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?
Stimulants messed up my ability to stay asleep so my provider gave me Trazodone which worked but made me too drowsy during the day (they suggested melatonin but that makes me even drowsier than the Trazodone). They switched me to Baclofen which is a muscle relaxer that helps with staying asleep which is all I need since the stimulants actually made it easier for me to fall asleep. Between that, good sleep hygiene, and a CPAP I usually get pretty good sleep nowadays.