How these people deal with those issues — or their failure to successfully deal with them — has a major effect on their ADHD symptoms, and their overall health.

In a recent episode of “Refocused: A Podcast All About ADHD,” hosted by Lyndsay Guentzel and sponsored by ADHD Online, ADHD and sleep expert Stephen Lange, PhD, talked about sleep issues in general and for people with ADHD. Lange is a psychologist who focuses on sleep and ADHD and provides healthcare services to the U.S. Coast Guard as a Coast Guard auxiliarist.

The ADHD and sleep podcast is just one of the recent Refocused podcasts that tackled some important issues for people with ADHD. Here are highlights of three recent podcasts:

Episode 76 — ADHD, Sleep Hygiene and the Recipe for a Good Night’s Sleep Lyndsay and Lange talk about why people with ADHD are more likely to have sleep problems. And they talked about expert tips on improving sleep — including fostering good “sleep hygiene” that can help people sleep. And the challenges in putting in place some of those good sleep hygiene rules.

Lange: “The problem with sleep hygiene is we all know it works and we all know it’s good for us. And we don’t do it. Anything in the list of good sleep hygiene, people resist. For example, ‘No caffeine after 2:00 PM.’ It’s relatively easy to do, except people don’t want to do it. … ‘No nicotine after 2:00 PM.’ Very difficult if you’re a smoker. ‘Getting sun on your face,’ I think, is pretty easy. If I were working in a place that was very negative about taking breaks and stepping away from your desk, I would make a point of talking to my supervisor about a need for that. And maybe get a doctor’s note as a disability accommodation, especially if having ADHD. If I were running a company with employees, I would insist that people take your lunch away from the office, don’t eat lunch at their desk.”

Episode 80 — The Power of Movement: Identifying the Why Behind Exercise

Lindsay talks with Alli Cost, an occupational therapist and a managing partner of Foundation Training, a group that helps people relieve chronic pain through special exercises. Lindsay and Alli talked about how basic and uncomplicated exercise can help anyone, and can be especially helpful to combat symptoms of ADHD.

Alli: “One thing is we start too big (in trying to start exercising). Meet yourself where you’re at. No one starts marathon training running 14 miles. They literally start by getting their pair of shoes and going for a five-minute walk. So start, literally, as small as possible. Smaller than you think, so it’s almost embarrassing. So if your goal is to get out and do some amount of exercise, say, ‘Okay, I’m literally going to go for a two-minute walk. Two minutes. I’m just going to put on my shoes, walk out the door, take five breaths, walk around the block, come back in.’ And getting consistency, because what you want is that routine. … The same way that showering most days becomes part… You just want it to become routine.”

Episode 81 — The Adderall Shortage: Looking at America’s Mental Health Crisis with Michael A. Cohen

Lindsay sits down with Michael A. Cohen, a columnist for MSNBC who has ADHD and wrote an April 29 opinion piece for The Daily Beast news website titled: “The Adderall Shortage is the Mental Health Crisis No One’s Talking About.” Adderall is a prescription medication that is used by millions of people with ADHD. There has been a severe shortage of the medication in the U.S. since the fall of 2022.

Cohen writes in the piece, and reiterates in his conversation with Lindsay, his dismay that the U.S. government and others aren’t taking the ongoing Adderall shortage more seriously.

Cohen explains why he decided to write the opinion piece:

“I saw other people talking about this issue and I realized I wasn’t alone in struggling with trying to find a medication that I usually take. I went through this last winter — where I had like a two-week period where I did not have medication. I couldn’t get the medication I usually use. And it was terrible. It was really difficult to do anything.”

He believes the limited reaction to the shortage from leaders and others without ADHD is because they don’t understand ADHD.

“It’s one of these things where people who don’t have ADHD, it’s hard to understand it. I think for a lot of people, it may not seem like a real crisis. It may not seem like a real problem, because it’s hard to sort of understand what it’s like when you don’t have this kind of medication, and when you suffer from this affliction.”

He says he’s been disappointed in the lack of urgency to the problem in the federal government and on Capitol Hill.

