Waking up in the morning

[ashockley55]

Thank you, honey.

But it’s hidden under all the ADD and what not.

Wish I could chisel it away!

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[Anonymous]

Please refer to my review article with my Ph.D. graduate student Rosalia Yoon where we did a comprehensive assessment of sleep disorders in ADHD and possible treatments. We cover the issues of sleep paralysis, daytime fatigue and sleep quality.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22033171

You can also go to the http://www.caddra.ca website and Rosalia and I have written about practical strategies for sleep management. Refer to the CADDRA ADHD Practice Guidelines. They are free and downloadable.

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[Tiddler]

Thanks for the links. I suffered from sleep paralysis during my degree. It was horrendous.

ajheartsu, do you have anyone helping you? It sounds like things are really difficult. Is there anyone who can help with the baby in the mornings sometimes?

ashockley, it’ll get easier – we can all see those things in you.

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[ashockley55]

I’ve had sleep paralysis from time to time – it is terrifying, but, fortunately, rare for me. It’s like part of your brain wakes up enough for you to be conscious of the fact that the rest of your brain and also none of your body is woken up. This creates a panic to somehow force yourself to wake all the way up. Sometimes, if I am in this state for an extended period of time, I will dream that I *have* gotten up, walked into the kitchen, etc., and the awake part of my brain will the realize that I am dreaming, try again to get me to wake up and move, but then I’ll end up just dreaming that I’m moving and getting up again. I may dream that I’m up and moving five or six times before finally, the awake part of my brain, wills my body to jerk awake and into real, actually awake movement, not just half-awake dreaming that I’m doing it.

It makes me think that that might be what its like for people trying to come out of a coma?

Egh. Gah.

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[kc5jck]

I got an app for my iphone about two weeks ago called “DreamOn.” It was free. One of the features is that you place your pnone on the corner of your mattress while you sleep and it records a graph of your sleep pattern, exhibiting times of deep and not so deep sleep. I’m not sure how accurately it graphs, however. It may be picking up my cat’s pattern as he sleeps near the phone sometimes.

Anyway, it’s free and may be useful and entertaining for some.

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[Saffron]

Tiddler and ashockley, big congratulations on starting medication!

For what it’s worth, this is one of the life-changing jobs my dog does for me that qualifies him as my personal ADHD Therapy Dog. (I described him under Dr. J’s blogpost on the subject.)

Besides helping me stay on track during the day by pawing at me when I need to attend to something or stop hyperfocusing, my canine minder appears at my bedside when my alarm goes off, and wakes me in a firm but nonobnoxious way. As soon as I stir, he paws at me, then jumps up and lies beside me, positioning his head beneath my hand.

Together with his greeting, the softness of his fur always seems to waken my senses and help me come alive. Yes, he gets a quick trip outside and his breakfast out of it, but as this is a breed of dog that needs a job to do, he takes every step (and how it’s done) very seriously. Amazingly, he even adapts to different alarm times on the weekend.

Just thought I’d share, since I have the same problem and this is the first real solution I’ve ever had.

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[ashockley55]

Wow. kc5jck, is the iphone truly amazing? I’ve heard it mentioned a couple times here and there as a major help for ADD folk, and I want one really, really badly.

But, then again..Saffron, your dog sounds pretty amazing too!

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[Robbo]

Wow! cool dog Saffron, I was feeling a little bummed cuz this whole thread is about what might be my biggest challenge in the ADHD spectrum of struggles. I can relate to tons of the stuff you guys struggle with.

My Mom has sleep apnea, she’s never felt better in her life since getting one of those CPAP things. I’m just so dang fed up with endless doctors appointments and being a patient patient. Another issue to ask my doctor about just kills me.

Can ya tell us more about your dog Saffron? we can’t have a dog bigger than 25 pounds in my apartments. I woudn’t want to keep a big dog in a little apt. anyway. I can’t get my hopes up, cuz I’m not home as much as a person with that sort of breed (busy, needs a job) should be. But If I could take him with me. I’m already in a wheelchair. So the service dog thing just might work. And seriously change everything about my life. I carry tongs with me because bending over to pick up the stuff I drop can sometimes trigger pain. I have to turn around if I drop something on the left cuz I just can’t bend as well to the left. I never actually thought about getting a dog. But hmmm. Dogs n me get along excellent. I’m part canine I think. Mainly the lone wolf type. But I wouldn’t mind another canine in my space!, they won’t care about how I decorate my “man cave” huh?

I want to move some time in the next 4 or 5 years. Getting a dog is a very serious commitment. I hope to find out some good info. The dog would be my friend first, there to help me second. It’s a dilemma. I wrote more, but it’s mostly me not deciding yet… I had a cat about 15 years ago, she ate like a queen. Her name was “tiptoe” I was just hanging out on a log by the pond full of goldfish one day, this cat who had been watching me from a distance just “tiptoed” a lil closer each day, totally feral I think. But we hit it off instantly the day she decide I was cool enough. I lived out in the woods in a 5th wheel trailer. Surrounded by redwoods. Paradise.

Exercise is super important. A dog would force me to take him/her our for walks huh? And the exercise would help me in tons of ways… The dog would NEED me.

A herd of yeah butts is descending upon me… overwhelming me.

Coff, grunt

grimace…

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[Tiddler]

Thought this would be a good place to share what I announced in my sleep addled haze when my husband tried to wake me up yesterday morning:

“Not yet! I need incremental wakage!”

True though!

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[shutterbug55]

What a great question!

