How Reading Speed Varies With ADHD Medication and Fatigue

Many people with ADHD notice that reading is much easier at some times than others. Medication timing, tiredness and the time of day all play a part. You can't control all of them, but you can plan your reading around them.

This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber about anything to do with medication.

Medication timing

• ADHD medications help many people focus, but their effect rises and falls through the day.
• Many people find reading easiest while their medication is working best, and harder as it wears off.
• How this feels varies a lot between people and medications. Keep notes and share them with your prescriber; don't change doses yourself.

Tiredness

Being tired makes concentration harder for everyone, and ADHD can make the drop steeper. Poor sleep, which is common with ADHD, shows up the next day as rereading, drifting and slower reading. Even a short break or walk can help for a while.

Reading speed isn't the goal

Reading quickly doesn't help if nothing sticks. Aim for understanding: if you can summarize a section in a sentence, you read it well enough, however long it took. See why ADHD makes you reread paragraphs.

Find your best reading times

1. For one or two weeks, note when you read, what you read and how it went.
2. Look for patterns: times of day, before or after meals, how you slept.
3. Save your best hours for the hardest reading, such as contracts, textbooks or reports.
4. Use lower-focus times for easy reading, skimming or listening.

When focus is low

• Listen instead: Chrome's Reading mode has a Read aloud button. See audio vs reading for ADHD.
• Show less at once: ADHD Reading Focus shows one paragraph at a time and remembers your place.
• Read in short sessions of 10 to 15 minutes, with breaks.
• See how far you've got: Reading Progress Bar shows your progress through a page.

Make the page easier

Bigger text, wider line spacing and fewer distractions help at any time of day. See fonts for ADHD and dyslexia, and for students, reading accommodations for college.