the daytime part. I've struggled with this a lot, and making myself sleep doesn't seem to help with the daytime, I still seem to *only* get that natural "I'm awake and ready to do life! " feeling in the evening. Training to sleep earlier is kinda like throwing away my most productive hours, meds, or no meds. Do you have any insight on that daytime slog part - if it persists even with adequate sleep?
I have that exact issue. No matter what I do, I just physically feel better living on a night schedule. I exclusively work night shifts now, and can finally keep a schedule without feeling progressively more exhausted throughout the week and sleeping through my days off.
I've even found a way to schedule it so in the summers my shift ends just before sunrise, I can go home, do some gardening, and enjoy the morning (even run a few errands) before closing my blackout curtains and getting a good sleep then going straight into work full of energy in the evening.
That won't work for everyone because society isn't made to accommodate anything but the norm so anyone with kids or who works a gov't job or wants a normal career is pretty much screwed. We simply are not allowed to get work done on our own schedules in most jobs, even working from home.
Night shift work is relatively looked down on in our society even when the work is necessary. We've seen how "essential workers" are treated even in daytime jobs. Still, since it's seen as less desirable to work at night, it's often paid better and comes with fewer distractions and better traffic.
You should consider seeing a sleep specialist. This was actually a really poor video in terms of covering what could be wrong and how to treat it. Full on sleep disorders are quite common with ADHD and you don't fix those with just nighttime routines.
Some people do better just going with their natural rhythm. Others (like me) feel better when keeping a more normal schedule - my theory is my circadian rhythm is only partly off, and the part that isn't off is the part that dictates how I feel.
I have so many thoughts about this. As a neurodiversity-affirming ADHD coach, I take issue with the idea that we should try to fit ourselves to neurotypical behavior or sleep patterns. All the medication and "sleep hygiene" in the world can't make us neurotypical, and I find it very sad that we are considered broken.
Our brains work differently, and that includes being tired and getting our best sleep at different times of the day. I know that there are some aspects of fitting into society that we can't avoid, but I truly believe the world would be a better place if we were allowed to follow our unique circadian rhythm, instead of spending our whole lives trying to conform to a neurotypical way of being.
Throughout history, it has been a good thing that some of us are more alert at night (protection, jobs that can only be done at night, etc.). Getting to bed "on time" and then laying there wide awake isn't useful to anyone. What is useful is being able to fall asleep naturally following our NATURAL (yes, we are allowed to have a natural rhythm that is different from the norm) rhythm. No amount of meditation or sleep aids will ever make us neurotypical and I wish we weren’t fed this garbage that we should keep trying. 2am-10am is still 8 hours of sleep, and that’s what’s important.
A couple thoughts about earlier comments.
1) it’s true that deeper causes of poor sleep were not discussed, but this is a good starting point if you already know that you have ADHD. Other common issues like sleep apnea, or less common ones like narcolepsy, could definitely still affect your sleep.
2) While I hear what the ND-affirming coach is saying, and agree with it very much, I’d like to point out that Dr. Marks only used 11 PM as an example time. She didn’t call 11 PM the optimal time or the only time to go to sleep. She just said, “these are things that will help you go to sleep at your self-assigned bedtime.” And other than the somewhat vague phrase “in the morning,” there was nothing prescriptive about wake-up times either.
Most commonly, people are socially expected to wake up in the early morning and go to bed fairly early in the night. If you’re able to adopt a schedule that works differently, that’s a big win! But we also live in this breakneck capitalist world where most of the available jobs are in the early daytime. So even if you fully love and accept yourself, and you want to create the perfect circadian schedule, you might not economically be able to do that. Which sucks, but if that’s you, it’s not your fault.
🤷 just one other ND person’s opinion. Love yourselves, ask for help when you need it, and remember that our society isn’t always willing to take sound medical advice. Especially in workplaces.
}becomes a routine like brushing your teeth"
Dr Tracey is very optimistic!
You’ve got millions LITERALLY millions of fans. I’m old now but I’m so glad I heard your channel before I died. I identify with everything you said. Thank YOU! I’m crying.
That's what makes comorbid ADHD and bipolar so challenging. Good sleep is essential to manage episodes but quite hard to get because of all of the buzz.
