Revenge Bedtime Procrastination with ADHD (with Tracy Otsuka and Christine Li, Ph.D.)

Revenge bedtime procrastination is an onerous name for a simple (and common) phenomenon: putting off sleep in favor of “me time” activities - often involving Netflix, social media, and next-day exhaustion. In this hour-long ADDitude webinar with Tracy Otsuka and Christine Li, PhD., learn more about this unhealthy sleep habit, why individuals with ADHD are particularly prone it, and strategies to break the cycle.
Download the slides associated with this webinar here: www.additudemag.com/webinar/r...
7:11 ADHD and Sleep- Related Problems
8:24 What is Revenge Bedtime Procrastination?
10:26 Why do people with ADHD struggle with RBP?
17:31 Your stimulant medication may be affecting your sleep.
14:20 Why Is Sleep Important?
21:45 STRATEGIES FOR ADHD BRAINS TO GET BETTER SLEEP
32:05 How to Build a Bedtime Plan
35:13 HABITS ARE THE KEY TO BEHAVIOR CHANGE
47:53 Q&A
Related Resources:
1. How to Break the Exhausting Habit of Revenge Bedtime Procrastination
www.additudemag.com/revenge-b...
2. How to Change Habits: 4 Ways to Make New Behaviors Stick: www.additudemag.com/how-to-ch...
3. Free Guide for Adults: How to Sleep Better with ADHD
www.additudemag.com/download/...
4. eBook: "How the ADHD Brain Works"
www.additudemag.com/product/h...
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[@garnet0912]

'The quality and quantity of your REM sleep is directly proportional to your life span.' and 'A lack of REM sleep is associated with emotional dysregulation. REM sleep is basically free overnight therapy.' WOW! Those two ideas really hit home.

[@MercyLNgendo]

Oh, wow! I'm watching this 2hrs past my 'bedtime'. I've all along been convincing myself that this is my much needed 'me-time', even though I admit it's possible to squeeze in me-time during other hours

[@KE-xj9vm]

I’m listening to this while trying to fall asleep. I struggle to fall asleep so much, it’s like this weird conundrum, my brain needs something to entertain it while I go to sleep (otherwise I write business plans in my head or act out fictional scenarios is my head that give me anxiety) but now I feel like I’ve trained my brain not being able to sleep at all because it needs constant entertainment

[@jennadee6761]

Please please don't have presenters say "slide" 100 times for those of us who have ADHD! It's SO irritating and distracting I couldn't watch it.

[@qkranarchist3015]

I also just focused on "slide" "slide" "slide" "slide" 😭 I'm not sure if I'll make it through.

[@KaoXoni]

​@@qkranarchist3015stop and reset. Focus on pink elephants and dance a tarantella reciting your home addresses in reverse historical order. But before you start, tie a note to your left hand reminding you to return to this video after you will have successfully forgotten.

[@lindagray1809]

It's only bearable at 2x speed. The information could have been given on one slide.

[@jaeshasway]

Just went to sleep at 3:00 AM this morning. I don’t know how to break the cycle. I can’t function during the day which might cost me my job and weekends are just crash and burn. I can’t get ahead and constantly carrying a backload that is more than any 1 person can do. I’m so frustrated. I’ve sought a clutter therapist and regular therapy, but they’ve not helped me deal with the sleep issue which is the catalyst to dealing with everything.

[@patriciavalencia2674]

Same here. It sucks!

[@mayhu3282]

After struggling with this for a long time, I've started taking a melatonin + valerian supplement and it often does the work, I start yawning soon after and if I manage to not fight it, I can go to bed then (not sure if everyone can take this supplement though). If however I fight that wave, then it's like surfing above it and into a long night of staying awake and doing all kinds of stupid things. I've now recorded two messages to myself on my phone and set them as alarm sounds, once 20 minutes before my desired bed time to go and start bed prep (teeth washing etc and screens off) and one at bedtime. Hope it works, this nasty habit is really wrecking my life.

[@aniE1869]

I think you're spying on me. It's about 11pm, and I'm sewing a dress, while listening to this. 🤣

[@kyotojan]

Valuable insight but I wanted to throw cushions at the screen every time Tracy said "slide". Which was about every 20 words. Even my partner started laughing from the other room. Surely if you can interrupt yourself to ask for a slide change, you can click it yourself?

