Re: ADHD as a sleep disorder

[Anonymous]

I have both ADD and narcolepsy (one of 80 different sleep disorders, waiting to be tested to see what other ones I might have), and for me, zoning out occurs because of a lack of attention – I am not interested in what is being said, or I’m bored, or the task is too difficult, or I’m thinking about something else, etc. It’s distinctly different than a micro-sleep, for me.

Here’s a link I found that talks about testing to determine if a subject is micro-sleeping http://www.luciddreaming.com/information/microsleep.php

According to this article, the outward symptoms include observed fatigue related events such as nodding off, head snapping, multiple blinks, blank stares, wide eyes, yawning, prolonged eyelid closures, and slow rolling eye movements, all of which relate to lack of sleep.

It’s worth investigating since ADHD and sleep disorders can and do coexist. There is a significant increased risk of motor vehicle accidents for people with undiagnosed narolepsy and/or sleep apnea. My ADD specialist also said that unmedicated ADHD drivers are at great risk.

Here’s a good link about narcolepsy http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/narcolepsy/detail_narcolepsy.htm

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)

EDS, the symptom most consistently experienced by almost all individuals with narcolepsy, is usually the first to become clinically apparent. Generally, EDS interferes with normal activities on a daily basis, whether or not individuals had sufficient sleep at night. People with EDS describe it as a persistent sense of mental cloudiness, a lack of energy, a depressed mood, or extreme exhaustion. Many find that they have great difficulty maintaining their concentration while at school or work. Some experience memory lapses. Many find it nearly impossible to stay alert in passive situations that include sitting and listening to lectures or watching television. People tend to awaken from such unavoidable sleeps feeling refreshed and finding that their drowsiness and fatigue subsides for an hour or two.

Involuntary sleep episodes are sometimes very brief, lasting no more than seconds at a time. As many as 40 percent of people with narcolepsy are prone to automatic behavior during such “microsleeps.” Automatic behavior involves performing a task during a short period of sleep but without any apparent interruption. During these episodes, people are usually engaged in habitual, essentially “second nature” activities such as taking notes in class, typing, or driving. They cannot recall their actions, and their performance is almost always impaired. Their handwriting may, for example, degenerate into an illegible scrawl, or they may store items in bizarre locations and then forget where they placed them. If an episode occurs while driving, individuals may get lost or have an accident.

REPORT ABUSE