“Millions of Americans take these drugs. Millions. And except one congresswoman from Virginia, the focus on the Hill was non-existent. People just didn’t want to get involved in it. This is a serious issue, and it affects millions of people. And it was striking to me … that in the corridors of power, this wasn’t seen as something that was more important.”

Take a listen to these podcast episodes, and many others, at the Refocused podcast website.

Michael Shipper is a certified personal trainer who has been working with special needs athletes for over 15 years. His philosophy is one of INclusion, not EXclusion. He is the founder of Empowered Sports & Fitness, which works with neurodiverse athletes who may have learning disabilities like ADHD and others. His overall objective is to enable any person, regardless of ability or background, to have an active life through play and ultimately develop a long-term love for exercise.

Michael Shipper links: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Website | TikTok

• Alli Cost, MS, OTR-L, is an occupational therapist and a managing partner of Foundation Training, LLC. She has the drive to empower individuals & communities through simple, sustainable changes. Foundation Training is a cornerstone of how she helps others improve their quality of life. Alli serves as the Education Director for FT and continues to teach/treat as an occupational therapist with a specialty in sensory integration.

Alli Cost links:  Facebook | LinkedIn | Website | FT Streaming

By Beth Levine

Let’s face it, in these confusing times, we are all coping with a lot of stress: the pandemic, the economy, climate change, jobs that expect you to respond at all times, unstable employment, the 24-hour news cycles. And that’s just for starters.

People with ADHD, however, live with an even heightened level of stress. According to the non-profit Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or CHADD: “Researchers who study stress in people with ADHD have even noted higher levels of cortisol, a hormone released when a person feels stressed, than in people who don’t have ADHD. In fact, just thinking about the things that stressed them increased the amount of cortisol present in their bodies.”

Sharon Saline, PsyD, author of What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life, explains: “People with ADHD live at a high baseline of stress because living with a neurodivergent mind is very stressful. You see and experience things differently, and you don’t necessarily get the support you need. You’re struggling with executive functioning skills on a daily basis, and are always on heightened alert that you might be judged poorly.”

And chronic stress can take a huge physical toll on the body. According to the American Psychological Association, always being in fight-or-flight mode can have a negative impact on the body’s musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous and reproductive systems. It increases the risk for hypertension, heart attack and stroke.

Which Comes First — Stress or ADHD?

An ongoing discussion among the ADHD community is: Do ADHD symptoms cause stress, or does ongoing stress make ADHD symptoms worse? Both are true, says Stephanie Sarkis, PhD, author of seven books, including 10 Simple Solutions to Adults ADD: How to Overcome Chronic Distraction and Accomplish Your Goals.

“The symptoms create more stress, and more stress and accompanying difficulties — such as lack of sleep or appetite — can exacerbate ADHD symptoms,” she says.

“It can seem as if one’s stimulant medication isn’t as effective, when it may actually be due to increased stress.”

Taming the Stress Monster

Sarkis says “effective treatment reduces the intensity of symptoms and can decrease the number of stressful situations people with ADHD experience. Since we can’t eliminate all stress, it is important to practice proactive daily self-care.”

She adds: “It’s not so much the stress as your ability to cope with it. So if you have good coping mechanisms in place, your body and your brain can handle stress better and you have fewer lasting impact.”

The standard (and often unhelpful) tips are: do less, make sure you have “me” time and similar suggestions. But what do you do when stuff must get done, when everyone is expecting you to do more, not less? And, truthfully, organizing your life is definitely not your strong point?

Here are some expert recommendations on how people with ADHD can manage and decrease stress:

• Get moving

The Mayo Clinic says that any form of exercise relieves stress by boosting endorphins, a hormone released in your brain that can give a feeling of well-being. Exercise also builds self-confidence.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults do two-and-one-half to five hours per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 75 minutes to two-and-one-half hours per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. But if you can’t fit in full workouts, it’s important to remember that even brief ten-minute bursts of activity can add up.

• Think small

When you look at everything that needs to get done, you don’t know where to start so you don’t. Break every job down into manageable bites. Write down each step and cross them off as you accomplish them.

• Control your technology

The constant bombardment and stimulation of emails, texts and voicemails is very hard for people with ADHD to manage. They can be a significant source of stress.