[@jennadee6761]

YES!!! I made it 5 min in before I gave up because her saying slide made me so irrationally angry! 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@HelloNorthBay]

I was having tech problems. Thank you for understanding.

[@boonybun]

Please, please release a version of this without announcing the slides, or invest in a remote/control the slides yourself. Needing to announce slides multiple times in a minute distracts ftom the content so much 😭

[@NatashaFordyce]

This is made even better by the fact that she sounds exactly like Princess Caroline from Bojack Horseman

[@beteljuice6629]

I tried doing the no technology before bed thing it was physically painful. I now put my phone setting on as little light as possible play a podcast and do a phone game for a little bit. Nothing with steaks just simple. Shortest time is taking me to fall asleep my entire life

[@megansova3692]

Such an excellent presentation. Thank you both so much!

[@KE-xj9vm]

The comments about meds helping sleep or not keeping you awake I agree with, as when I had chronic fatigue I could sleep even with the meds.

[@NonameMarianne]

Excellent presentation. Thank you!!

[@izabelz.5950]

Thank you for those informations ! But... slide ;)

[@beteljuice6629]

I haven't made it to the end of this but I'm up to sleep and shortened lifespan and all I can say is well I'm probably going to be out of here early

[@marthaking108]

Thank you both so much!!!

[@dawnkulan4514]

Oh wow wow wow wow I was literally going to look up this podcast today, been meaning to as I was up til 2 am last night for no reason and I feel awful today and I haven’t done a thing. The struggle is real. Sooo thankful for you all!!!

[@laurelmonterosa7586]

Love this! thankyou so much!

[@NightOwl577]

It's not just women that struggle with this. I'm a man and this is one of the worst adhd problems I'm struggling with because it leads to bad sleep which basically ruins my whole life and throws everything off.

[@Vlasko60]

Exactly. This is my entire life.

[@reneegallison1875]

Yeah, the way she came to that conclusion is problematic. Because she only surveyed her followers, who are mainly women, she can't say it's men too

[@_triff]

Same here, I don’t see any gender relevance. The ‘…parenting, household responsibilities…’ comment in the intro felt lifted straight from the 1950s too. I’ll either ignore the sexism/focus on the content or hop into drag for an hour. Will that work?

[@ktw70]

@@reneegallison1875 Her research is probably focused on women, which is why her talk focuses on women.

[@ktw70]

@@_triff Women are disproportionately responsible for doing care work in households. That's why the talk focuses on women.

[@addyweiler8951]

The last section really solidifies that this was not made by people with adhd; oh yeah let me just casually be consistent. If I didn't have the issue with consistency I wouldn't be here looking for solutions

[@tawseeftaher9109]

being a man, I can fully relate to this!!

[@sakshiudhwani9865]

oh god! I'm watching this on 3 am! OOHHH SO SERIOUSLY BOREDOM IS THE ISSSSUE !!! 😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@addyweiler8951]

The moment I knew this video wouldn't help me? The habit building speech saying brushing teeth at night without thinking is something we already do...actually no it's incredibly hard and not a habit for me.

[@jirivesely5697]

Haha I bedtime procrastinate from 11Pm to 3-8am last 6 years, I have chronic pain and I am so mind-numbingly bored that it is torture. As I can't do anything but watch a wall whole day, nothing I can do simply is more entertaining to me than this. I AM more bored than prisoners in isolation no joke!!! I am trying to go sleep even 500 times from 11pm to 3-8am listening to one song 8 hours. It is catch 22 to be able to go to sleep: I would have to not be bored, but because I can't do anything I Am bored out of my fucking mind and to get healthy I would have to do healthy decisions which I cannot do from boredom, so it is catch22...

[@rebeccagreen7241]

Just want to wish you good luck. Your life sounds tough right now! Good luck! 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

[@jirivesely5697]

@@rebeccagreen7241 You don't have first clue it is so extreme 99.99% don't even believe me and i think i am just crazy :D But i am getting better, and never giving up!!!

