Real talk: is this a legit sign of adhd (ie if you relate to this should you start gathering evidence from other data points?) My wife and majority of my friends from my 20s have been diagnosed in the last few years as adults, as well as my elder daughter (and the younger one literally can't hear if she's reading, so i have my suspicions...)

And then this is literally me irl...

[–] snek_boi@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

This, on its own, is not a sign of ADHD and can be explained by other mechanisms.

Here are a few alternative mechanisms:

Maxing out your cognitive load. We can only think so much, so if you think beyond your capabilities, you get overwhelmed and can’t think well. This happens to everyone, regardless of whether they have ADHD or not. Check out Sweller’s cognitive load theory. He has some talks online.
Adenosine buildup. This is a molecule that gets produced while you think. Your brain slowly gets filled with this molecule and it is one of the ways in which you end up feeling tired. You can actually trick your brain into thinking there’s no adenosine; you can drink coffee! Coffee fills your brain with caffeine, which crowds out adenosine. Caffeine, over time, will leave your body, but adenosine will only leave when you rest. That is why reading can feel difficult late at night and easy after a good night’s sleep.

[–] avg@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 month ago

This is certainly one explanation but also birds of a feather...