Sarkis recommends pausing them an hour before bed. “If that’s difficult to do, try shutting electronics off 15 minutes before bed, then increase it to a half-hour a few nights later, then 45 minutes to work your way up to an hour,” she says. “Because when we look at devices, our brain gets more active and (that) inhibits melatonin release. And so, if we shut them off, we’re able to transition better into sleep.”

• Create transition times

You can make those electronics work for you. People with ADHD generally have a hard time transitioning from one focus source to another. Mobile apps or software like Rescue Time keep track of your time and let you know when you have to be finished or go to the next task. Time Timer is a visual timer that lets you see the passage of time.

Saline also recommends leaving an alarm or your phone across the room, so that when it goes off, you actually have to get up to deal with it, thus breaking your fascination with whatever internet rabbit hole you have gone down.

• Establish a routine

Thursdays are laundry days; the dog gets fed at 5 p.m.; your daily walks are at noon. Everyone can have a routine. “Your body gets used to that rhythm, and it becomes easier to follow. You reduce stress by knowing what you will be doing when,” says Sarkis.

• Write it down

You think you can keep it all in your head, but that hasn’t worked in the past. Instead, make visual reminders. Get big erasable calendars and post them at sight level in the most trafficked areas of your house or workplace. If you are waking up at 3 a.m. and worrying about everything that has to get done, get up, make a list and place it where you will have to see it, like on the bathroom sink.

• Stop judging yourself

One of the problems of having ADHD is that you may see your issues in judgmental terms, such as: “I’m hopeless. I can’t do anything right. I always screw up. Why can’t I just do this?”

Remind yourself that these issues have nothing to do with lack of will power; they are a concrete issue of the way your brain works.

Saline recommends that you offer yourself encouragement by trying to notice what’s actually going well.

“There’s been a lot of research that shows that if, at the end of the day, you write down three things that went well or good enough, it can shift you away from pessimism into more positive thinking. It doesn’t have to be huge accomplishments – just three things that made you feel good,” she says.

• Meditation and mindfulness

What’s the worst thing someone can say to you when you are stressed? “Calm down!”

Just saying that makes you more anxious, right? Learning to meditate or be mindful is a way you can calm yourself. Practice it daily and not just in the heat of the moment, and you will reap a cumulative effect.

Saline recommends Headspace and Insight Timer, which are easily accessible mobile apps that can help you slow down and settle down. An added bonus: that can help you sleep better.

• Do relaxation training

Relaxation training techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery or deep breathing can be very helpful. A 2021 study published in Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine found that all of these techniques produced states of relaxation. As with meditation, practice them often; don’t just rely on the effects to kick in when you are in the middle of an anxiety attack.

• Practice makes better … not perfect

Remember: No one can be perfect. In fact, that expectation of perfection is just another stressor. But you can learn to make your load a little lighter.

Sarkis reiterates that more important than the stressors is your ability to cope with them. “If you can practice and implement these skills, they can eventually become a habit and will kick in much more quickly when you need it,” she says.

Exercise for Lack of Focus/Concentration

Is it hard to concentrate on a task long enough to actually get it done?

Yoga might be a good exercise to consider. A 2017 study published in the journal Peer J showed yoga helped children with ADHD improve their focus, concentration and attention.

But yoga is not only an effective treatment for children. The American Psychological Association increasingly sees yoga as an important tool for adults with a wide variety of challenges. The benefits of regular yoga practice — from stronger social ties to reduced anxiety, stress and depression to better sleep — can all greatly benefit adults with ADHD, who are a greater risk for these particular issues.

While there is a larger body of evidence to support the use of yoga for ADHD, experts have also studied tai chi — with its slow, calm, deliberate movements — as a means of improving focus and attention. According to a study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, a group of 8-12 year olds with ADHD showed improvement not only in attention but also impulsive/hyperactive behavior after an eight-week course of tai chi classes. Another study of young adults published in Frontiers magazine found that a course of tai chi produced not only self-reports of improved attention, but also better performance on concentration-related tasks.

Exercise for Excessive Energy

Hyperactivity is one of the symptoms that people tend to think of when they hear the term “ADHD,” particularly in relation to children. Perhaps not surprisingly, a review in the journal Child: Care, Health and Development found that aerobic exercise had a significant impact on symptoms like excessive energy among children with ADHD.