I have been looking at my sleep habits and what affects my sleep.

I wake up around 6. When my eyes are open, the brain is engaged and going a million miles and hour. When I can, I take the bus to work, where I power nap on the way to and from work.

I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, and wake up thinking and aware.

I go to sleep at night around 12 midnight and start the cycle all over again.

I have done this since I can remember.

Adderall, makes my night time sleep lighter, and my power naps more difficult to do.

While I sleep? I write stories, solve problems and replay conversations I have been working on during the day. My dreams are at times interactive, meaning I can take an active role in them and direct them where I want to go.

I guess for me, “sleep” is something my body needs to rest, but my brain can’t be bothered with such things. I don’t know the mechanics of it, but for me it seems like it is just an altered state of consciousness.

Are there any studies out there that are looking into the brain activity of an ADD brain, vs a “normal” brain in sleep and awake states?

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[Saffron]

Hi Robbo. I won’t lie to you—border collies are a huge commitment. They need to run like a horse at least twice a day, rain, shine or blizzard. A single, on-leash walk is not enough for this breed. For me, that works well because it ensures I get outside and move every few hours no matter what.

However, you get out what you put in with them. They are incredibly intelligent and intuitive, and were in fact bred to be constantly tuned in to and minutely focused on their handler/owner. You can’t be lonely with this dog, because it needs to be with you and monitor you. The flip side is that they don’t do well alone for long periods.

If you decide to go the canine route, you need to start with a young dog that’s been well socialized as a pup, and then enlist the help of a trainer to help shape the behaviours you want. Dog trainers generally love working with BCs, because they catch on lightening fast and have a strong will to please. But small breeds are also often trained as therapy dogs. A trained Jack Russell would be a good potential choice for you in your current set-up, if you were committed to the trips outside, etc., that it would need.

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[Robbo]

Wow! cool,

I know you’re busy so thanks for getting back so quick Saffron. As I was reading your post I remembered that show “The Dog Wisperer” Dang I can’t remember the guys name. It’s on the Discovery channel, I think it was Animal planet that had the “dogs 101” series. I just have basic cable nowadays. TV ate up too much of my time. So I get how border collies are. I’ll probably have to study dog breeds more, possibly get a treadmill for when it’s extremely stormy out, wet dogs can trash even a bachelor pad. Mine has lot’s of plants. But I’ve got the time and patience to train a dog well.

It might be torture rolling through a dog shelter looking for a single breed. Gotta really think about this. I have plenty of time…

I’ve got an all terrain wheelchair, I posted a pic of the model one time. Perfect for very long walk/runs. I remember teens on skateboards with dogs just pulling them around like surfers being towed by jet skis. Can’t remember what channel. (look up “tow in surfing”on youtube. Gianourmous Waves.) If I end up getting a really hyper dog. I’m sure I could rig my every day manual chair to be pulled. In fact my brain already worked out how to do it as I was writing. I could steer the chair just by holding the leash to the left to go right, etc.

When my daughter gets settled into a good job, and I figure out how to live within my means a little better. I’ll be looking into this. I’ll have a spoiled rotten happy dog. Looking foreword to that. I have to admit… Any relationship commitment is a lil scarry for me. Expectations are not my friends. I got tools ta deal with em now at least.

Oh yeah, Seizer Millan? Super cool dude, huh?. And that English/British lady did a show called “It’s me or the Dog” They’re both great. Both had excellent but a lil different approaches to caring for our canines. An excuse to buy another book! hehe.

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[Robbo]

Shutterbug55,

Did that job work out? the thing you posted about a couple months ago? I just read that thread so I’m just curious. This one http://totallyadd.com/forum/topic.php?id=2390 Hope I’m not being nosey. I’m sure I’m the only bloke that cares.

PS. Back to the Waking up in the morning topic. This morning I did some diaphragmatic breathing exercises that I usually do for 1) help with pain, 2) improve blood circulation in my extremeties to prevent pressure sores. I’ve done this before just to help me get energized when the eyes open/alarm blares at me; and it really makes it easier to get up out that mentally paralyzed state of consciousness. http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=diaphragmatic+breathing&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I really like the “incremental wakage” thing from Tiddler though, hehe, It does happen in stages huh? ***grin***

<<” “Not yet! I need incremental wakage!” “>> That’s classic ADHD stuff.

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[Tiddler]

LOL He’s been pulling my leg about it something chronic. I’d forgotten that deep breathing makes it easier. Will look at the link – thanks!

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[Patte Rosebank]

For the past few days, I’ve been re-setting my internal clock, so I’ll be awake and alert when I get off the plane at 7 a.m., London, England time, this Friday morning.

With the help of blackout curtains, a sleep mask, and the knock-out effects of my nightly Seroquel, I’ve been able to go to bed at 6 p.m., and wake up, 8 hours later, at 2 a.m. (or 7 a.m., English time). The hardest part is finding something to occupy myself, so I have a reason to wake up and stay awake, after the alarm clock goes off. As soon as it does, I bound out of bed and turn on every light in the place, including the full-spectrum light I use to ward off Seasonal Affective Disorder in the winter. I’ve also set my wristwatch to English time, and it really does help.

But the strongest motivator of all is the knowledge that I won’t be wasting any of my time in London, trying to get over jet lag. It’s taken me over 2 years of working as many shifts as I can, and saving as much money as I can, to finally get me this trip—my first visit to England in 18 years—and I want to be able to experience as much of it as I possibly can.

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