People with ADHD often experience hyperfocus, an intense state of deep concentration, followed by a crash associated with fatigue and low motivation. This shift happens due to dopamine imbalances, difficulty toggling between brain networks, and mental exhaustion. While the crash can bring mood challenges and strained relationships, hyperfocus also comes with some perks: for example, it can improve productivity, creativity, and skill mastery. By using strategies such as transition rituals, task segmentation, and neurofeedback training, people with ADHD can reap the benefits of hyperfocus while reducing the intensity of the crash.

You’ve been going down a rabbit hole of candle-making for hours. 

Or maybe you’ve been obsessively reading up on prehistory for a week straight. 

Perhaps you’ve poured so much effort into starting a baking business overnight (and shutting it down the next day) that you’ve completely forgotten to run that errand for your friend.

Now that the spark is fading away, you feel depleted – as if someone has turned the switch off. Unexplainably, you lack energy and motivation. All you want to do is lie in bed and watch TV.

Many people with ADHD are familiar with hyperfocus, and many have also experienced the crash that follows. What’s less clear is why.

Why is the ADHD crash after hyperfocus a thing? And what can you do to prevent it or lessen its intensity? We’ve asked Harris Papachristopoulos, a psychologist and psychotherapist with a decade of expertise in neurofeedback, to help us shed some light on the matter.

In this article:

• What’s the ADHD crash after hyperfocus?

• Why the ADHD crash happens: 5 key reasons

• The ADHD dopamine crash may be accompanied by…

• Hyperfocus isn’t all doom and gloom: 3 major perks

• How to hyperfocus sustainably and reduce ADHD crash symptoms
  
  

What’s the ADHD crash after hyperfocus?

In ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), hyperfocus is an intense state of concentration wherein you become completely absorbed in the task at hand – so much so that you might disengage from your surroundings, pay no heed to bodily needs, and forget time. 

According to research, ADHD hyperfocus can occur in the same individuals who often find it difficult to sit still in lecture halls or struggle to concentrate on writing a term paper (a hallmark symptom of the disorder). The difference lies in the level of interest: to enter a state of hyperfocus, the task usually has to be fun or particularly interesting for the person in question.

What happens in the brain during hyperfocus 

When you enter hyperfocus, your brainwave patterns – electrical impulses in the brain measured in Hz that are linked to different mental states – shift into a specific rhythm. Think of it as the ‘beats’ to which your neurons march together. 

While faster brainwaves (such as beta brainwaves) are linked to focus and problem-solving, slower ones (like theta brainwaves) indicate relaxation or drifting thoughts.

As Papachristopoulos explains:

“We typically see increased beta activity, particularly low to mid-beta (12–21 Hz), in frontal and central brain regions. This brain state is associated with sustained attention and task engagement, sometimes paired with reduced alpha and theta, which generally indicate relaxation and diffuse awareness.”

Papachristopoulos also adds:

“Hyperfocus can also involve a rigid alpha suppression, especially in the frontal lobes, which leads to reduced emotional flexibility and situational awareness. This can resemble a ‘locked-in’ cognitive state.”

Think of this as your brain narrowing its spotlight. Since the brain produces more of the fast waves tied to concentration and turns down the slower waves that signify relaxation, it makes sense that you’re locked onto the task so intensely that you might lose track of your feelings or surroundings.

But hyperfocus doesn’t last forever. Papachristopoulos says that the crash that sometimes follows resembles “a neurological ‘rebound’ from extended high arousal to an under-aroused or dysregulated state.”

On a brainwave level, imagine this process as neurons falling out of sync. Alpha waves increase again after having been suppressed, but they do so in an uncoordinated manner – they’re no longer marching in step.

Visual Guide to Brainwaves: What we've learned about the brain from 1M neurotherapy sessions →

Your brain during the crash that follows

Papachristopoulos explains that, alongside an uncoordinated increase in alpha (which marks withdrawal or low drive), there is also an increase in theta (which indicates fatigue and fuzzy thinking). 

Sometimes, the occipital lobe (a visual part of the brain) also shows faster activity, which is linked to overstimulation or anxiety.

This shift can feel like you’ve just plunged from a state of laser-sharp focus into mental fog. 

Although you’ve been focusing on a task for hours, you can now feel your thoughts drifting and eyelids growing heavy, and you might suddenly feel a complete lack of motivation to continue what you found so absorbing just a few hours ago.

Why the ADHD crash happens: 5 key reasons

If you have ADHD and if you’ve ever experienced a heightened state of focus followed by a sharp decline in mood and energy, you’re not alone. Hyperfocus is a common symptom of the disorder, and many people describe it as leaving them with a kind of ‘hangover’ afterward.