Look up Trans-C sleep therapy. Studies done on people with mood disorders. UC Berkeley has certified therapists.
i have a chronic issue with waking up because of my adhd and depression, so here are some tips: i have my alarm at a specific time and a second alarm 5 minutes after to ensure i’m awake. i set the alarm sounds to be pleasant instead of accidentally traumatizing myself. i keep multiple alarms across my room so i have to walk around instead of remaining in bed. if i don’t feel ready to get up, i’m gentle with myself and listen to a meditation or podcast to give myself energy, and i make a 10 minute box in my morning routine dedicated to my wake up process. if i don’t wake up on time, i have an alarm 30 minutes later that alerts me that i am late. this keeps me disciplined because if i am late, then i have to spend half an hour walking straight to the bus station instead of taking the detour bus to it 20 minutes earlier. taking the bus to school keeps me accountable because i *have to* leave at a set time. (i also only take the bus to school because otherwise i’ll zone out and miss my stops). if you’re a student like me i also recommend starting your most fun class first, something to look forward to. i used to worry about taking a class that had previously started at my waking time before implementing these habits so i almost skipped the opportunity, but now i wake up with excitement to return to my study group in class. also setting yourself up with a few things off your plate the night before is helpful, like not having to rely on choosing your outfit the day of or finishing your homework when you can’t estimate how long these tasks will take you with accuracy. with adhd you have to work smarter, not harder :)
Thank you for this harrowingly accurate description of my sleep habits.
You’re so welcome GriotSpeak and thanks so much for the super thanks. I very much appreciate it ❤️🙏🏽
Thank you so much for making these ADHD videos ❤️. They have given me a better understanding of why I am the way I am and why I have the shortcomings I do. I have started passing these along to my Mom because she has it as well. Sleeping at night is definitely a struggle for me. I am going to try the method in the video, and hopefully I can eventually reset my circadian rhythm.
Same here. It helps me feel better seeing others with the same issues I have. It’s hard for me to do things other people find “normal” and easy like: keeping a schedule, sleeping normally, eating normally. To anyone out there going through similar struggles, you are not alone! Keep going!
Circadian rhythm disorders are common with ADHD. If you can't fix your sleep schedule with routines you may not be producing melatonin when you should and unlike what's said in this video, it's not just a matter of getting in the right habits. Was very disappointed with how this video doesn't address that at all.
@@majken643 The Dr did mention a follow up video, perhaps more information is addressed.
Circadian rhythms play a part in bipolar disorder. Now I know people with ADHD struggle with this, too! Thanks, doc!
in UK I saw an NHS Psychiatrist if I perhaps had ADHD, he said "No you would be in prison". That's the level of treatment we get here. Years of treatment focused on A and D b y Psychiatrists, and CBT by Phsychologists who treated adults and weren't trained in ADHD and Dyspraxia as only kids get those - That is NHS problem.Dr Marks describes my life experience almost perfectly
The only time in my life when I didn't feel groggy all the time was when I was a freelancer, and I woke up at whatever time my brain decided, no matter the time I went to bed. The rest of my life, since I started pre-school, has been a constant fight to get up in the morning and feel awake the rest of the day. "Try to meditate" or "do some exercise" is the general recommendation by doctors, but meditation just exacerbates the constant noise in my brain, and exercise makes me feel even more sleepy... It's so difficult to cope with society....
And the worst part is, some of us can't be freelancers because there is too much competition.
I remember around 30 years ago telling my psychiatrist that I thought I had delayed sleep phase, and showed her pages of written proof and studies to back it up. She just looked at me like I was an interesting specimen again.
I always say that my hours of operation are usually between 3pm and 2am. Once 3am comes around I am TIRED! and I can sleep like a baby but I don't get any rest bc I have to wake up early in the morning so all morning I am moody and I really cannot function all morning until 3pm when I get that sweet jolt of energy 😅 I love sleeping between 3am and 11am. They're the only times I get decent rest.
This is mildly traumatic because my father would just increase the intensity of the yelling when I couldn't wake up in the morning for school. Why can't you wake up!? I wish I had known omg!
