12/27/2025
How do ADHD medications 💊 work? Who can benefit from them? What else can I do for attention 👀?
A study at Washington University reveals the importance of sleep 😴, in supporting students with .
"Stimulant medications affect arousal and reward, not attention networks. Cell. Dec. 24, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.11.039"
'The findings...prescription stimulants enhance performance by making individuals with ADHD more *Alert* and *Interested* in tasks, rather than directly improving their ability to focus. The researchers also found that stimulant medications produced patterns of brain activity that mimicked the effect of good sleep 😴, negating the effects of sleep deprivation on brain activity.'
"These drugs act primarily on the brain’s reward🎉 and wakefulness 👀 centers, rather than on its attention circuitry."
Students with sleep 💤 deprivation showed the *most significant* benefit from stimulant ADHD medications. Their fMRIs showed wakefulness and attention 👀, despite sleep insufficiency, after taking prescribed ADHD medications. There was no statistically significant finding for students taking ADHD medications that got adequate sleep.
This highlights the effectiveness of ADHD medications 💊 for those lacking adequate sleep 💤
Do you get enough hours of ? Do you feel rested upon waking? Do you have enough energy to carry you through the day?
We like to layer sounds ( ), light (pink salt lamp🔮) and (lavender🪻) for relaxation.
Comment below your tips and tricks for restful sleep!
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