However, aerobic exercise is not just beneficial for ADHD kids. “Adults with ADHD have too much pent up energy — that’s why they call it a hyperactivity disorder,” says Jeffrey Gersent, PsyD, of the Loyola University Health System and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, Ill., in a piece in Everyday Health. “Regular vigorous exercise is the best way to use up that energy and relieve ADHD hyperactivity symptoms.”

Exercise for Executive Function Deficits

Planning, management and other executive functions can be a challenging for those with ADHD. If these problems are not addressed in childhood/adolescence, they can persist into adulthood, notes a metanalysis in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. In this analysis, researchers looked at 21 studies that explored the relationship between exercise and executive function in children with ADHD. The analysis found that physical activity helped with self-control, cognitive flexibility and planning skills. The analysis found that a wide variety of exercises — including running, swimming, basketball and exergaming (digital games where players need to move their body to play) — helped with these important life skills.

Again, studies have found that adults with ADHD also show improvement in executive function due to exercise. In a study published in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, researchers studied a group of college-aged adults and found that those who were physically active on a regular basis showed improvements in skills like self-control. A wide variety of activities led to these improvements, including bicycling, walking, jogging and competitive sports.

Since ADHD is not the same for everyone, the exercises that help will not be the same for everyone either. Luckily, there are a wide variety of exercises to choose from that you can tailor to help your own specific symptoms and that can benefit you no matter how old you are.

Sources:

Peer J

The American Psychological Association

Frontiers

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Child: Care, Health and Development

Everyday Health

The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences

Sign up to receive a monthly review of our top articles about ADHD.

Share this post with your friends​

You have probably read or heard that exercise is good for ADHD symptoms. The problem is this: ADHD is not the same for each person, and there are a wide variety of symptoms that a person can present with if they have this diagnosis. The good news is that there are also a wide variety of exercises that can help improve your own specific ADHD symptoms.

Exercise for Lack of Focus/Concentration

Is it hard to concentrate on a task long enough to actually get it done?

Yoga might be a good exercise to consider. A 2017 study published in the journal Peer J showed yoga helped children with ADHD improve their focus, concentration and attention.

But yoga is not only an effective treatment for children. The American Psychological Association increasingly sees yoga as an important tool for adults with a wide variety of challenges. The benefits of regular yoga practice — from stronger social ties to reduced anxiety, stress and depression to better sleep — can all greatly benefit adults with ADHD, who are a greater risk for these particular issues.

While there is a larger body of evidence to support the use of yoga for ADHD, experts have also studied tai chi — with its slow, calm, deliberate movements — as a means of improving focus and attention. According to a study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, a group of 8-12 year olds with ADHD showed improvement not only in attention but also impulsive/hyperactive behavior after an eight-week course of tai chi classes. Another study of young adults published in Frontiers magazine found that a course of tai chi produced not only self-reports of improved attention, but also better performance on concentration-related tasks.

Exercise for Excessive Energy

Hyperactivity is one of the symptoms that people tend to think of when they hear the term “ADHD,” particularly in relation to children. Perhaps not surprisingly, a review in the journal Child: Care, Health and Development found that aerobic exercise had a significant impact on symptoms like excessive energy among children with ADHD.

However, aerobic exercise is not just beneficial for ADHD kids. “Adults with ADHD have too much pent up energy — that’s why they call it a hyperactivity disorder,” says Jeffrey Gersent, PsyD, of the Loyola University Health System and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, Ill., in a piece in Everyday Health. “Regular vigorous exercise is the best way to use up that energy and relieve ADHD hyperactivity symptoms.”

Exercise for Executive Function Deficits

Planning, management and other executive functions can be a challenging for those with ADHD. If these problems are not addressed in childhood/adolescence, they can persist into adulthood, notes a metanalysis in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. In this analysis, researchers looked at 21 studies that explored the relationship between exercise and executive function in children with ADHD. The analysis found that physical activity helped with self-control, cognitive flexibility and planning skills. The analysis found that a wide variety of exercises — including running, swimming, basketball and exergaming (digital games where players need to move their body to play) — helped with these important life skills.

