{"id":661007,"date":"2026-03-17T02:13:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T02:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/661007\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T02:13:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T02:13:14","slug":"the-awake-sleep-loop-why-attention-lapses-occur-in-adhd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/661007\/","title":{"rendered":"The Awake &#8220;Sleep&#8221; Loop: Why Attention Lapses Occur in ADHD"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Summary: <\/strong>Have you ever felt your brain \u201cflicker\u201d off for a split second during a boring task? New researc reveals that these lapses are actually caused by sleep-like brain activity occurring while we are awake.<\/p>\n<p>While everyone experiences these brief moments of \u201clocal sleep\u201d when tired, adults with ADHD experience them much more frequently. This study suggests that these sleep-like intrusions are a primary mechanism behind the inconsistent attention, slower reaction times, and chronic sleepiness associated with ADHD.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Facts<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The \u201cLocal Sleep\u201d Phenomenon:<\/strong> Sleep-like slow waves aren\u2019t just for bedtime. They can occur in small, localized patches of the brain during wakefulness, effectively \u201cturning off\u201d specific circuits for a fraction of a second.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ADHD Frequency:<\/strong> The study compared 32 adults with ADHD (off medication) to 31 neurotypical adults. The ADHD group showed significantly higher levels of this sleep-like activity during tasks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Performance Gap:<\/strong> Increased sleep-like activity was directly linked to more frequent lapses in attention, higher error rates, and erratic reaction times.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Potential Treatment:<\/strong> In neurotypical people, using sound (auditory stimulation) during sleep can boost deep-sleep waves, which actually reduces these sleep-like intrusions the next day. Researchers are now looking at whether this could be a new non-drug treatment for ADHD.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong>SfN<\/p>\n<p><strong>New from\u00a0Journal of Neuroscience, Elaine Pinggal, from Monash University,\u00a0and colleagues\u00a0assessed\u00a0how\u00a0sleep-like brain activity in\u00a0awake\u00a0adults\u00a0influences\u00a0sustained\u00a0attention\u00a0during a task.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The researchers compared\u00a0sleep-like\u00a0brain activity\u00a0from\u00a032\u00a0medication-withdrawn adults with ADHD to\u00a031\u00a0neurotypical adults as participants performed a task\u00a0requiring\u00a0sustained attention.<\/p>\n<p>  <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ahdh-sleep-wake-neuroscience.jpg\" alt=\"This shows a brain.\"  \/> This research highlights how \u201clocal sleep\u201d intrusions\u2014slow-wave brain activity typically reserved for deep slumber\u2014can disrupt the focus and performance of adults with ADHD during wakefulness. Credit: Neuroscience News<\/p>\n<p>The ADHD group had more sleep-like brain activity, which was\u00a0associated with\u00a0more\u00a0lapses in attention.\u00a0Further analyses revealed that this activity may drive the relationship between ADHD and attention problems, including task errors, slower reaction times, and sleepiness.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Says\u00a0Pinggal,\u00a0\u201cSleep-like brain activity is a normal phenomenon that happens during demanding tasks. Think of going for a long run and getting tired after a while, which makes you pause to take a break.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone experiences these brief moments of sleep-like activity. In people with ADHD, however, this activity occurs more\u00a0frequently, and our research suggests this increased sleep-like activity may be a key brain mechanism that helps explain why these individuals have more difficulty\u00a0maintaining\u00a0consistent attention and performance during tasks.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In neurotypical populations, auditory stimulation during sleep can boost slow waves, which in turn could reduce sleep-like brain activity the following day while awake. Pinggal says a potential next step could be exploring whether this approach similarly diminishes sleep-like activity during wakefulness in those with ADHD.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Key Questions Answered:<strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q: Does this mean people with ADHD are literally falling asleep while awake?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\"><strong>A:<\/strong> Not in the \u201chead-nodding-off\u201d sense. It\u2019s called \u201clocal sleep.\u201d Think of your brain like a city: while the whole city is awake and active, a few specific \u201cneighborhoods\u201d (brain regions) decide to turn off their lights for a second. If those neighborhoods are responsible for attention, you experience a lapse.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q: Why does this happen more in ADHD brains?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\"><strong>A:<\/strong> The study suggests that for people with ADHD, the boundary between \u201cawake\u201d and \u201csleep\u201d brain states is more porous. When a task becomes demanding or repetitive, the brain \u201ctires\u201d faster and tries to take a micro-break by slipping into these sleep-like slow waves.