Everyone watching this after 1am
✋
Loll
It's only 12:10am thank you very much 🙃
3:30🫠
@@AprilSunshine pretty impressive tbh, good work 😅
New research shows there are four different kinds of sleep patterns including circadian. As an intermittent sleeper I was excited to read new research. It changed how I feel about weird sleep patterns.
Any links or names directing to the research? I’ve heard about how some people may need intermittent Blocs of 4 hour sleep, and I think that might apply to me, though it’s very difficult to apply to a diurnal schedule without getting nothing done...
OM! Thank you so much for your videos! I recently realized I had ADHD and have been so harsh on myself for so many years for being "different." Now I know Im not alone and there is a dx and tx for this. It's very comforting. Thanks again, @DrTracyMarks.
Literally the best video ever. My god, you said everything I’ve gone through my whole life, 46 years. I’ve spent 35 years going to dozens of doctors with no results, it’s ridiculous. But finally 4 years ago I finally received my miracle medications and they help, I’m so grateful to feel just 1% better but still don’t feel “normal”. There’s something missing and no one can figure it out. My mother has it and so did her mother, and mom mom actually started dementia in her late 50’s. It was horrible watching what she went thru, I’m trying to prevent that from happening to me & my mother. I wish you were my doctor
I am so happy to see there are comments on this video from ADHD people who do not feel this is helpful - at all. Thank you 👏 I immediately knew this provider didn’t fully understand (or care, as is, unfortunately, often the case with most psychiatrists) when she suggested the highly regulated sleep schedule and boiled it down to sleep hygiene/medication while largely disregarding the productivity and natural energy shift people with ADHD often experience (citing it as a form of social disregulation.) As if almost anyone who struggles with this can’t already talk, at length, about all the things they have tried to fit into a “normal” cycle quite literally since childhood. I watched this video intently and to me, it is clear this is a psychiatrist who is more concerned with making ADHD people fit into a post-industrial revolution mold than equipping them to exist despite it and empowering them with tools to combat and change the world around them. As if to rob us of the time we often feel (and objectively ARE) the most productive, creative, and energized in the name of social conformity and reducing the impact ADHD has on the neurotypical. For me, if she were my psychiatrist, after 34 years of living with ADHD and trying to fit the mold, this would be the last visit I ever had with her. I am very fortunate to have had excellent mental health providers in my life and one changed my life forever when he said (paraphrasing): there is not only nothing wrong with you, but rather studies are finding that many of our most artistic and brilliant-minded people are ADD/ADHD for a good reason - you are evolutionarily predisposed to a thought and living pattern that sets you apart and allows you to perceive the world differently than those around you; it is a gift and I will not assist in helping you squash it or fit society, but I will help you survive this stunted world despite it. That man changed my life and I hope everyone can experience something like that level and kind of transformative care at some point in their life. If you are watching this video and thinking this does not sound helpful or is just more of the same mentally-normative health care that you see spewed across academia and from the mouths of providers who just don’t get it, know this: I see you, I hear you, and good, compassionate, understanding providers DO exist. You are not broken, you do not have to “fit in”, this is not all there is - keep searching, you WILL eventually find a provider who actually “gets it”, usually because they have it themselves or loves someone who does, and it will change your life forever.
I love your comment and totally agree with you. Night time is when I paint, when all the neurotypicals are watching TV and going to bed. The man who helped you sounds wonderful.
Ty for this video! For me, routine becomes mundane and then becomes inaccessible. Here's the "routine" I can kinda stick to:
I add mentally engaging + physical flow activities into my pre-wind down routine so I can still get that "i stayed up late in the zone" feel without staying up. It's important for the big sads and can't be skipped. (Usually a podcast + cleaning/chore).
Then I stick to: dinner, shower, dog out, snack, teeth brush, bed. From there, I accommodate as necessary depending on how active my mind or body feels. Do I need a body muscle tension to release exercise? In bed stretching video? Comfort tv show in the background on a sleep timer?
Figured I'd share in case hearing an example applied out and why helps. If you're reading, hope you sleep well soon- you deserve that!
I, too, use the podcast while cleaning tactic. It works great for me to get otherwise boring things done. I love it!