[@rebeccagreen7241]

@@jirivesely5697 Hey--that's great!!! That you're not giving up. One day this will be a story you tell that people don't believe, rather than your current life that they don't believe! You'll know you lived it and you came out of it 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

[@jamesdevries1218]

7:11 ADHD and Sleep- Related Problems 8:24 What is Revenge Bedtime Procrastination? 10:26 Why do people with ADHD struggle with RBP? 17:31 Your stimulant medication may be affecting your sleep. 14:20 Why Is Sleep Important? 21:45 STRATEGIES FOR ADHD BRAINS TO GET BETTER SLEEP 32:05 How to Build a Bedtime Plan 35:13 HABITS ARE THE KEY TO BEHAVIOR CHANGE

[@kendralewis2258]

This is when I personally start clowning around… tell me something I don’t know

[@sissimonster]

Why do I have so many negative feelings about this good information?? On one hand, I want to try all these strategies and possibly have good feelings and results. But it sounds HORRIBLE to try it. Really awful! So the other hand just says, "it will always be fu*ked up- I'm paralyzed inside my own stupid ADHD brain who says, "hey you might try this, but it'll be super hard and then it won't even be worth it." I feel like I'm actively tripping myself up (even though I KNOW how messed up it is). Or maybe I'm protecting myself from trying and failing. Because that sucks worse than sleep deprivation. Does it resonate for anyone else that there is a part of self that is somehow comfortable in the struggle- a part that doesn't care about using all the tools and yada, yada, yada- or it says "this is how you are. Just deal with it- I'm probably going to stay that way anyway..."

[@marthaking108]

How to build bedtime plan 32"

[@marthaking108]

@@angk.3267 Don't give up! Also, praise for your valiant 6,894 attempts! I'm not kidding!

[@addyweiler8951]

I can't make myself start the routine; that's my issue

[@paulalixlix]

What I heard during the presentation: blabla blabla SLIDE blablablabla SLIDE blabla blablBla SLIDE...... SLIDE...... SLIDE..... SLIDE.....

[@annetteka]

Early morning *slide* sun *slide* light… my brain’s pon’ a slider, pardon the slid, how bout fundraising her on a fortnight's excursion to a place on our planet where the morning’s so dark you’ll need real shades. Worth a try, might broaden horizons.

[@tawseeftaher9109]

24:01

[@liesel7252]

slide...

[@kayagrace2482]

This would be a useful and informative lecture for those of us with ADHD. In fact, I am watching this at 2:30 a.m. However, I almost crawl out of my skin every time she says, "SLIDE." The lecture was fine with no slides at all. Why the hell are they even there?! This constant "slide" nonsense is making me furious. In fact, I am going to have to turn this off before I waste even more time complaining about it.

[@MM-cl5ik]

Could've replace the word "SLIDE" with next pls .. and gentler .. not like a commander. She is staying in character. :)

[@qkranarchist3015]

The first speaker really sounds like a sales person. I'm waiting for her to hold up a Swiss army knife with 20 amazing features for just $19.99.

[@MM-cl5ik]

Hahhahahhaha She so animated, it's ADHD lols

[@JP-yj3qd]

I ciuldnt listen to this because of the constant ‘slide’. As someone with ADHD that is so annoying to listen to

[@TumblinWeeds]

Just give her the slide button goddammit it can’t be that hard. This is so irritating to watch especially for us when we have difficulty with attention anyway

[@_triff]

Sli...ide?

[@Ariel-pw5ck]

Really wish you could edit out the extremely annoying "slide", which distract thr viewers from what the speaker is conveying. Can't you just give the speaker slide control? I couldn't bring myself to continue despite being interested in the content. Wasted opportunity to share knowledge on "revenge bedtime procrastination".

[@user-yl3mw3vd8b]

This video, however well intended, is pointless because a person with ADHD won't be able to sit around and listen to it for a whole hour.

[@Justin-dg2nn]

Here, let me fix that title for you: "Revenge Bedtime Procrastination: How People with ADHD Can Break the Cycle of Delayed Sleep and Stress" - this isn't isolated to one gender

[@livelovely4681]

Adhd presents itself different in women in men and these two ladies giving this webinar have a clinical focus on women with adhd! Not everything is sexist. This is scientific. Use it as you will or find another video suited to your needs.

[@Justin-dg2nn]

​@@livelovely4681 ADHD does not always present itself differently. This is typical behavior across the board. I never used the word "sexist". Go find another comment more suited to your need to virtue signal.

[@sunder572]

this problems occurs for both men and women but they're specialists in helping women with this problem.

[@reneegallison1875]

​@@Justin-dg2nn they only asked their user base, so they don't have the data to make the conjecture that it affects men too

[@mj_redfoxx]

She needs a slide button , slide ….. slide…. Slide was too much

[@MM-cl5ik]

IKR, after the first few SLIDE, I muted and am here for the comments hahaha🤣🤣🤣