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q: Can I stop these \u201cbrain flickers\u201d without medication?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\"><strong>A:<\/strong> The research points to a fascinating future possibility: improving the quality of your actual sleep. By using specific auditory tones during the night to strengthen deep sleep, we might be able to \u201creset\u201d the brain so it doesn\u2019t feel the need to \u201cnap\u201d in small patches during the day.<\/p>\n<p>Editorial Notes:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\" class=\"wp-block-list has-background\">\n<li>This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.<\/li>\n<li>Journal paper reviewed in full.<\/li>\n<li>Additional context added by our staff.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>About this ADHD research news<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Author: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#4b262e2f222a0b382d256524392c\" type=\"mailto\" id=\"mailto:media@sfn.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">SfN Media<\/a><br \/><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sfn.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">SfN<\/a><br \/><strong>Contact: <\/strong>SfN Media \u2013 SfN<br \/><strong>Image: <\/strong>The image is credited to Neuroscience News<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Original Research: <\/strong>Closed access.<br \/>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jneurosci.org\/content\/early\/2026\/03\/05\/JNEUROSCI.1694-25.2025\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.jneurosci.org\/content\/early\/2026\/03\/05\/JNEUROSCI.1694-25.2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Sleep-like Slow Waves During Wakefulness Mediate Attention and Vigilance Difficulties in Adult Attention-Deficit\/Hyperactivity Disorder<\/a>\u201d by Elaine Pinggal,\u00a0James Jackson,\u00a0Anik\u00f3 Kusztor,\u00a0David Chapman,\u00a0Jennifer Windt,\u00a0Sean P.A. Drummond,\u00a0Tim J. Silk,\u00a0Mark A. Bellgrove\u00a0and\u00a0Thomas Andrillon. Journal of Neuroscience<br \/><strong>DOI:10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.1694-25.2025<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sleep-like Slow Waves During Wakefulness Mediate Attention and Vigilance Difficulties in Adult Attention-Deficit\/Hyperactivity Disorder<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"p-5\">Attention-Deficit\/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterised by behavioural variability and heightened inattention associated with increased mind wandering (MW) and mind blanking (MB). Individuals with ADHD frequently experience sleep disorders and excessive daytime sleepiness, suggesting interactions between attention and arousal systems.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-5\">Research examining brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) has demonstrated that sleep-like slow waves (SW) during wakefulness are linked to inattention in neurotypical individuals following sleep deprivation, yet their role in ADHD remains unclear.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-5\">This study investigated whether individuals with ADHD present with altered waking SW distribution compared to neurotypical controls and whether SW explain attentional difficulties in ADHD.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-6\">Adults with (n\u00a0= 32) and without ADHD (n\u00a0= 31) completed a sustained attention task while EEG recorded brain activity. Mental state probes (on-task, MW, MB) were embedded within the task. Sleep-like SW reflect cortical slowing and were detected from EEG activity.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-6\">Omission\/commission errors, reaction time (RT), RT variability, mental state reports and subjective sleepiness were analysed. Mediation analysis examined whether SW density explained ADHD-related performance differences.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-7\">Individuals with ADHD exhibited more commission errors, MW and MB, more theta oscillations over fronto-temporal electrodes and higher SW density (SW\/min) over parieto-temporal electrodes. Increased SW density correlated with higher omission errors, slower RTs, greater RT variability, and elevated sleepiness ratings.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-7\">On-task reports were negatively correlated with SW density. Mediation analysis revealed that SW density significantly accounted for ADHD-related attentional difficulties.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-8\">Wake SW may explain attentional difficulties in ADHD, providing a potential mechanistic link between sleep disturbances and attentional fluctuations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary: Have you ever felt your brain \u201cflicker\u201d off for a split second during a boring task? New&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":661008,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[11],"tags":[30388,827,210,517,829,831,1737,108115,1079,279792,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-661007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-adhd","tag-brain-research","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-neurobiology","tag-neuroscience","tag-psychology","tag-sfn","tag-sleep","tag-sustained-attention","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116242101609818679","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661007"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661007\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/661008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}