I think this is the first ADHD sleep video I've seen that actually offers up actionable solutions! Thank you so much for this! I'll definitely be trying out some of your suggestions
For me sleep seems like something unnecessary thing that you have to do (but ofc its necessary) and i often don’t feel that “i want to sleep now, lets go to bed”
I might be tired but not sleepy at all
And yeah time at night is best time for rest and productivity
Hi Dr. Marks. I love this video, but was hoping you could do another one to talk about those of us with ADHD + Chronic fatigue + Excessive daytime sleepiness? One of the things I constantly feel guilty about is how I don’t have a normal amount of energy compared to neurotypical/non chronic illness folk and I really would like to hear your feedback on the category of us who live with ADHD and Excessive sleep issues. For further clarification: my labs are all normal and I have a healthy amount of Vitamin D & B12, my thyroid function is also normal and my psychiatrist and doctor and I have just chalked it up to this being a symptom of my ADHD.
Would really love to hear any feedback from your point of view!
Agreed! I was actually diagnosed with fibromyalgia within 5 years of my ADHD diagnosis and was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 2017. I have read that fibromyalgia and ADHD are relatively common comorbidities, maybe because of the sleep problems.
Same here!
@@gypsypath1 I have Fibro and chronic fatigue syndrome too. And adhd, and an autoimmune condition which I believe started it all and here we are 😂 but i swear it seems like every diagnosis I have has like a 20000 page list of comorbidities. No wonder.
Check cortisol levels. Did a 24 hour urine, and it showed I had incredibly high cortisol levels in the evening, and they plummeted in the morning. You need a certain amount of cortisol to wake up. This spike and crash is due to adrenal fatigue and eventually leads to chronic fatigue syndrome
I was told my issues were due to either digestive issues (I'm gluten intolerant and have a couple other food allergies that make me very tired, and wore down my system before I learned what to avoid), or the fact I have POTS, which seems to be a pretty common diagnosis to either mistake for ADHD, or have in addition to. I was initially told my ADHD could be autism + POTS, but I most certainly met the criteria.
Hehe! Video is clearly made for us with ADHD. There's enough animations and humor to help us keep us interested
Good video. But if you're only suffering from a few days deficit of sleep. You're doing great. I feel most of us with this issue end up having decades-long deficits. And are basically maintaining while dealing with the normies.
My chronic insomnia has existed for as long as I can remember. It was lights off and in bed at 7.30 when I was a child. Long before noisy bright modern life - I lay in bed in the quiet dark till around 5 am and then I fell asleep.
I got woken at 7.30 - 8am to go to school. I spent my days in brain fog.
That has been my lifelong routine. Sometimes I can get to sleep around 3 am. And sleep till 8 if there’s no heavy machinery etc burring up near my house.
Ive tried every sleep medication. I tried hypnosis, and other psychological therapies. I stopped ADHD meds. Nothing I have ever tried has worked. I’m 73 now and feel more exhausted than ever
I have severe circadian disorder I believe it is related to ADHD. What you had to say about ADHD made me feel angry and sad because for some of us it just doesn’t apply. Our brain won’t switch off.
Ive lived with it all my life. It drives me to the brink of insanity. I get so exhausted and run down but still can’t sleep.
My latest fix is as I can please myself with my time, due to my age and retirement, then I lie down whenever I feel sleepy. It could be 3 or 4 times in a 24 hour cycle. I get up and be busy when I’m awake. I just cannot tolerate laying in the dark for hours and hours waiting to go to sleep anymore.
So I sleep an hour here, 3 hours there, sometimes 4 hours straight. I feel the most rested I ever have.
Just know we don’t all fit into your neat assessment. Your analyses and recommendations don’t apply to all with ADHD. There are outliers, and our chronic severe insomnia makes our lives hell.
So please don’t talk with assumptions. It only makes people with my condition frustrated and sad
I've had these problems my whole life, and I've tried all the sleep hygiene tips and tricks. They work. For a while. They work for a few weeks while I'm really focused on it, or while I have an external motivator for it. They don't feel good. I don't feel good doing them. I don't feel good going to bed right when my mental energy starts to surge, and I keep thinking maybe it'll shift to an earlier time of day if I just stick to the schedule. It doesn't. I keep thinking that maybe it'll be easier to wake up, easier to fall asleep, easier to STAY asleep, if I stick to the schedule. Stick to the schedule. Stick to the schedule. Stick to the schedule. Stick to the schedule. Everybody, every time I ask, everywhere I go. Stick to the schedule.