Again, studies have found that adults with ADHD also show improvement in executive function due to exercise. In a study published in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, researchers studied a group of college-aged adults and found that those who were physically active on a regular basis showed improvements in skills like self-control. A wide variety of activities led to these improvements, including bicycling, walking, jogging and competitive sports.

Since ADHD is not the same for everyone, the exercises that help will not be the same for everyone either. Luckily, there are a wide variety of exercises to choose from that you can tailor to help your own specific symptoms and that can benefit you no matter how old you are.

Sources:

Peer J

The American Psychological Association

Frontiers

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Child: Care, Health and Development

Everyday Health

The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences

Sign up to receive a monthly review of our top articles about ADHD.

Share this post with your friends​

You have probably read or heard that exercise is good for ADHD symptoms. The problem is this: ADHD is not the same for each person, and there are a wide variety of symptoms that a person can present with if they have this diagnosis. The good news is that there are also a wide variety of exercises that can help improve your own specific ADHD symptoms.

Exercise for Lack of Focus/Concentration

Is it hard to concentrate on a task long enough to actually get it done?

Yoga might be a good exercise to consider. A 2017 study published in the journal Peer J showed yoga helped children with ADHD improve their focus, concentration and attention.

But yoga is not only an effective treatment for children. The American Psychological Association increasingly sees yoga as an important tool for adults with a wide variety of challenges. The benefits of regular yoga practice — from stronger social ties to reduced anxiety, stress and depression to better sleep — can all greatly benefit adults with ADHD, who are a greater risk for these particular issues.

While there is a larger body of evidence to support the use of yoga for ADHD, experts have also studied tai chi — with its slow, calm, deliberate movements — as a means of improving focus and attention. According to a study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, a group of 8-12 year olds with ADHD showed improvement not only in attention but also impulsive/hyperactive behavior after an eight-week course of tai chi classes. Another study of young adults published in Frontiers magazine found that a course of tai chi produced not only self-reports of improved attention, but also better performance on concentration-related tasks.

Exercise for Excessive Energy

Hyperactivity is one of the symptoms that people tend to think of when they hear the term “ADHD,” particularly in relation to children. Perhaps not surprisingly, a review in the journal Child: Care, Health and Development found that aerobic exercise had a significant impact on symptoms like excessive energy among children with ADHD.

However, aerobic exercise is not just beneficial for ADHD kids. “Adults with ADHD have too much pent up energy — that’s why they call it a hyperactivity disorder,” says Jeffrey Gersent, PsyD, of the Loyola University Health System and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, Ill., in a piece in Everyday Health. “Regular vigorous exercise is the best way to use up that energy and relieve ADHD hyperactivity symptoms.”

Exercise for Executive Function Deficits

Planning, management and other executive functions can be a challenging for those with ADHD. If these problems are not addressed in childhood/adolescence, they can persist into adulthood, notes a metanalysis in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. In this analysis, researchers looked at 21 studies that explored the relationship between exercise and executive function in children with ADHD. The analysis found that physical activity helped with self-control, cognitive flexibility and planning skills. The analysis found that a wide variety of exercises — including running, swimming, basketball and exergaming (digital games where players need to move their body to play) — helped with these important life skills.

Again, studies have found that adults with ADHD also show improvement in executive function due to exercise. In a study published in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, researchers studied a group of college-aged adults and found that those who were physically active on a regular basis showed improvements in skills like self-control. A wide variety of activities led to these improvements, including bicycling, walking, jogging and competitive sports.

Since ADHD is not the same for everyone, the exercises that help will not be the same for everyone either. Luckily, there are a wide variety of exercises to choose from that you can tailor to help your own specific symptoms and that can benefit you no matter how old you are.

Sources:

Peer J

The American Psychological Association

Frontiers

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Child: Care, Health and Development

Everyday Health

The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences

Sign up to receive a monthly review of our top articles about ADHD.

Share this post with your friends​

You have probably read or heard that exercise is good for ADHD symptoms. The problem is this: ADHD is not the same for each person, and there are a wide variety of symptoms that a person can present with if they have this diagnosis. The good news is that there are also a wide variety of exercises that can help improve your own specific ADHD symptoms.

