12/25/2025
New research shows how ADHD medications affect brain activity: they trigger a state of alertness that temporarily overrides the state associated with sleep/rest deprivation. The body/nervous system is seeking to rest and refresh and the drugs are forcing the person into alertness. This is why people who have job schedules that deprive them of healthy sleep time often get attached to either OTC or prescribed stimulants - there is no inherent disorder, just a circadian disrupting lifestyle. Using drugs to stay alert and function does not remove the harm that arises from chronic stress, overstimulation, and sleep deprivation. Mental and physical aging get accelerated and risks for various diseases increase.
ADHD medications work like sleep, not attention boosters, massive brain study reveals. For some kids, focus problems may be sleep issues.