I can't stick to it longterm. I always lapse back to my natural rhythm--falling asleep later, waking up later. I sleep better when I do that. I sleep soundly, I feel well rested. I have creative time late at night and then I wake up late in the morning.
I would be happy to live like that all the time. I would be so, so glad if I could just life my life a few hours later in the day than most people. But no. No, I have to force myself into a schedule that isn't natural and doesn't feel good for me, because otherwise I can't work. I can't go to the doctor, get to the bank, go to the post office, go to jury duty, anything. The world is built around a schedule that my body simply does not like, and I just have to cope with it.
I wish videos like this would talk about that. It hurts to be told over and over again, stick to the schedule, without ever acknowledging that it can be hard. It can be unpleasant. It can feel unnatural and it can be difficult to keep up long term, and then when you break schedule by even half an hour, it all falls apart and you feel that shame and failure all over again. Sticking to the schedule works to keep your body in that rhythm, but it doesn't solve everything, and it still might not feel right.
I don't know what else to do, aside from hope for a society of fellow night owls to pop up somewhere.
I feel exactly the same as you. We shouldn't have to change this about ourselves, I've learnt that it's not possible to change it anyway. It's time society stopped expecting everyone to have the same schedule.
@@katec9893 Truly! There are so many of us out here just struggling and suffering every single day of our lives, all because the people who built every institution and infrastructure in our society decided that their personal schedule was the schedule that every other human being on the planet HAS to stick to. As if there aren't millions and millions of people who might have a naturally different rhythm. We've been taught that our natural cycles are a failure of our willpower and told we have to sacrifice our wellbeing to conform. It's just not right.
@@ecamville2928 I honestly think we need to form a group to advocate for rights to change the system. I had burnout because of having to work long hours with early starts. My natural preferred work time is between 2pm and midnight so I'll have to either be self employed or find some kind of late shift job which I'm not sure exists. If I have to get up early I often feel physically ill and depressed whereas if I can sleep til 10am and have a quiet relaxed morning I function well the rest of the day. I'm v creative with a lot to offer society like many of us, we shouldn't be punished for our innate traits.
Oh my god. I feel so validated. I’m not a monster. Thank you so much. I totally have delayed phase sleep disorder, however I know that I can manage this.
My entire life is in this video, thank you so much!
A couple of years ago I took a genetic test and it showed that I have a mutation in a gene regulating circadian rythms. But your descriptions shows that my biological clock is certainly affected by my ADHD either. Your hacks for sleep regulation are very helpful, and I derived most of them personally through my own experience. But the thing with warming feet is totally new to me, and I am certainly going to try this one.
There is also one thing with managing my schedule that I suffer from for my whole life. This thing is being late all the time, everywhere, no matter how early I wake up. I have no idea how to handle this issue. It causes a bunch of troubles, and I feel guilty for being so irresponsible every time that I'm late. But I just can't stop being distracted from my morning routine by other activities. Is there anything that can help?
Dr Mark, I am a professional Counsellor, your knowledge, content and the length of your video is perfect. Everybody who has responded in the comments thank you, there is an incredible amount of learning and sharing from just reading the comments! Thank you all!
5:36
1: Great Idea, I have the yellow light option on my phone but not on the other devices
2: I can't control which genre of music I'm gonna ("I want") listen so it may turn out exciting instead of relaxing
3: Meditation and relaxation techniques are waay too boring for my ADHD
4: Tapping, again it's too boring for my ADHD, the little dopamine "I have" is almost entirely on videogames
5: Meditating colouring, again, impossibly boring
6: Warm foot bath, amazing idea, can't do in summer tho
7: Exercise, great tip, I do like 2 months a year of intense exercise and 10 of nothing depending on the stress/anxiety inducing events of my life
8: Help
How do you not find exercise also boring? These recommendations underestimate how impossible some activities are...
