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Lifestyle Changes for People with ADHD: What Can Help?

Written by:
Rabia Khaliq
MSc in Applied Psychology
Reviewer:
Umar Javed
Dr. MBBS

ADHD can make a person’s life difficult, especially as an adult. Not only is one struggling to maintain relationships and forge ahead in a career against the challenges posed by the condition. Sometimes, they also have to deal with negative perceptions from people.

No single cure for adult ADHD could solve all these problems at once. Medications and therapy help a lot manage the symptoms. However, for those seeking ADHD help, there are certain other steps they can take in addition to therapy and pharmacological treatment to boost their effect.

Self-help tips can help with ADHD and aid medical intervention in the long run. Moreover, they have no side effects. These steps include several nutritional and lifestyle changes for ADHD patients, so let’s review them.

Do you need help to cope with the symptoms of ADHD in your daily life? Contact us to get personalized treatment.

5 Beneficial Habits for ADHD Patients

Below are the tips you can implement in your daily life. However, remember that these changes should not replace therapy and medication. They serve best as a complementary part of the treatment strategy.

Get Sufficient Sleep

Getting sufficient sleep is integral for a well-functioning person. However, adults with ADHD often have poor sleeping habits, compromising the quality and quantity of sleep. Restorative sleep helps regulate moods and improves one’s ability to maintain attention throughout the day, things ADHD patients struggle with. It is also vital in learning because, during sleep, the brain consolidates and replays information it absorbs during the day.

Improving sleep quality [1*] is one of the essential lifestyle changes for ADHD adults They can achieve this by taking steps like:

  • Avoiding screens before bed.
  • Setting up and following a sleep routine daily.
  • Using melatonin supplements to restart their circadian rhythms (requires a consultation with a doctor).
  • Getting sleep therapy.

Sleep disturbances may need professional attention. Take a brief test via SmartCare to check your symptoms.

Exercise Regularly

Exercise can significantly impact patients with ADHD; in some people, the influence can be significant. Exercise [2*] positively affects different brain areas that are crucial in managing ADHD. These include executive functioning, working memory, and attention. Physical activities promote better brain health and improve patients’ learning abilities and brain efficiency.

Patients should aim for half an hour or more of mild to moderate exercise. They can split the time into portions or have one uninterrupted session. Exercise should leave them breathing hard but not at a point of exhaustion. Experts recommend mixing the workouts to incorporate more coordination and muscle learning movements.

ADHD help: how to naturally help ADHD symptoms

Improve Nutrition

Improving nutrition is another lifestyle change for ADHD patients. Good nutrition [3*] plays an important role in improving brain signaling among neurons. Some essential nutrients that should feature in the diet include Omega-3 fatty acids that are available in nuts, fish, and other fatty foods. Other micronutrients like zinc, vitamin D, and iron are also critical for optimum brain signaling. Most patients with ADHD have a deficiency of these nutrients, which negatively affects their focus, impulse control, and attention, among other things.

On top of getting a healthy balanced diet, patients should also look to remove food items that trigger their symptoms. These include sugar, caffeine, dairy, gluten, and other additives.

Practice Meditation

Meditation [4*] is a powerful tool and resource for adults with ADHD. It helps manage the condition’s symptoms like hyperactivity and inattentiveness. It also helps improve their mindfulness (an ability to live more in the present) and reduces mental distraction so that they can execute work duties better with a calm mind. Finally, it also helps them manage their daily stress better, and according to studies [5*] , it helps improve self-compassion and executive functioning.

Lifestyle changes work better if they supplement therapy or medications. Get a professional online help for ADHD at MEDvidi.

Drop Your Bad Habits

Certain habits can only worsen the ADHD condition. Top among these is drug and alcohol abuse [6*] . Patients with ADHD sometimes use alcohol to cope with negative emotions or think that it can reduce their anxiety and tendency to fidget. Unfortunately, these substances only provide short-term relief and leave patients worse off. People with ADHD are also at a higher risk of developing an addiction to alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs.

In Conclusion

The above steps are effective and proven ways to naturally help ADHD symptoms. Beyond just helping ADHD, they are generally healthy lifestyle changes that will improve other facets of a patient’s life and overall well-being. To make the most of these new habits, one should create synergy by adapting all methods and each helping them achieve the next. For example, healthy food should provide them with sufficient energy for working out, resulting in a deep, restful sleep. At the same time, meditation and mindfulness will keep them attentive all day and present in their actions.

If all this feels overwhelming, patients can map out a plan with their doctors, focusing on the main areas first. They should also involve close family or friends to help them stick with the routines and work as accountability partners. Always remember even a little change is better than none. And if you want to know more about how to help reduce symptoms of ADHD, contact MEDvidi doctors and have an appointment online.

Sources

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6 sources
  1. Impact of a behavioural sleep intervention on symptoms and sleep in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and parental mental health: randomised controlled trial. (2015)
    Source link
  2. Emerging Support for a Role of Exercise in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Intervention Planning. (2013)
    Source link
  3. Eating Patterns and Dietary Interventions in ADHD: A Narrative Review. (2022)
    Source link
  4. Mindfulness meditation training in adults and adolescents with ADHD: a feasibility study. (2008)
    Source link
  5. The Feasibility, Effectiveness, and Process of Change of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Adults With ADHD: A Mixed-Method Pilot Study. (2020)
    Source link
  6. The Clinically Meaningful Link Between Alcohol Use and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (2002)
    Source link
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Written by:
Rabia Khaliq
MSc in Applied Psychology
Reviewer:
Umar Javed
Dr. MBBS
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This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.

Our team of experts strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.

This article contains scientific references. The numbers
in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.