Exercise for Lack of Focus/Concentration

Is it hard to concentrate on a task long enough to actually get it done?

Yoga might be a good exercise to consider. A 2017 study published in the journal Peer J showed yoga helped children with ADHD improve their focus, concentration and attention.

But yoga is not only an effective treatment for children. The American Psychological Association increasingly sees yoga as an important tool for adults with a wide variety of challenges. The benefits of regular yoga practice — from stronger social ties to reduced anxiety, stress and depression to better sleep — can all greatly benefit adults with ADHD, who are a greater risk for these particular issues.

While there is a larger body of evidence to support the use of yoga for ADHD, experts have also studied tai chi — with its slow, calm, deliberate movements — as a means of improving focus and attention. According to a study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, a group of 8-12 year olds with ADHD showed improvement not only in attention but also impulsive/hyperactive behavior after an eight-week course of tai chi classes. Another study of young adults published in Frontiers magazine found that a course of tai chi produced not only self-reports of improved attention, but also better performance on concentration-related tasks.

Exercise for Excessive Energy

Hyperactivity is one of the symptoms that people tend to think of when they hear the term “ADHD,” particularly in relation to children. Perhaps not surprisingly, a review in the journal Child: Care, Health and Development found that aerobic exercise had a significant impact on symptoms like excessive energy among children with ADHD.

However, aerobic exercise is not just beneficial for ADHD kids. “Adults with ADHD have too much pent up energy — that’s why they call it a hyperactivity disorder,” says Jeffrey Gersent, PsyD, of the Loyola University Health System and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, Ill., in a piece in Everyday Health. “Regular vigorous exercise is the best way to use up that energy and relieve ADHD hyperactivity symptoms.”

Exercise for Executive Function Deficits

Planning, management and other executive functions can be a challenging for those with ADHD. If these problems are not addressed in childhood/adolescence, they can persist into adulthood, notes a metanalysis in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. In this analysis, researchers looked at 21 studies that explored the relationship between exercise and executive function in children with ADHD. The analysis found that physical activity helped with self-control, cognitive flexibility and planning skills. The analysis found that a wide variety of exercises — including running, swimming, basketball and exergaming (digital games where players need to move their body to play) — helped with these important life skills.

Again, studies have found that adults with ADHD also show improvement in executive function due to exercise. In a study published in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, researchers studied a group of college-aged adults and found that those who were physically active on a regular basis showed improvements in skills like self-control. A wide variety of activities led to these improvements, including bicycling, walking, jogging and competitive sports.

Since ADHD is not the same for everyone, the exercises that help will not be the same for everyone either. Luckily, there are a wide variety of exercises to choose from that you can tailor to help your own specific symptoms and that can benefit you no matter how old you are.

Sources:

Peer J

The American Psychological Association

Frontiers

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Child: Care, Health and Development

Everyday Health

The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences

Sign up to receive a monthly review of our top articles about ADHD.

Share this post with your friends​

You have probably read or heard that exercise is good for ADHD symptoms. The problem is this: ADHD is not the same for each person, and there are a wide variety of symptoms that a person can present with if they have this diagnosis. The good news is that there are also a wide variety of exercises that can help improve your own specific ADHD symptoms.

Exercise for Lack of Focus/Concentration

Is it hard to concentrate on a task long enough to actually get it done?

Yoga might be a good exercise to consider. A 2017 study published in the journal Peer J showed yoga helped children with ADHD improve their focus, concentration and attention.

But yoga is not only an effective treatment for children. The American Psychological Association increasingly sees yoga as an important tool for adults with a wide variety of challenges. The benefits of regular yoga practice — from stronger social ties to reduced anxiety, stress and depression to better sleep — can all greatly benefit adults with ADHD, who are a greater risk for these particular issues.

While there is a larger body of evidence to support the use of yoga for ADHD, experts have also studied tai chi — with its slow, calm, deliberate movements — as a means of improving focus and attention. According to a study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, a group of 8-12 year olds with ADHD showed improvement not only in attention but also impulsive/hyperactive behavior after an eight-week course of tai chi classes. Another study of young adults published in Frontiers magazine found that a course of tai chi produced not only self-reports of improved attention, but also better performance on concentration-related tasks.