@@scscyou I do in fact find them boring but in some periods of my life I'm able to do the first step and then the dopamine kiks in so I'm able to persist for some times but then at the first stressful thing I lose all my good habits 😔
I decided years ago that I would wake up when I'm ready. No alarms needed, but meditation is key. It works for me
We have GAD with severe adhd. I sleep 5 hours. I’m not bi polar. Folks with ADHD needs naps. I have brain fog from never getting rest. I wake up with anxiety and am brain dead till 2 pm
I've had this hit randomly late at night. I've gotten home from hockey at 11:30pm ready to go to sleep, showered and gotten into bed and suddenly I'm just up until 2am...
me watching this at 4am knowing damn well I ain't gonna do anything differently >_>
Dr. Tracy Mark I just absolutely love your videos all the illustrations and everything you're saying is spot-on thank you so much for your
This is the video I’m going to share with everyone when they ask me why I don’t sleep like most people. Yep, this showcases my typical process. Thank you for the helpful tips
how are you now?
I've had insomnia for 3 decades. Can't get to sleep, can't stay asleep. Tried everything. THEN, I tried some probiotics (15 bacterial species, including Streptococcus thermophilus. I only mention that one because others are always Lacto & Bifido sp.)
Anyhow, I am sleeping!! I finally have the 'sleep drug' back in my body.
This gives me hope!! I literally just saved an article from Neuroscience about probiotics helping the brain recover from chronic sleep loss, and now reading your comment is making me even more excited to try it. I’ve had insomnia my entire life (according to my parents I was often awake in my crib when they went in to check on me) and it’s the worst it’s ever been now at 44. Hoping I share your success, and congratulations on finding a solution that works 😊
@@vdussaut9182 I only bought it because it was half price at the supermarket! Good luck and fingers crossed 💚
I always loved being a night owl when I started elementary school but getting up early for school made me take so many mini naps in my classes. I still made it through that though! *whew* Now my 30s, staying up late with an "early" shift at 9:30am can make me fail at work. My new adult workaholic mentality for $$$ just for groceries has made going to sleep even more stressful so I've had to take melotonin and magnesium instead of going to sleep naturally at 2am like I used to for years 😅
Watching this at 04:53. Was finally formally diagnosed with ADHD last week at 52. I cried. So much lost time and so many lost opportunities... yet so much achieved im proud of. The conflictions are huge, and tearing me apart. These videos are helping so much. Thank you...
I feel like you have been looking in my window and studying Me. You described me to a Tee Dr.,Tracy. Thank for sharing your knowledge. I’m tired all the time. I have trouble falling asleep and sometimes staying asleep. I get up around 6 or 7. But I don’t feel “awake” until 11am-12pm. 💤😩
You are not alone. 😆😤
Thank you for this video, I have struggled with sleep my entire life, it's affected jobs and my ability to function. It's nice to know it's a symptom of my adhd, it's not because I'm useless!
You explained my life again.
...my whole 39y of existence
I really appreciate the frequent switching up of the style throughout the video, like going from your face to AI drawings to title slides. Really helped me focus ❤
This video came at the perfect time, thank youuuuu ❤ Ive always had problems with my sleep, and have had forever changing sleep patterns, but Im finally in a place in my life I really want to try and sleep like a normal person 😅 and I struggle with oversleeping too, and I feel like Im wasting my days
But on the other hand, I feel like its very hard to get through a full day with an ADHD brain. I wonder if it would be any use to do a video on staying awake during the day for ADHD? For me, I find when there is nothing my brain is interested in doing, I will just sleep, because its too boring/frustrating being awake. I also find a nap helps me when I get overstimulated from going out, but then I might not sleep well that night. How do I cope with day-to-day life having ADHD? How do I cope with understimulation and overstimulation?
Thank you for all your helpful videos Dr. Tracey ❤
I greatly appreciate the fact that you mentioned medication only works in tandem with behavioral changes as well. I wish med providers told us this information.
The trick is medication stabilizes the patient just enough to be somewhat functional, and highly responsive to therapy and behavioral treatments. If the patient does learn the appropriate adaptations while on medication, it helps re-structure the brain; that's especially pronounced in children, whose brain is far more receptive to changes induced by learning.
Ohhhhh thats why i cant sleep for shit
I can tell Domic's animation style, glad he gets work for animation.
other then just on his own channel making his own content
The problem with all these relaxing things is that they're all so tedious.
Indeed they are. I use light therapy so I don't have to work so hard.
