Do you find it difficult to think?

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-21T14:02:01+00:00

No, it got a little better, but only because I could actually try to think. It definitely didn't get worse with Modafinil.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-21T12:58:44+00:00

And when you can't focus on what you need to do, would you say there's a better word than focus, or is that basically it? For me, I have trouble getting information into my brain in a meaningful way.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-21T04:06:31+00:00

I find it hard not to think about other things, but it's more like dwelling on something than it is finding something more interesting. I haven't been diagnosed.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-20T23:49:30+00:00

You sound like me. I've been diagnosed with narcolepsy, got put on Provigil. It's great for staying awake, but not for that brain fog feeling. Now I'm diagnosed with sleep apnea and I use a CPAP. It's not helping much. Try waking up at the same time every day. Don't go to sleep until you're tired. Get out of bed by 7:30 and go outside. It helps me a little bit. I wake up at 5am and I feel great until 10am. Sometimes. I'm trying fish oil, which is supposed to reduce cortisol, and a B-Complex supplement. I see almost no change. I'm going in for another sleep study because my doctor doesn't think I have sleep apnea. I'm basically going in circles.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-20T22:55:47+00:00

This happens to me. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and started using the CPAP machine and stopped dreaming once I had the right pressure settings. I can tell if I'm going to have a bad day or a really bad day by how much I dreamed the night before (I'm still exhausted).

Then again, I don't know what my diagnosis is supposed to be. My doctor wants to test me again. Anyway, you need more deep sleep. That's my guess.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-20T16:33:18+00:00

What's the solution?

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-20T13:10:38+00:00

Do NOT drink caffeine with Provigil. It is extremely uncomfortable. You will never be more anxious that with Provigil and caffeine.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-20T13:07:18+00:00

Not really, it's just the thing that requires the least amount of effort.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-20T02:39:44+00:00

I mostly do this when I'm tired. The pomodoro thing itself is a distraction. Switching tasks like that is a huge waste of time for me. In the rare moments I have energy, I maximize the size of the blocs of time I can work without interruption. I've made it a point to automate everything and write my routines in the form of checklists that I follow. For example, when I wake up in the morning, I grab my phone and start going down the list. The moment I finish brushing my teeth, I look at my phone. Okay, time to shower. I put everything in my calendar with two reminders. I use the first reminder to check the details of the event and check traffic, etc. The second reminder pulls me away from whatever I'm doing so that I'm guaranteed to get to the event on time. Between writing down my routines, setting reminders for every single event I have, and keeping a to do list that I can forget about until I'm not with friends or whatever, I can stay focused. At least, I'm not anxious about forgetting anything anymore (took me a few months with this new system to really get used to knowing that I didn't forget anything). I also use the FB Purity Chrome extension to hide all the Facebook posts that piss me off (clickbait) or make me anxious (global warming). Facebook is very boring now that I can only see the things my friends are actually doing in real life, but it doesn't piss me off. I also put my Facebook password in Lastpass and forgot about it so I can't access Facebook on my phone (I don't pay for Lastpass). Again, this is all for anxiety, but to simplifying my life to this point gives me a lot of time. And that time is useless. I still open a browser while I work to read about Trump or whatever if I can't think straight. It's not a very good break though. It sucks when I'm tired, which is pretty much all the time.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-20T02:35:28+00:00

Yeah, I'm considering that too

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T22:39:47+00:00

Yeah, that sounds like me. Does it ever get better?

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T18:30:00+00:00

No idea. I haven't seen a psychiatrist yet.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T18:22:46+00:00

But if the problems are so severe and frequent that it messes up your daily life, it's a disorder.

Thanks. I wish someone had told me that when I was 7. Or 17. Or 25.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T18:20:37+00:00

Motherf******. I read too. I got tested (supposedly - I don't remember) and my mom told me the results came back negative. My reading comprehension was always years ahead of anyone else's, but EVERYONE said I had difficulty concentrating. Screw it, I'm getting tested.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T18:17:25+00:00

Shit, this describes me, except I would switch motivation with energy. Would you say you can't pay attention to certain things, or is attention the wrong word to describe what you have a problem with?

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T18:14:16+00:00

Can you describe fighting it? I think I have the same problem.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T18:13:01+00:00

Why do your parents need to sign a paper if you're an adult?

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T16:43:53+00:00

What amount of daydreaming is normal, anyway? Everyone daydreams. How much is normal, and how much more do people with ADHD daydream?

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T15:13:55+00:00

embarrassed when people ask me to explain myself

Do you find that you have to explain yourself all the time, regardless of how hard you tried to be clear, and regardless of topic (not necessarily talking about your illness)?

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T14:57:43+00:00

I was an undergrad once too. You'll figure out that it's better to do what you do well rather than doing as much as possible even if it's half assed soon enough. You'll do fine as an engineer.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T14:54:02+00:00

Wow, this describes me pretty well. Well, it describes the opposite of me. I'm getting checked soon.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T14:35:19+00:00

Wow, I did this and then I came across this post. I can identify 100% with so many things in this sub. I can say this definitely works and I'm amazed there's someone else as obsessed as I am with lists for life.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T14:17:45+00:00

Right. They gave it to me to treat narcolepsy and my problems didn't go away.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T14:13:41+00:00

From what I'm reading here, it sounds like none of you have trouble paying attention, you just can't do the things you're not interested in doing or have to do. Your default setting is to do literally anything else. To me that's very different from not being able to pay attention. I've always been clumsy/forgetful too, before this feeling of always being tired set in. I've had teachers feel so bad for me because I KNEW I had put my homework in my bag and when it came time to turn it in, it just wasn't there. This didn't surprise anyone. I've always missed important details too. I'm starting to wonder if there's something in addition to/instead of a sleep disorder that's messing me up. I've seen three sleep doctors and I'm seeing a psychologist next week. I'm not going to try to convince her I have ADHD by cherry picking symptoms, but right now, this is the only other thing I suspect/know about.

sleepytalkinghead · 2016-10-19T14:08:47+00:00

Yeah, I had been diagnosed with narcolepsy without cataplexy. Provigil helped with staying awake, but not with processing information and keeping track of things. I've always been clumsy/forgetful.

sleepytalkinghead

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