Exercise for Excessive Energy

Hyperactivity is one of the symptoms that people tend to think of when they hear the term “ADHD,” particularly in relation to children. Perhaps not surprisingly, a review in the journal Child: Care, Health and Development found that aerobic exercise had a significant impact on symptoms like excessive energy among children with ADHD.

However, aerobic exercise is not just beneficial for ADHD kids. “Adults with ADHD have too much pent up energy — that’s why they call it a hyperactivity disorder,” says Jeffrey Gersent, PsyD, of the Loyola University Health System and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, Ill., in a piece in Everyday Health. “Regular vigorous exercise is the best way to use up that energy and relieve ADHD hyperactivity symptoms.”

Exercise for Executive Function Deficits

Planning, management and other executive functions can be a challenging for those with ADHD. If these problems are not addressed in childhood/adolescence, they can persist into adulthood, notes a metanalysis in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. In this analysis, researchers looked at 21 studies that explored the relationship between exercise and executive function in children with ADHD. The analysis found that physical activity helped with self-control, cognitive flexibility and planning skills. The analysis found that a wide variety of exercises — including running, swimming, basketball and exergaming (digital games where players need to move their body to play) — helped with these important life skills.

Again, studies have found that adults with ADHD also show improvement in executive function due to exercise. In a study published in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, researchers studied a group of college-aged adults and found that those who were physically active on a regular basis showed improvements in skills like self-control. A wide variety of activities led to these improvements, including bicycling, walking, jogging and competitive sports.

Since ADHD is not the same for everyone, the exercises that help will not be the same for everyone either. Luckily, there are a wide variety of exercises to choose from that you can tailor to help your own specific symptoms and that can benefit you no matter how old you are.

Sources:

Peer J

The American Psychological Association

Frontiers

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Child: Care, Health and Development

Everyday Health

The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences

Sign up to receive a monthly review of our top articles about ADHD.

Share this post with your friends​

You have probably read or heard that exercise is good for ADHD symptoms. The problem is this: ADHD is not the same for each person, and there are a wide variety of symptoms that a person can present with if they have this diagnosis. The good news is that there are also a wide variety of exercises that can help improve your own specific ADHD symptoms.

Exercise for Lack of Focus/Concentration

Is it hard to concentrate on a task long enough to actually get it done?

Yoga might be a good exercise to consider. A 2017 study published in the journal Peer J showed yoga helped children with ADHD improve their focus, concentration and attention.

But yoga is not only an effective treatment for children. The American Psychological Association increasingly sees yoga as an important tool for adults with a wide variety of challenges. The benefits of regular yoga practice — from stronger social ties to reduced anxiety, stress and depression to better sleep — can all greatly benefit adults with ADHD, who are a greater risk for these particular issues.

While there is a larger body of evidence to support the use of yoga for ADHD, experts have also studied tai chi — with its slow, calm, deliberate movements — as a means of improving focus and attention. According to a study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, a group of 8-12 year olds with ADHD showed improvement not only in attention but also impulsive/hyperactive behavior after an eight-week course of tai chi classes. Another study of young adults published in Frontiers magazine found that a course of tai chi produced not only self-reports of improved attention, but also better performance on concentration-related tasks.

Exercise for Excessive Energy

Hyperactivity is one of the symptoms that people tend to think of when they hear the term “ADHD,” particularly in relation to children. Perhaps not surprisingly, a review in the journal Child: Care, Health and Development found that aerobic exercise had a significant impact on symptoms like excessive energy among children with ADHD.

However, aerobic exercise is not just beneficial for ADHD kids. “Adults with ADHD have too much pent up energy — that’s why they call it a hyperactivity disorder,” says Jeffrey Gersent, PsyD, of the Loyola University Health System and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, Ill., in a piece in Everyday Health. “Regular vigorous exercise is the best way to use up that energy and relieve ADHD hyperactivity symptoms.”

Exercise for Executive Function Deficits

Planning, management and other executive functions can be a challenging for those with ADHD. If these problems are not addressed in childhood/adolescence, they can persist into adulthood, notes a metanalysis in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. In this analysis, researchers looked at 21 studies that explored the relationship between exercise and executive function in children with ADHD. The analysis found that physical activity helped with self-control, cognitive flexibility and planning skills. The analysis found that a wide variety of exercises — including running, swimming, basketball and exergaming (digital games where players need to move their body to play) — helped with these important life skills.