I self-sabotage on the regular because I hate to go to sleep, because falling, staying, and falling back to sleep are a huge struggle!
I’m not ADHD but I’m like one. My serious problem is being more motivated and creative at late night when the world goes silence. my body and brain are tired, I’m able to sleep but I just don’t want to. In the end I don’t sleep enough nor get anything done.
Children don't want to go to bed. Adults do what is healthy for their bodies and brains. Grow up.
@@Cathy-xi8cb what's wrong with you?
@@Cathy-xi8cb you were rude to a stranger … for what?
how are you now?
I've had this tab open for 3 months now I swear I'm gonna watch it at some point
Watch it now
Still keeping it open @@esin6
Thank you, Dr. Can you please do a video (if you haven't already) explaining how/why depression makes sleep hard to achieve?
If you aren't aware that every single antidepressant damages some phase of sleep, then you need to ask your prescriber for details. Well studied, rarely mentioned because they are afraid you won't take the drugs.. If you cannot figure out that being unable to function and being desperately sad makes relaxing impossible, then you might be experiencing the cognitive damage that comes with depression.
@@Cathy-xi8cbfalse, look up Agomelatine
@@SimonBrisbane Great to get people to fall asleep. Doesn't do anything for REM-deficient sleep disorders. The REM cycle is the part where your emotions are processed. So...nah.
@@SimonBrisbane Simon, look up the reasons that you cannot get Agomelatine in the US; liver/kidney toxicity and drug interactions. Testing showed that it was not more effective than other antidepressants and way more dangerous. We take safety seriously here.
At the moment, I haven’t been sleeping until late/ early morning, so thank you for this reminder to review my evening routine. I wonder if you’ve heard of this idea my psychiatrist has got me to try: a micro dose of stimulant in the evening.
It actually helps me sleep for two reasons:
1) I can choose and follow though with a relaxation activity or two. I have the focus to do it vs starting and stopping many things or getting stuck scrolling
2) As I am relaxing doing the chosen activity, I can recognise my signs of sleepiness and I feel more at ease about going to bed.
Once in in bed though, I’m anxious with no stimulus - I can’t just lie there waiting to fall asleep. I know that it keeps me awake, but I normally play a simple game like solitaire and have a video on on the background to soothe that feeling until I’m tired, at which point I keep the video playing and only listen to it; I’m usually asleep pretty quickly after that.
I have wondered about microdosing in the evening to be able to focus enough to follow through on the bedtime routine. I have often felt my weakened executive functioning (ability to focus and not just seek mental stimulation and distraction) were a major part of blowing through any kind of bedtime. A few times when I took a small dose later in the day I felt more able to focus on the sleep-inducing activities I had previously planned to engage in.
Good, now how will I remember to do any of that again?😅
Thanks for the informative video. I was diagnosed a few months ago but I didn't know about the effects ADHD has on sleep. This describes my sleep behaviors I have had all my life. Only exception is I never sleep through a alarm. Thanks Dr. Marks. 🙂
0:34 the ghost was flipping everyone off lol
ADHD us who notices everything
You described my sleep to a T!! I have all of those all of my life, since I was a young kid. Here it is 4am!! This is spot on!!
why domics in here? y’all collabing Dr. Tracey Marks?
when i can't sleep i started listening to relaxing sounds and it really does help
“You need to get more sleep” - you have no idea how infuriating this is to hear when you have ADHD with sleep phase disruption.
Going to sleep and waking up requires gym/workout level of programmed behavior.
That said, it’s a fun superpower to be able to stay up as long as one needs to without doing anything
Lol, I was just thinking this when she was explaining "just set a sleep schedule".
Like, ok, but what about when I wake up and lay in bed staring at a wall in the dark for 5 hours remembering every embarrassing thing I've ever done or said, thinking about what needs to go on the grocery list tomorrow, and wondering whether gorillas have opinions about chimpanzees or orangutans?
What about when I've been tossing and turning and I can feel every inch of my body, and my back hurts and my neck hurts and my arms hurt, and I've been taking "sleep aids" every day for the past week but just like every other brand I've ever tried, they Don't Work????
And every time I try to force myself into a day schedule, I'm just so much more tired .... I've tried all the things, why my body hates me?
