“Why does coffee make me sleepy when I have ADHD?”
Does coffee calm you down instead of waking you up? ADHD brains can respond to stimulants by settling down.
The neurodivergent brain
The brain is the organ behind every neurodivergent trait you experience — from how you pay attention to how you process emotion to how you sleep. Neurodivergent brains use the same basic structures and chemical messengers as any brain, but the tuning is different: different dopamine activity in reward circuits, different balance between excitatory and inhibitory signalling, different default mode network behaviour.
night terrors
Night terrors are episodes of intense fear during sleep that involve screaming, physical movement, and autonomic arousal (racing heart, rapid breathing, sweating). Unlike nightmares, they occur during non-REM sleep with no memory of the event afterwards.
Night terrors affect both children and adults, with higher prevalence in neurodivergent populations, particularly those with ADHD.
They're triggered by sleep disruption, stress, hormonal changes, and sometimes medication, reflecting both neurological and environmental factors.
interoception
Interoception is the ability to notice and identify feelings inside one's body, like thirst or hunger. It also includes the ability to notice and regulate temperature changes or notice pain.