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For some with ADHD, the low rumble of brown noise quiets the brain

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Re: For some with ADHD, the low rumble of brown noise quiets the brain

#282
post #4

Tangential to the article—I didn’t receive an ADHD diagnosis until ~25 when I was at the beginning of my career and struggling much more than my coworkers (ranging from missing important info in long meetings to self starting projects). For meetings, I fell back on tricks I discovered in elementary school—I found that when I drew pictures or doodled, I could pay attention better to what was being said; a partial dist…

One of the companies I worked for had a strong ops culture and so having laptops opening during meetings was part of the culture. I started doing it and found out that I, too, can focus on meetings the entire time if I have my laptop open, as long as I'm not doing too much with it (like coding). If I use it for idle stuff, it's like my brain gets to take little minibreaks and I can focus through a whole meeting. Same as if I have something to do with my hands, like a fidget or bendy wires that I can make things out of.

Re: For some with ADHD, the low rumble of brown noise quiets the brain

#283

This definitely works. I've been listening to brown noise and binaural beats for years now. The problem of course (and I swear this isn't a joke), I inevitably forget how well it works and stop. I'll have it in the background for a week or so while working or going to sleep, but then for some reason I skip a few days and then forget all about it. Then months later I'll notice that I have links in my Spotify and YouTu…

Buy a hardware device, put it on your desk. There’s less chance you will not notice it for months on end.

Re: For some with ADHD, the low rumble of brown noise quiets the brain

#284
post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m guilty of overthinking everything. It’s come in handy as a programmer but it tends to hold me back socially. I’d often think about social interactions ahead of time. My brain would create countless situations that I’d play out. Once I exhausted one situation, I jump into analyzing the next possible situation. On and on I’d go. I’ve only recently been able to quiet down my beehive brain a bit thanks to a few reali…

This resonates with me a lot. I can be quite genial in social settings, but it's extremely taxing to my psyche because I unwillingly rehearse and predict all possible outcomes and how would I react. I catch myself having had a mental back-and-forth between myself and the person I have to meet, and if it's to be a particularly unpleasant occasion, I will have a heated argument all in my head that leaves me upset for h…

Excuse me, sir. Kindly get out of my head, thank you. :)

Re: For some with ADHD, the low rumble of brown noise quiets the brain

#285
post #183

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It is only because of shit opinions like this that the stimulant medications (which many ADHD sufferers are prescribed) are still so difficult to get. Draconian laws based on racist and classist ideals by non-medical professionals created 50 years ago make these life-changing medications difficult to use uninterrupted due to the excessive amount of regulation surrounding just getting them filled at a pharmacy. These…

Stimulant meds difficult to get? Racist? Classist? This must be parody.

Nope, I'm in Alabama, where I cannot get more than 30 days supply at a time, and must meet monthly with a psychiatrist in an area where almost no doctors are taking new patients, and even once you're an existing patient, appointments can be impossible to get. It can take me weeks just to get a call back from my doctor's office. Supply is regularly interrupted, and it can take weeks to get a prescription refilled.

Re: For some with ADHD, the low rumble of brown noise quiets the brain

#287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you become medicated? I was diagnosed but also have High Blood Pressure (HBP), genetics, and most of the meds we tested cause an uncomfortable rise in pressure that just wasn't worth it. My coping mechanisms are what I have left I suppose.

I did, my Blood Pressure is not great either but luckily, not enough to prevent taking anything, but enough to be careful. I'm in ok shape, not the best I've ever been in, but not terrible. I just take something to help reduce my heart rate at night. Unfortunately stimulants don't have much of an affect on me so I take quite a high dose at the moment. I'm doing all the suggested things to help them along, like increa…

Question: what's the issue with citrus in this regard? Does it make long-acting medications not work as intended? My doctor never mentioned anything about citrus so I'm curious. thanks

Re: For some with ADHD, the low rumble of brown noise quiets the brain

#288
post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes I find ambient music to be too dull, but I find music with lyrics too distracting. But if I listen to music with lyrics in language which I don't speak, then I don't get distracted. Spanish mambo works well for me. Also I've recently listened to some operas. Classical music is good and bad. A lot of classical has instruments that I don't like, and some of the music is too erratic for focus.

I use video game soundtracks. They tend to be designed to hit that sweet spot of easy to tune out but engaging enough to placate a distracted brain. A few I can recommend: Samarost 3 Hundered Days Far Lone Sails Far Changing Tides Obduction and Myst series The Red Strings Club Conspiravision (which is a remake of Deus Ex OST) Hyper Light Drifter

Video games and certain movie composers. Ramin Djawadi, Bear McCreary, and Howard Zimmer are on almost constant repeat for me.

Re: For some with ADHD, the low rumble of brown noise quiets the brain

#289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I took them for a few months and then stopped. It felt restorative.

There's so many different meds though... with different effects. And for some people it takes time to figure out which one works best.

I tried just one medicine at different dose levels for a few months and then stopped. Never figured out a long-term solution because I didn't take it long-term.

Re: For some with ADHD, the low rumble of brown noise quiets the brain

#290
post #209
post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lofi-girl helps me too, it's completely out of my traditional musical tastes but there's something in it that makes me start working. I also have to turn it off eventually though, I find I need to revert to silence after a while for some reason. And if I notice a beat or tune I've heard before, it can rip me out of concentration.

The sudden need for silence after needing the audio is such a distinct mood. Interesting that it hits other people. I feel like it’s related to once I hit the point where I’m really into what I’m working on.

Yes it's hard to say. Sometimes it's when I feel like it's a natural time for a break, but also maybe whatever it is (that the audio tickles in my brain) becomes fatigued or used up.

Either way the silence gives a great feeling of relief. I sleep with a noise generator in my room and can't really do without it (tiny noises fill me with adrenaline at night) but when I wake up and turn it off my body loves me for returning the silence.

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