CLARIFICATION: the Dr is great! I’m referring to all the people out there who have no trouble sleeping who say “you need to sleep more!” or “this is the second time you’ve missed your alarm in 6 months… what, are you 12??”
They have no idea how much focus and discipline it requires. It’s almost like telling a narcoleptic person, “hey! Stay awake!! Stop nodding off.” Or a depressed person “just be happy!”
@@pvp6077 And now I have to spend tonight thinking about gorillas! 🤔🙃
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You have blessed me with your gift of teaching! You are so talented! You explain this disease in a clear, organized, understandable format!
Thank you for taking the time to educate all of us who have, or will, listen to these videos!
I FEEL comforted and encouraged when I listened to these videos! I'm not an outcast!
I was dx ADHD w Anxiety, and EFD in my late 40's.
As I have gotten older the anxiety, forgetfulness, loss of focus and learning new things have increased in intensity. I'm sixty now and have been on meds and have had three different ones, and different dosages. My doc is still adjusting my meds!
Would love to hear any research/studies which are related to older adults! Thanks again!
Only people that watch this at 1am can like👍
3 am
Yeah dang it it’s 3 am
Good luck getting doctors to actually help
Definitely what I have. It’s horrible! 😭
Watching at 1:24AM - The suggestions you give are what I implement as a parent. We tech down at least 30 minutes before bed. As a mom, there's ALWAYS something to do and so I keep pushing my bedtime back later and later. Thank for the video - I will be sure to take care of me!
Really disappointed with the focus on behaviour causing delayed sleep. It's common to have a proper disorder where we produce melatonin later or not at all, and not just a matter of setting a habit.
Also disappointed in the tone taken towards meds - both for ADHD and for treating the sleep issues. Melatonin taken *correctly* for a disorder doesn't lose effectiveness. And ADHD meds *can* improve sleep quality, they obviously have the potential to make issues worse but it's not a given.
There is too much potential for parents to watch this video and double down on blaming their kids for not trying to sleep soon enough, and reinforcing the idea that ADHD meds are bad.
If you have good sleep hygiene and still can't sleep when you need to, you probably have a circadian rhythm disorder and need a sleep study. You can't train yourself out of a circadian rhythm disorder, and taking meds intermittently isn't the recommended way to treat one. No mention of light therapy either!
I love the fact that the cartoonist added the dribble :P My sleep patterns have split into tired enough for bed at 3-4am, unable to wake up before 12 noon BUT at 3-4pm I need another couple of hours (and I only get up because my dogs need feeding!). I'm a late diagnosis autist (so ASD, ADHD, EUPD (US => BPD) and PDA...the last one few actually believe in unless you suffer from it, of course). Now doing a Masters in ASD with the intention of solving that one (and/or spending the rest of my life researching it with the aim to solve it if possible). Currently I'm exploring the re-editing of non-declarative emotional memories as I suspect this can help in PDA, PTSD and, to a lesser extent, ADHD. If you have any input on that (and time of course) be very appreciated :). LOTS of work for this so no one get excited please. Nicely explained/described, Subscribed xx
The 'business' of the animations detracts from the very useful information. A little overdone IMHO.
Funny, this ADHD gal (me) needs the visual to remember. There are different types of learning styles, Doc is trying to hit all of them so everyone can benefit!
I’ve never heard someone explain my whole existence so well 🙌🏾
The timing of this video is uncanny. I've been having trouble falling asleep, and waking at 3am regularly since I started Strattera, and couldn't figure out why. It's been days, and I'm having trouble getting more than four hours of sleep a night. Many thanks for the video.
I found out that, if left to myself, I will naturally feel sleepy after 4am, and always wake up naturally at around 11 to 12. At some point I just decided to try and roll with it and arrange my day around that, now I actually feel a bit better, at least in terms of at least keeping a somewhat steady rhythm. It's not ideal but it's more like fixing stuff with duct tape, kinda work is better than broken
I don't know how, but this video is keeping my focus all the way through.
I had sleep problems long before social media. I’d clean, read, learn something new, do crafts, etc. My mind is so clear at night and it’s so depressing that we live in daytime world. I’ve tried everything imaginable but I won’t take prescription sleep medicine. I’ll sleep when I retire, lol