How Sleep Helps My Focus and Motivation Now That I’m #AddyFree
Sleep is beneficial for so many obvious reasons, but for the purpose of our theme of the month, we’re talking about the benefits, particularly for focus and productivity. I wanted to discuss the importance of sleep, and how helpful it is for focus and motivation because as it turns out, two of the main side effects of the "focus drug” we know and (used to) love, is insomnia and difficulty sleeping. Ironic huh?
Luckily, a huge benefit of being Addy Free is that our body is able to form a natural sleep cycle. Remember though, just because we’re off this drug doesn’t mean that we are all of a sudden sleep experts and able to dose off as soon as our head hits the pillow. For those who naturally have a hard time falling asleep (even off Adderall), you will still need to put in the work to get there. The last thing we need is for our community to find a new band aid drug such as Ambien, weed, or Xanax to solve our problems. I don’t have enough time in my day to start a blog called Ambien Free, ya feel me?
First, I’ll name 5 shocking facts I learned about how Adderall/Vyvanse disrupts your sleep. Then, we’ll get into the positive stuff… how sleep improves focus.
here are 5 ways Adderall/Vyvanse disrupts your sleep:
1. Disrupts your Body’s Clock
Adderall/Vyvanse disturbs the body’s natural clock aka circadian rhythm messing with the sleep-wake cycle.
2. Interrupted sleep
Adderall leads to broken sleep, causing frequent awakenings at night.
3. Less sleep in general
Adderall/Vyuvance can shorten your overall sleep duration.
4. Rebound fatigue
When Adderall/Vyvance’s effects wear off you may feel unusually tired.
5. Difficulty Falling Asleep
Especially when taken later in the day, Adderall can make it tough to unwind and feel sleepy during bedtime.
Here are 5 ways sleep improves focus:
1. Restores Brain Function
When you sleep, your brain undergoes various processes that help consolidate memories, process information, and clear out waste products that accumulate throughout the day. This restoration process helps the brain function at its best aka we get that focus we’re looking for.
2. Enhances Attention Span
Sleep plays a vital role in regulating attention and concentration. If you’re well rested, you’re better equipped to sustain attention on tasks. If you’re fatigued, you’re obviously not going to want to focus on a math problem and will choose a less daunting task or quick dopamine hit to keep you awake (perhaps social media?)
3. Optimized problem-solving skills
Sleep helps with problem-solving and creative thinking. When you’re well rested, your brain is better at connecting ideas, recognizing patterns, and coming up with innovative solutions to challenges.
4. mood regulation
A lack of sleep can lead to irritability, mood swings, and increased stress, which can hinder your ability to focus. If you had a quality night's sleep, it will help regulate your emotions and reduce those negative feelings that might create distractions
5. Improved decision-making
Getting enough sleep contributes to better decision-making skills. When you’re well-rested, you’re more likely to make rational informed choices. Sleep deprivation can impair your judgment and make it difficult to prioritize tasks and make sound decisions.
So, What is time blocking?
Time blocking is a productivity technique that involves dividing your day into small blocks of time dedicated to a specific task or activity.
You may think I’m a neurotic type A person, well I am. I’m also a recovering Adderall Addict who chose the drug because I believed it gave me control. When I was getting off the drug, I craved finding control in something and this is a practice that helps with that because you know what your day looks like (which eliminates anxiety) and you have a clear purpose to pursue.
Let’s make it simple
People do this in different ways that work for them but I will give you examples of what works for me based on methods I’ve learned from experts.
the importance of sleep in addy free recovery
Sleep was, and still is, crucial to my recovery. The reason why, is that I LOVE that feeling of being awake and alert; it gives me a sense of control. The initial rush and feeling of extreme alertness I got after taking Adderall/Vyvance is one of the core reasons I loved the drug. That’s why in the first few months of my recovery I noticed that every time I didn’t get a good night’s sleep, I craved the drug the next morning. It wasn’t easy to get past this feeling because I knew that I could avoid the feelings of exhaustion and drowsiness if I just took a pill… but then I fast-forward the tape and reminded myself what came next: a crash after what initially was 4 hours and then 30 minutes that left me more tired than before, irritable, and just wanting more.
I tell you all this so you remember that I get it. I’ve been there and am STILL there in my recovery journey, livin’ Addy Free. But even if not having that crutch was hard at first, I now have the natural tools and confidence to make changes so that I wake up rested and ready to conquer the day. Don’t get me wrong, though. I still drink coffee. You will need to pry that out of my COLD. DEAD. HANDS.
Okay, so now what!?
In this week’s Addy Free challenge, I will give you 3 different methods that have proven to help get a better night’s sleep so you can wake up feeling ready to take on the day ADDY FREE.
Sign up here and join the challenge.