 The phenomenon occurs for a few key reasons:

• Dopamine dysregulation: ADHD brains are characterized by differences in dopamine production and regulation. As a key neurotransmitter for reward-based behaviours, dopamine is what motivates us to pursue a task. In people with ADHD, dopamine regulation is impaired, which may result in symptoms like impulsivity, inattention, or hyperfocus: a sharp increase in dopamine activity when engaging with novel stimuli. However, this dopamine activity can drop just as sharply, too, which then leads to the ‘crash.’

• Novelty-seeking tendencies: Due to dysregulated dopamine function and other factors, people with ADHD are more prone to novelty-seeking behaviour. Novel stimuli help them increase the levels of dopamine and other neurotransmitters in the brain, which then improves mood and motivation. However, once the novelty of a new task wears off, the feeling of reward wanes – and you’re either crashing or looking for the next “shiny thing” to maintain the positive feelings.

• Impaired coordination between TPN and DMN: In the brain, the TPN (task-positive network) is active when we focus on external tasks and problem-solving, whereas the DMN (default-mode network) is “turned on” when the mind is at rest, giving rise to daydreaming and self-referential thought. Under normal circumstances, people are able to smoothly switch between the two. In people with ADHD, the “toggle switch” doesn’t work as well. Hyperfocus happens when you are so locked into the TPN mode that you find it extremely difficult to switch back out. After prolonged focus, however, fatigue sets in, and the TPN cannot be sustained. This is when the DMN can emerge quite strongly, alongside exhaustion and mind-wandering, which may bring about negative feelings.

• Mental exhaustion: While hyperfocus can make you feel on top of the world, sustained focus is a lot of effort for people with ADHD. When you concentrate so intensely for a prolonged period of time, the underlying executive functions in the brain (such as attention or self-regulation) are working hard. As you go on, mental fatigue begins to arrive, not to mention that you may not be eating or drinking enough water in the meantime. As a result, you may end up feeling exhausted – and crash.

• Task completion: Our final reason for the ‘hangover’ feeling is much simpler: you’ve completed the task at hand, and you now find yourself lacking in purpose. If you’ve been submerged in a project for weeks, and it has come to an end, your day-to-day might seem suddenly dull. Combined with the symptoms above, this can cause a feeling of depletion and low motivation.
  
  

The ADHD dopamine crash may be accompanied by…

• Unfinished projects and tasks: Now that you’ve emerged out of hyperfocus, you might realize that the house is not the tidiest or that your other projects suddenly require deadline extensions. What’s more, the project you’ve been obsessed with for a while might remain unfinished itself, as the novelty has now worn off.

• Strained personal relationships: ADHD hyperfocus can affect your relationships. For example, you might have cancelled a meeting or two when you were going down a rabbit hole, arrived late to social functions, or let some of your responsibilities slip. Now that you’re crashing, the strained state of your social network might make you feel worse.

• Dysregulated mood and motivation: According to Papachristopoulos, clients experiencing the ‘ADHD hangover’ often report a loss of interest or motivational drop-off, physical fatigue or headaches, irritability or emotional reactivity, and mood dysregulation or anxiety spikes.

• Feelings of shame and low self-esteem: Due to the above, you might be beating yourself up and engaging in negative self-talk instead of being gentle and compassionate with yourself.

This is a powerful mixture of external and internal negativity – one that can make the crash more debilitating. 

The light at the end of the tunnel lies in reframing how you view hyperfocus and implementing effective ADHD hyperfocus strategies that might help you get the best out of your ability to intensely concentrate – while also preventing the crash or lessening its symptoms.

Hyperfocus isn’t all doom and gloom: 3 major perks

Since hyperfocus allows the brain to intensely concentrate for longer periods, it comes with some great benefits:

• Hyperfocus is similar to a flow state: A flow state is characterized by complete immersion and engagement in a task, as well as an altered sense of time and an intrinsic feeling of deep enjoyment. While ADHD hyperfocus is slightly different (for example, people can enter a flow state when engaging in a task that challenges them to the right degree (even if they’re not particularly passionate about it), whereas people with ADHD usually hyperfocus on tasks they find especially fun and interesting), it also gives rise to high productivity. This makes it possible for you to accomplish a lot in a short span of time and feel a sense of joy.

• Hyperfocus can lead to creative breakthroughs: Adults with ADHD reportedly engage and excel in creative fields, and a state of hyperfocus enables them to explore specific subjects in-depth, produce work that reflects their level of passion, and come up with innovative concepts.

