Comment by pcthrowaway
1 year ago
I have ADHD as well as irregular sleep. I've had both these issues my entire life. Of course, I do notice reduced focus when I don't sleep enough, and at the same time, ADHD meds can mask these somewhat.
But I assume the reason I have ADHD and not just a sleep disorder is that when I'm well-rested (if I've slept 7+ hours every night for the last week) I still have symptoms of ADHD.
Is it possible that sleep issues as a child, or extended periods of less-than-perfect sleep caused the issues that I now have with focus? Sure.
But ADHD also has a pretty strong genetic link, so I suspect it's more related to inherited neurobiological differences rather than just damage to the brain from a period of poor sleep. I don't doubt that what gets diagnosed as ADHD could also be caused by damage to the brain though, and I also suspect there are multiple kinds of (genetically controlled) neurological atypicalities that get lumped together as "ADHD"
Thanks for the great answer. Reading back my comment I think I worded it too strongly really - I really don't want to imply, like, "maybe people with ADD just need to get more sleep." I'm sure anyone with a lifelong condition has tried every simple solution already. But the similarity of symptoms is interesting.