I learn a sleep lesson on a nightly basis, or do I?
Life has shown me, and it continues to shine light on how much this is an ongoing process and not just a thing we learn and then move on. We all have brains that process information at differing speeds, depending on the day of the week, how much we have eaten and what kind of mood we are in.
But ADHD brains are very different and if this is something that needs managed on an ongoing basis, that’s when we have to find those strategies that work for us.
I have been on a steep learning curve with sleep. It’s 1am and I am really struggling to get to sleep. Main reason being is I kept watching YouTube. There is no end. The couch was holding me hostage, and I couldn’t get up.
It’s not conscious to begin with, its normal, I’m relaxing. Its not until later that I might realise that the transition from being on the couch to get up to get off to bed, has failed me. Its frustrating when you don’t have enough dopamine to get you off the sittee and it feels more like I’m a detainee of comfort and this hostage situation won’t change unless I literally make myself move my legs. It’s very definitely not conscious, I just can’t move.
Before I understood what was happening, I was just in bed late, a lot. In a neurotypical brain, there is the right neurotransmitters there. An impulse acted upon once a decision is made the impetus is there to go to bed, because you have work tomorrow. Simples!
Nope, none of that is going on in my brain.
It’s not about being lazy, it’s about transitions. There is much to learn about what is going on, and why, if you have ADHD, you need to put strategies in place to help you. But it’s a journey, and it takes time.
Now my ridiculous cycle is going to start, where I’m going to be tired tomorrow, I’ve got loads of work I have to do, it’s going to make my brain busier than ever, exasperating symptoms and so it continues…
What do I have in my tool kit for sleeping? That is the question…..
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