here is a post from the adhd $ub containing a couple thousand annecdotes showing that it either makes us tired, or has no effect for most people with adhd:
(link in comments else aut0m0d flags this as being about r3dd!t drama)
one of the top comments was a guy saying he drank it to sleep at night,
and i personally wanted to test this on myself, i dont consume much caffeine regularly, i usualy have one cup of coke containing 30mg per day, but today i drank two cups of coffee (the first two of my life it, was fucking disqusting) and 3 energy drinks. i got 8.5 hours of sleep last night, and its 6pm, i feel incredibly tired, and have done all day, the most awake i felt today was in the morning just before my first cup. my heart rate is 58bpm as writing this, which is the same as usual, maybe a tiny bit more. despite me consuming about 350mg, and about half of that was chugged about 45 minutes ago, this is the most tired i’ve felt today.
i’m interested in the science behind why this happens to adhd people?
In: Biology
There is a concept in neurology called “optimal arousal”. (It is not about sex.) The idea is that there is a certain amount of stimulus: sensory input *and* tasks, where a person is most comfortable. If your environment has too little stimulation, you’re bored. If your environment has too much stimulation, you’re overwhelmed. Think about how many drivers turn down the radio while navigating unfamiliar areas: their task is more stimulating than usual, so they have to reduce sensory input to maintain optimal arousal and not get overwhelmed.
People with ADHD generally have VERY HIGH thresholds for optimal arousal. They really do focus on their homework better with music, and they really do like to play their music that loud. They jump chaotically from topic to topic and task to task because they’re constantly chasing every bit of stimulation they can get, like tigers pacing at the zoo. They need more pumpkins full of hamburger in their enclosure, STAT!
Stimulants, well, *stimulate* the brain and central nervous system. Caffeine, for some ADHD people at some doses, stimulates the brain enough that they can sit still, focus on boring tasks, or even fall asleep in a timely manner instead of literally or figuratively pacing. Stronger stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall) and methylphenidates (Ritalin), and SNRIs (Strattera) can have the same effect, but they also have to be prescribed because they’re more likely to make someone with a normal threshold for optimal arousal sick from too much stimulation.
Source: am a pharmacy tech, also have ADHD.
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