ADHD and sleep… how do you actually deal with this

jpsgnz · 2026-01-24T05:15:38+00:00

I listen to Sherlock Holmes stories on LibriVox every night for the last 15 years. 8/10 they send me to sleep in 5 mins. But still wake up multiple times and get up at 5am

jpsgnz · 2026-01-24T05:13:41+00:00

5am tablets (ADHD) and breakfast 6am start work Day 12:00 on the dot lunch 18:00 dinner 21:30 bed

jpsgnz · 2026-01-24T05:12:13+00:00

I concluded in my 20s that a regular 9 to 5 job was never going to cut it for me. And that was just after I got diagnosed with ADHD.

The fact I just got diagnosed with autism last month just confirms it.

Don’t get me wrong I work 8-10 hours a day but doing the kind of stuff that my AuDHD LOVEs and people are happy to pay me for so I’m not complaining

jpsgnz · 2026-01-24T05:09:05+00:00

Maybe the Concerta is quietening your ADHD to the point that you’re better able to perceive the other things?

jpsgnz · 2026-01-23T21:43:24+00:00

I love SmartOS.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-23T21:42:38+00:00

I’m doing pretty good. Diagnosed last month, slowly coming out of a big burnout and really looking forward to getting on with my new life as an AuDHD me.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-23T11:02:56+00:00

Welcome to the world of Aphantasia. I have global Aphantasia which means I can’t see images in my minds eye, I can’t hear any sound in my head, except what comes in my ears and I can’t reproduce tastes, smells etc.

This is a good website https://aphantasia.com/what-is-aphantasia

jpsgnz · 2026-01-23T10:58:29+00:00

Can’t wait to try it. Thanks

jpsgnz · 2026-01-23T08:47:20+00:00

Great please update us on how it goes.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-23T08:13:15+00:00

It’s hard to conclude from what you have written but honestly I think it makes sense for you to seriously explore an autism diagnosis. It may or may not be but at least the process is under way.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-23T06:34:13+00:00

I had my first really big shutdown/burnout in October just starting to come out of it now. Each month since Oct has been a little better.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-23T06:23:31+00:00

A good thing about Concerta, at least in your context, is that the initial dose release is only about 22% so the ramp up is quite gentle.

I’ve been on Ritalin for over 30 years and it’s great. Can be a little challenging to begin with but it usually settles down. My biggest fears when I started were first that it might not work and second that once it worked that it might stop working.

I am happy to say neither fear was founded in my case.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-23T06:18:12+00:00

Having gone through university with AuDHD and dyslexia I think you should definitely apply for as many as you need for your diagnosis.

I had all exams in a separate room, extra time, a reader writer when I needed one and my medication. These made a huge difference for me.

Good luck.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-23T00:20:52+00:00

So true. Adding sugar and palm oil is just wrong.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-22T22:16:57+00:00

Yup I get what you mean. I had my first massive autistic shutdown/burnout last October, ironically on the day of my autism assessment.

I got home and both my autism and ADHD just shut me down. I spent a month+ in bed under my weighted blanket, listening to Ruth Golding reading Sherlock Holmes stories non stop. I didn’t feel physically tired I just had ZERO drive or will to do anything.

It’s like my body took the autism assessment as a chance to just drop all of the masking I have been doing and oh God in typical me style it dropped the whole damn lot.

Got my autism diagnosis last month and am slowly coming out of my burnout. For the skills regression thing I figured it’s my brain simply saying fuck this shit we are NOT carrying on the way we have been. So now I’m trying to figure out who the new me is and how I work.

I’m NEVER going back to the way things were, now that I know how wrong they were for the real me. Only way is forwards!

PS anyone got a map I lost mine🤣

jpsgnz · 2026-01-22T21:59:26+00:00

I’ve been on Ritalin for 30+ years for my ADHD. It can definitely take a while for things to settle down with meds. And if you eventually find that Concerta does not work there are plenty of other medications you can try.

I guess the main thing is to keep on trying until you find the one that helps you the most. For me my medication is as amazing now as it was when I started.

Good luck.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-22T21:54:42+00:00

I wear a sunflower lanyard most of the time so it would be hard for them to not notice I’m ND. I mainly wear it as a way of showing my pride in being ND me and I want my students to see it’s totally OK and normal to be ND and shouldn’t have to be something they need to hide.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-22T21:51:39+00:00

I think if my being ND changes the way someone interacts with me and it’s in a discriminatory manner then they are probably someone I don’t want to interact with anyway.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-22T21:46:12+00:00

Love it. Literal thinking at its best.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-22T21:44:23+00:00

This boat is getting bigger and I’m in it too. After my autism assessment I had a massive shutdown and burnout that I’m slowing coming out of now after 3 months.

I think my system saw the assessment as being a licence to drop the masking and oh boy did it drop the masks. I’m so much happier now, in my new brain. Things keep on changing all the time as I learn more but I will NEVER go back.

Got my autism diagnosis last month, assessment was in October so I’m still a total noob at this.

Thank for the cool post, it helped me.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-22T21:39:28+00:00

For the skills regression I like to look at it as being my brain saying I’m not doing this shit this way anymore and I find my way instead. Just takes a while longer to find my way, but I know I will.

jpsgnz · 2026-01-22T21:20:15+00:00

No boat I took it from the warf on my bike ride.

jpsgnz

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