• Hyperfocus might speed up skill mastery: Since people with ADHD can achieve high levels of productivity during hyperfocus episodes, they can experience improved performance and acquire new skills quickly. This helps them progress further when it comes to hobbies, career-related skills, or passion projects.

• Hyperfocus allows for hypercuriosity to emerge: Hypercuriosity is the intense drive to learn or investigate a particular topic – one that people with ADHD know all too well. Through hyperfocus, you get to fall down rabbit holes of fascination and pursue new knowledge in ways that feel enriching and might prove beneficial in academic or career-related contexts.
  
  

How to hyperfocus sustainably and reduce ADHD crash symptoms

Now that you have a better understanding of hyperfocus and how it works in the ADHD brain, it’s time to get the best out of it – without crashing afterwards.

1. Escape the TPN trap through transition rituals

As the book ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving With Distraction says, the faulty switch between the TPN and DMN means that you may be forced into hyperfocus – or get stuck in it – when you don’t want to be.

To escape the trap and redirect your focus to other tasks, you can try:

• Setting alarms or timers to ‘shock’ yourself out of hyperfocus (followed by an immediate action rather than a snooze)

• Physical changes, such as standing up and walking or – even better – performing a short aerobic workout like jogging, skipping, or HIIT, which has been shown to improve cognitive flexibility (that is, the ability to disengage from a task and shift your focus to a different activity)

• Scheduled breaks for HRV biofeedback (controlling your breathing and attention to influence heart rate variability and therefore reduce stress and stabilise emotional arousal), as per Papachristopoulos’s advice

• Mindfulness exercises, such as mindful walking, to help calm down your autonomic nervous system and shift your focus to new stimuli
  
  

2. Use neurofeedback training to help regulate the journey out of hyperfocus

Neurofeedback is a type of brain-training that helps regulate your brain activity by providing real-time feedback about your brainwave states. The goal is to help you produce more optimal brainwave patterns (for example, reduce high beta waves to alleviate anxiety symptoms).

According to studies, this type of brain training can be a powerful ADHD aid, and nowadays, you can even do it at home. 

But how exactly does neurofeedback help regulate the transition out of hyperfocus?

Papachristopoulos explains: “Neurofeedback can train the brain to shift more flexibly between activation states. This involves improving alpha flexibility, theta/beta regulation, and frontal coherence – all markers of healthy cognitive flexibility.”

He provides examples:

• “Frontal Sharpen neurofeedback protocols” help the brain reduce excessive slowing that can occur when we’re tired (this is done by inhibiting excessive alpha) while boosting alertness for clearer thinking (by increasing beta engagement)

• “Transition protocols” targeting the central midline and the left occipital lobe with eyes-closed training can reinforce the ability to downshift arousal safely without swinging into a crash

• “Poise protocols” at the top of the head help sustain focus while improving flexibility and emotional regulation

• Using “Frontal Poise protocols” helps balance overactive and underactive brain rhythms, which supports smoother transitions and better self-control

“With practice, clients learn to recognise internal cues and self-modulate their brain activity,” he continues. “This leads to smoother transitions out of focused states without emotional or energetic collapses.”

Could expert-guided neurofeedback help you improve focus? Take the quiz →

3. Segment your task to transition slowly and smoothly

Another strategy is to change how you view the task you’re hyperfocusing on. 

Instead of seeing it from an all-or-nothing perspective, try to segment it into sub-tasks. This way, it’ll be easier to finish off small bits and pieces when you feel you’re about to crash rather than to abandon the whole project altogether or keep going until exhaustion.

Task segmentation can also carry you through the crash if it does indeed arrive. If you’ve been obsessively crocheting for a week, let’s say, and can feel yourself losing motivation, it’s easier to keep up the habit by crocheting for 10 minutes a day (reframe this as ‘one completed session’) instead of giving up completely.

Final Thoughts

ADHD hyperfocus can be both a gift and a curse. Fortunately, it’s possible to benefit from intense states of concentration without the drawbacks that accompany the ‘hangover’ that people with ADHD are all too familiar with.

And remember: hyperfocus isn’t just about chasing novelty and letting go of responsibilities. It can be an immensely joyful and productive state that gives way to creative breakthroughs. 

If you implement the right strategies, you get to reap the pros – with as few cons as possible.

Myndlift provides a personalized expert-guided brain health program that can help you improve your wellbeing by improving your sleep quality, focus, calm, and self-control over mood. Take this 10-second quiz to check if you’re eligible to kick-start your journey for better brain health.