An explanation for lost sleep: Late circadian rhythms in those with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder may make them natural night owls
The researchers measured the sleep hormone melatonin in the saliva of 40 subjects and found that its production began 105 minutes later in the ADHD group: at 11:15 p.m., compared with 9:30 p.m. in a control group. They also found that the adults in the control group fell asleep on average two hours after melatonin production began, compared with three hours later for the ADHD group.
.. core body temperature and moving patterns associated with sleep were also delayed in people with ADHD
.. noticed large numbers of people with SAD also had ADHD.
How a CEO With Dyslexia and ADHD Runs His Company
Selim Bassoul of Middleby Corp. tries to focus on the big picture
WSJ: What are some ways that having dyslexia and ADHD affects your leadership style?
MR. BASSOUL: Dyslexia has forced me to be quite conceptual, because I’m not good with detail. I think in general rather than in specific [terms]. That allows me to step back and take in the big picture rather than get bogged down in details. Because of my weaknesses and handicaps, I’ve learned other ways to accomplish the same goal at faster speed.
As a dyslexic you have no choice but to rely on others for help with detail and tactical tasks. You become a great judge of character. You have to select the best team around you.
Ask HN: What is the best way to learn for the easily distracted?
I have ADHD and it has effected every day of my life since I flunked out of Stanford in 1968. I have a few coping skills that might help you. They focus more on things involved in getting an education rather than directly on learning itself, but are never-the-less powerful aids to learning.
First: Some kinds of work are better suited to ADHD folks than others. Try to devise an academic career that focus on these activities. Writing on a word processor is an example. The non-linear aspects of re-writing to improve what you have written is a good fit to the non-linear thought processes ADHD folks live by. Begin with stream-of-thought writing, then re-write as inspiration dictates. Structured and Objective programming also is well suited because visual rigorous structure makes is easy to refresh focus with a glance following a distraction, and strict objective practice isolates a single function into a small package that is easy to complete before attention wanders. That programming takes place in a graphical/word processing environment is an additional advantage for ADHD folks. Graphical work like drawing or painting is easy to re-focus on for the same reasons. Any program that offers a dynamic editing environment that permits non-linear editing or permits ratcheting forward a task and easy review would have similar advantages. Planning any activity or writing and organizing notes using a outline processor works well. The point here is don’t try to work like other folks. find ways to work like you think: non-linearly.
“Compilers as Therapists, or Why Elm is Good for ADHD” by Luke Westby
I have ADHD and struggle to stay focused on things. This has actually been helpful in learning JS since things change as quickly as my attention does, but it makes it hard to finish things. Elm pushes out distractions so I can focus, and at last the first side-project I’ve ever completed is in Elm!