Navigating a Sleepy Brain

I don't much talk about this — directly — but I have a brain disorder.

It sounds dramatic, which is one of the reasons I don't talk much about it... usually mentioning it more "in passing" as having ADHD, which most people have heard of and might even be able to relate to.

But it's not really as simple as that.

Ever since I was a fairly small kid my brain chemistry — that is, the neurotransmitters that regulate my everyday life — have been what the medical profession now call "dysregulated."

That means I can have some rather challenging moments in my day; moments where there is a strange gap between what my brain is telling my body to do, and what I am actually capable of doing.

Sometimes I just can't get moving, even though I really want to... and it has nothing to do with conditions like depression. I just "get stuck," for lack of a better description.

At other times, I might suddenly fall asleep — just for a few minutes — whan I am trying (and needing) the most to be alert and productive.

And no, it's not narcolepsy, as doctors insisted, when I was young.

It's not dangerous, except maybe when I am driving... but I recognize the "pre-onset" so well that I know when to pull over or pull into the nearest parking lot for a few minutes. All I have to do is get out of the car and "think about nothing" for a couple of minutes and everything is fine again.

Best way I can describe the sensation is to imagine that you are going to some destination maybe 10km away, and suddenly it feels like you have been driving for 12 hours straight, without a break and you can barely keep your eyes open!

Of course, when I was a kid and as a young adult, my being was characterized as "having learning disabilities," but that wasn't actually true. Other than it taking a little longer than most people, there's nothing wrong with my ability to learn things.

There's also nothing wrong with my intelligence; by most measures it's in the top 10% of the population, even though I struggle with something now called "Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome" by the medical industry.

Of course, that's part of the cool things about the medical and psychological field: There's always new research and new understanding of how we human beings "work."

The long and the short of it is that I am basically healthy and happy, but often come across as a little confusing to people.

One of the reasons I enjoy writing so much is that writing allows me to temporarily "turn off" for a few minutes/moments, and readers are none the wiser about what came behind the articles they are reading.

Is there anything that can be done about this?

Possibly, but I am not convinced that some of the side effects of the medications are worth the benefits. I am OK with my "creative moodswings" and they don't hurt anyone... aside from maybe my own ability to hold down "normal" jobs.

And that last one is OK, because I'm getting to be too old for it to matter much, anyway!

So why suddenly write about this?

Well, I have long considered Steemit to be a sort of "repository of personal history," so I figured I might as well put it out there, just in case one of the grandchildren (or other relatives) should care to learn more about me... I can point them here.

Otherwise... who knows? Maybe someone will read it, and feel a little less alone in ther world.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Sunday!

How about YOU? Have you ever had any unusual conditions that people didn't really understand? Did you share, or keep them to yourself? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2026.04.19 00:14 PST
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