I’m so tired the caffeine no longer effects me. My ADHD issues are worse. It’s effecting work. I’m getting to work waiting to clock in and sleeping in the parking lot.
I get home and will be tired but by the time I get myself fed and everything cleaned up and the dog and cat cared for and in bed (skipping showers or washing my teeth or brushing my hair most nights) I can’t seem to fall asleep regardless of the exhaustion.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel but it’s two weeks away. And I used to work harder and longer hours. I worked in theatre and events and tech was some of the longest days for a week or two straight so I feel like I should be prepared for this. But apparently I’m out of practice or I’m no longer able to cope like I used to.
At this point whether it’s the ADHD or age making it harder no longer matters I just need tips for surviving until life lets up.
Have you seen a psychiatrist and are you taking any medication?
Chronic insomnia is a common symptom of ADHD. Your body doesn’t produce melatonin as quickly as it should. Another common problem is because we can’t sleep, we sit around doing things that make it even more difficult to fall asleep like staring at a screen. My nightly regemin is to to take 5 mg of Melatonin and put on blue light filter glasses (the ones that have an orange hue) 2 hours before bed time. Then I take diphenhydramine (aka Benadryl) at bed time. I also sleep with a weighted blanket which helps me stay asleep.
It’s not perfect but I sleep much better than I used to.
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That’s good to know. I haven’t experienced any negative side effects but I don’t doubt what you’re saying. I wonder why it gets marketed as a sleep aid (or put into sleep aids) so often with that many known side negative effects?
That’s a really high dose of melatonin. If you take that much, your body depends on it and stops producing it naturally. Most people only need about .25 mg.
My psych told me “your body can’t even process that much melatonin”. I figured out the dose that worked for me with trial and error so YMMV.
This is a lot of good advice, and if it doesn’t make a difference it’s definitely time to either see the doctor or the psych.
If 5 mg melatonin works for you then you should keep taking it, but for anyone else considering taking melatonin be aware that it’s a weird ass drug (technically a hormone) that typically works better on lower doses. They make it up to 10 or 15 mg and that’s excessive, 1-3 mg is good for most people. I take 2.5 mg and it works well.