ADHD & Screen Fatigue: Tips to Stay Engaged with Digital Reading

For individuals with ADHD, digital reading can be challenging due to distractions, screen fatigue, and difficulty maintaining focus. Prolonged screen exposure leads to eye strain and cognitive exhaustion, which hampers comprehension and retention. Adaptive reading tools, such as customizable text formatting and text-to-voice functions, can significantly enhance focus and engagement. By adjusting reading settings, utilizing multi-sensory techniques, and breaking reading into shorter sessions, individuals with ADHD can improve their reading experience.

ADHD people are trying to focus on their reading

Why Digital Reading Can Be Challenging for People with ADHD

For individuals with ADHD, reading on digital screens often feels like a battle against distractions. The constant influx of notifications, the glare from screens, and long, uninterrupted blocks of text make it difficult to stay focused and absorb information. Studies show that people with ADHD experience challenges in sustained attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, which are essential for effective reading and information retention (American Journal of Psychiatry).

Additionally, screen fatigue—caused by prolonged exposure to digital devices—leads to eye strain, mental exhaustion, and reduced comprehension. Research has found that excessive screen time negatively affects focus and productivity, making it even harder for individuals with ADHD to engage with digital content (Association for Psychological Science).

For many, reading long-form text feels overwhelming and frustrating, leading to habits like:

• Skimming through content instead of deep reading.

• Losing their place and re-reading the same lines multiple times.

• Feeling mentally drained after short periods of reading.

• Struggling to retain information after finishing a section.

With ADHD, the challenge isn’t just reading—it’s staying engaged long enough to comprehend and remember what was read. This is where adaptive reading strategies and technology can help.

How to Stay Engaged While Reading on Screens

The key to better focus and comprehension lies in adapting the reading experience to support the unique cognitive needs of ADHD minds. Below are some practical strategies to combat screen fatigue and enhance focus while reading:

🔹 Use Bolded Reading for Better Retention

One major challenge for ADHD readers is that their eyes jump around the page, making it difficult to follow sentences smoothly. Bolded reading—a technique where key parts of words are highlighted—has been shown to improve reading fluency, processing speed, and comprehension. By guiding the eyes naturally through text, bolded reading helps ADHD readers maintain their place and absorb information more effectively.

🔹 Adjust Text Format to Reduce Overwhelm

Dense, unstructured blocks of text are difficult for ADHD readers to process. Customizing text settings—such as increasing letter spacing, line height, and font size—makes words easier to read and reduces cognitive load. Fonts specifically designed for readability, such as OpenDyslexic or Lexend, can further enhance focus.

🔹 Enable Text-to-Voice for Multi-Sensory Learning

Many ADHD individuals benefit from listening while reading, as it engages multiple senses and reinforces comprehension. Text-to-voice technology allows users to follow along with spoken text, reducing the strain of reading and helping them stay engaged for longer.

🔹 Break Up Reading Sessions to Prevent Mental Exhaustion

ADHD brains tend to lose focus after extended periods of reading. Using techniques like the Pomodoro Method—where you read for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break—prevents fatigue and keeps the mind refreshed. Shorter, structured reading sessions lead to better focus and memory retention.

🔹 Minimize Distractions for Deep Focus

Digital reading often competes with constant interruptions from emails, notifications, and social media. Turning on focus mode, using full-screen reading, and muting distractions can help ADHD readers maintain attention.

🔹 Optimize Screen Settings to Reduce Eye Strain

Reading on bright screens for long periods can cause visual fatigue and headaches. Simple adjustments, such as lowering screen brightness, switching to dark mode, or using warm-colored backgrounds, can make reading more comfortable.

How Teggl Helps ADHD Readers Stay Focused

At Teggl, we understand that traditional digital reading methods don’t work for everyone—especially for individuals with ADHD. That’s why we’ve designed customizable reading tools that support focus, comprehension, and engagement:

• Bolded reading: Our adaptive text formatting emphasizes key word structures to guide the eyes smoothly across the page, reducing reading fatigue.

• Text-to-voice function: Convert text into speech, allowing users to listen and read simultaneously for better comprehension.

• Personalized text settings: Adjust fonts, spacing, and colors to create a less distracting and more ADHD-friendly reading experience.

Take Control of Your Reading Experience

ADHD shouldn’t stand in the way of effective reading. With the right tools and strategies, digital reading can become less exhausting and more engaging.

Try Teggl today and discover a smarter, more ADHD-friendly way to read! 🚀

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