Hi all! I was formally diagnosed with ADHD in my mid 20’s. Currently taking generic Vyvanse and Guanfacine. Getting on meds was a huge quality of life improvement. One thing that I still struggle with is chronic insomnia, which is a common commorbidity with – or maybe symptom of – ADHD. The insomnia started around the time I hit puberty and I can count on one hand the number of great nights sleeps I’ve had since then.

I’ve tried a lot of environmental changes like:

  • Having a rigid bedtime schedule.
  • Wearing blue light filter glasses for 3 hours before bed.
  • Taking melatonin supplements.
  • Minimizing screentime.
  • Using a weighted blanket.

Those all seem to help somewhat but not to a huge degree. I still feel sleep deprived most of the time.

Apparently I also occasionally have jerking movements while asleep somewhat consistent with “Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep (PLMS)”.

Has anyone else had a similar experience and found any effective treatments?

  • Coelacanth@feddit.nuEnglish
    4·
    12 hours ago

    I’m the same as you and I haven’t found anything that works perfectly either. In fact my sleep has only gotten worse with time. I really wish I could help you out. I also have a weighted blanket and all that. I tried podcasts too like the SleepWithMe podcast with mixed results. I’m pretty noise sensitive so while it can sometimes help me scramble my thoughts in bed and aid in falling asleep it can also often wake me back up, especially the sudden silence after an episode ends can ironically alert me.

    I’ve been taking Alimemazine lately which is a strong antihistamine and it is the best medication I’ve found in terms of sleep aid that can be taken daily. Makes you tired as fuck the morning after though, really takes a few hours to shake off.

    Zopiclone helps with falling asleep but you can’t take it more than maybe once a week. If you mostly struggle with falling asleep (as opposed to staying asleep) then it can be a good tool to reset every once in a while, or to ensure a good night’s sleep before an important event etc. Unfortunately for me I’ve started waking up multiple times at night the past few years so I’m not getting the same value out of it that I used to.