I’d always heard that adults were supposed to get eight hours of sleep on average, but when it came to me actually getting sleep it was a different story. Between work and family it seemed like there just weren’t enough hours in the day. I’d work during the day, then want to spend time with my family in the evenings, which meant late nights. And of course I liked my early morning gym time, so the alarm would sound at 5:30 AM and I’d be slow and groggy but I’d get up and do it all over again.
It wasn’t until I became more conscious of my health that I focused on my adult ADD. I’d always had trouble focusing without a routine or schedule, but I met a doctor who studied ADD in depth and had ways of diagnosing it specifically as well as setting up a treatment plan. I was on board and excited about what we might find. After brain scans and thorough testing the results were severe adult ADD and brain findings that looked like I’d been exposed to high levels of toxins. It turns out that my brain was actually altered in its appearance because of my chronic sleep deprivation.
Chronic sleep deprivation is when your body, most specifically your brain, doesn’t get enough sleep day after day, week after week. The brain gets rid of toxins while you sleep; it processes and stores everything like memories, thoughts, and feelings. The brain does all the organizing during the sleep cycle, kind of like a mother who cleans the house while the children sleep. But if you don’t get enough sleep those toxins build up. Mine had built up so much that my brain looked like it had been exposed to toxins, similar to people who go through chemotherapy. With this information I knew I had to change everything about my current routines and needed to start getting more quality sleep.
I loved my routines. I liked getting up early and hitting the gym, spending time during the day working, hanging out with my family and catching up, and spending late nights getting work wrapped up. With these results I knew I had to be honest with myself about my sleep and the fact that I was only getting four to five hours at most, most nights. Now that’s chronic sleep deprivation. I had been sacrificing sleep because that’s how I thought successful people did it. Something had to be cut, and I chose to cut sleep. Looking at it now it wasn’t a smart move and I had to change everything. Once the science was staring me in the face, I had to change everything to accommodate more sleep in my lifestyle.
It hasn’t been easy but I’ve changed my routines so I can get more shuteye. I stopped teaching a class at the gym, I still work and spend time with my family but I get into bed much earlier and remember that things can wait until tomorrow. Sleep has to be a priority if I want to live a full and healthy life. I’m glad I see that now and with better sleep have been feeling more alert and active throughout my day.
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Chalene, I feel almost like I’m reading my own story, except that I only found out about the ADD 1.5 yrs ago & have not had any brain scans or sleep studies done. I also have Hashimoto’s disease, so managing my energy is important, as I work FT, homeschool 2 of my 3 little ones (the youngest is only 3yrs old), & just began BB coaching on top of all that! I’ve always been a night owl, staying up late & struggling to get up early (I work out in evenings). I too only get 5-6 hrs/night. The mainstream strategies on managing time, organization, etc. just don’t work for the ADD/ADHD mind. I’ve begun reading “Driven to Distraction” & also got “Smart but Scattered” to read afterward, but are there any ADD/ADHD resources you’d recommend that have worked for you? Thank you SO MUCH! I love what you do!!! God bless, Dalene