October 2024

ADHD

• ADHD Explained
• The ADHD Brain 🧠
• Nutrition For ADHD
• Lifestyle Tips For ADHD

Lifestyle Tips For ADHD

An exercise routine at any age leads to epigenetic changes throughout the body, including the brain. Exercise can exert brain growth, specifically in areas of the brain such as the hippocampus, basal ganglia, and frontal cortex, which are fundamental for self-regulation and executive functions.

For developing children, aerobic exercise can expand the size of brain connections, the frontal cortex, and brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine that support self-regulation.

Free play

Free play is vital for children’s development. For young children, free play involves large motor activities, such as running, jumping, and climbing, that allow them to develop problem-solving, coping mechanisms, imagination, and independent learning skills.

 Sports

Sports can play an essential role, as they help kids develop self-discipline and provide social experience. For people with ADHD who excel in sports, it can boost their self-esteem. Some sports, like basketball, tennis, and track, provide ample opportunities for exercise. Others, like Gulf, don’t offer as many chances to stay fit.

Exercise and the brain

Exercise is beneficial because cognitive and motor development happen together. In the brain, areas involved in motor activity are connected to areas of executive functioning, such as the prefrontal cortex.

The motor cortex is the brain area responsible for planning and executing movements. Studies have found increased activity and connectivity in this region in children who exercise, suggesting that exercise can reduce the tendency of people with ADHD to be clumsy or to fidget.

The Basal Ganglia is a group of subcortical structures that play a crucial role in initiating the proper sequences and timing of movement and selecting the most appropriate for a given motor need. Abnormalities in basal ganglia function are often observed in ADHD. Exercise enhances the development of network connections in the basal ganglia, which are lacking in some people with ADHD.

The cerebellum is known for its role in motor coordination, balance, cognitive and attentional processes, learning, and brain plasticity. Cerebellar differences are commonly found in ADHD neuroimaging. Exercises that challenge balance and coordination and include timing and sequence of movement can improve cerebellum development, thus increasing attention and learning capacities.

Exercise that benefits children with ADHD should include complex motor learning, coordination, and aerobic challenge. Free play can provide young children with many opportunities to develop complex motor skills and coordination through running, climbing, and tumbling. Older kids might need more organized forms of exercise, such as rock climbing, dance, basketball, or martial arts.

Exercise and learning

Children with ADHD struggle in school because they find it challenging to focus; therefore, they tend to have academic problems. Exercise improved academic achievement more than tutoring or adding study time.

Exercise was found to improve working memory, reduce impulsivity, increase alertness, and improve academic performance.

Research on the effect of exercise on the performance of children with ADHD found that daily exercise was more effective than a diet and had as much as 50% of the impact of medicine.

Movement practical tips:

• Make sure your child gets an hour of moderate exercise a day. This should include heavy breathing and sweating.
• Exercise at the beginning of the day will help your child focus and perform better in school.
• Include activities that require cognitive challenge and coordination, such as rock climbing, martial arts, and dance.
• If your child excels at a sport, encourage it.
• Always allow the child with ADHD some free play time, whether active or inactive.
• Add an exercise activity if your child’s free play choice is reading a book or watching TV.

Sleep and ADHD

Another area of lifestyle that can help people with ADHD self-regulate is sleep. Many parents of children with ADHD report that their child has sleep problems. These reports are supported by research that found differences in genes involved in circadian clock regulation in children with ADHD.

While we think of sleep as passive, our brains are active when we sleep. Sleep is an essential part of learning.

During sleep, the brain grows new connections, stores memories, and repairs cells. Some research suggests that during sleep, the brain consolidates and stores what we learn during the day. Without sufficient sleep, learning is compromised.

Sleep is also pivotal for the capacity to handle stress and emotions.

Sleep, attention, and self regulation

Lack of sleep causes symptoms that resemble ADHD because sleep is essential to maintain the mental capacities needed for self-regulation.

You don’t need research to tell you that paying attention and self-regulation are challenges without a good night’s sleep. You also know that when you have a sleep debt, your patience is wearing thin, and you struggle to cope with your emotions. Primary sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or an altered circadian cycle, might manifest in symptoms that mimic ADHD.

For the person with ADHD with an already reduced capacity to self-regulate their thoughts, actions, and feelings, insomnia poses an even more complex challenge.

How many hours of sleep should kids get?

Young children should get about eleven hours of sleep, some at night and some napping during the day. School-age kids will benefit from an average of ten hours a night. An average of eight hours of sleep is essential for the well-being of adults.

For many, this means that if school starts at eight a.m. and wake-up time is seven, your child needs to be prepared for bed by eight p.m. and avoid stimulants and electronics by seven. Most children and adults are not getting enough sleep, leading to sleep debt.

Sleep and ADHD might create a vicious cycle where ADHD causes the child to feel restless, so they might have a hard time falling or staying asleep, creating a sleep debt that exacerbates dysregulation.

Bedtime and sleep hygiene

Knowing how crucial sleep is for self-regulation and how many hours of sleep are required for attention, learning, stress, and emotional management is a critical step in the right direction, but getting to bed on time and staying asleep is a challenge for many people, especially those who are struggling with impulsivity.

Does ADHD medication cause insomnia?

When stimulant medication like Adderall is prescribed, I suggest a sleep journal to ensure that the dosage and schedule of meds intake don’t interfere with sleep.

In some cases, the stimulants prescribed for ADHD were found to cause temporary sleep disruption. Nevertheless, research shows that after some time, the body adjusts to the meds, and sleep returns to normal.

The dosage schedule also matters. For some people, short-release medications allow a better night’s sleep than long-release medications. For others, avoiding stimulant meds after noon is helpful. I suggest you talk with your doctor about the best time and dosage.

Practical sleep tips

• Establish a sleep routine – including going to bed at the same time.
• Avoid exercising a couple of hours before bedtime.
• Avoid blue lights, including TV, an hour before bed.
• Avoid a heavy meal an hour before bed.
• Keep the bed only for sleeping. Avoid TV in bedrooms.
• Winding down with a fiction book can benefit your ability to relax.
• A cup of herbal tea can be beneficial for preparing the body for sleep.
• Spending 15 minutes in the sun in the morning helps set the circadian cycle.

If sleep hygiene doesn’t help, consult a specialist to assess for a primary sleep disorder. The most common sleep disorder among people with ADHD is delayed sleep syndrome, a condition in which the circadian cycle is delayed by two or more hours. People with delayed sleep syndrome struggle to wake up in the morning.

Other common sleep disorders are sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.

Exercise and getting adequate sleep are essential for us all, but for the person with ADHD, they are as crucial as the medicine they use.