Again, studies have found that adults with ADHD also show improvement in executive function due to exercise. In a study published in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, researchers studied a group of college-aged adults and found that those who were physically active on a regular basis showed improvements in skills like self-control. A wide variety of activities led to these improvements, including bicycling, walking, jogging and competitive sports.

Since ADHD is not the same for everyone, the exercises that help will not be the same for everyone either. Luckily, there are a wide variety of exercises to choose from that you can tailor to help your own specific symptoms and that can benefit you no matter how old you are.

Sources:

Peer J

The American Psychological Association

Frontiers

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Child: Care, Health and Development

Everyday Health

The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences

Sign up to receive a monthly review of our top articles about ADHD.

Share this post with your friends​

Many experts believe that exercise can have much the same effect on ADHD as medications. In book The Exercise Prescription, Dr. Michael Lara, a California psychiatrist and author, notes that exercise can stimulate the growth of nerve cells and brain structure and boosts important neurotransmitters. But not all exercises are created equal. Which ones are the best to help manage ADHD symptoms?

Martial Arts

Martial arts can prove beneficial if you have ADHD. ADDitude Magazine notes that martial arts are not only physical; they are complex activities that help to improve the ADHD brain by strengthening neural pathways and by helping students gain discipline and self-control. Those qualities which can be challenging for those with ADHD. One research study that followed teenagers through a one-and-a-half-year intervention of taekwondo was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Researchers found that taekwondo helped to significantly increase qualities like selective attention.

Aerobics

Aerobics is another form of exercise to consider for ADHD management. In one study published in the journal Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, scientists who looked at children with ADHD found that after 20 minutes of moderately intense cycling, this exercise improved “inhibitory control and attentional resources” in participants. They concluded that aerobics was an efficient way to help with the inhibition deficits often seen in those with this condition.

Yoga

Perhaps unsurprisingly, yoga, with its deliberate and controlled movements, also has potential benefits for those with ADHD. Researchers publishing in the journal PeerJ Life and Environment found that children who took part in an eight-week yoga program performed better and more quickly on visual and perception tests. The scientists noted that yoga, used in conjunction with other therapies such as medication, was a discipline that could help with both attention and inhibition deficits.

Researchers and experts have found that exercise in general has proven to be beneficial for those with ADHD. And these specific exercises do seem to be particularly beneficial. Martial arts, aerobics and yoga are three modalities to consider to help mitigate the attention, self-control and other deficits that often go along with ADHD.

Sources:

The Exercise Prescription

ADDitude Magazine

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

PeerJ

Exercise is good for everyone, and emerging research suggests that exercise can have a particularly beneficial impact on the symptoms of ADHD.

Studies found at PubMed Central, an archive of medical literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine, indicate that exercise reduces ADHD core symptoms and improves executive functions. Physical activity can improve memory and attention, reduce impulsivity and hyperactivity and boost mood.

Aerobic exercise might help most

“Exercise is an important part of treatment for ADHD,” says Carly Claney, a licensed psychologist in Seattle who specializes in ADHD testing and treatment. “Studies have shown that regular aerobic exercise sessions provide some relief from symptoms of the disorder.” A single exercise session, in fact, can result in immediate improvement.

Aerobic exercise ranges from light (swimming, walking) to intensive (running, jumping rope). The intensity is determined by the type of activity and how hard the individual is working. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone reach a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise five to seven days per week. The Centers for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes of exercise every week (for example, 30 minutes a day, five days per week.) The CDC also recommends additional muscle strength training two or more times per week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

Can exercise replace medication?

Medications for ADHD can deliver proven benefits, but further trials are needed to examine whether exercise can serve as a stand-alone therapy for ADHD.

Stimulants that increase dopamine levels in the brain are the first-line medication for treating ADHD. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that regulates emotional response and helps regulate actions that bring about feelings of pleasure and reward. Levels of dopamine are different in people with ADHD than in those without ADHD. Another neurotransmitter — norepinephrine — may also play a role in ADHD.

Exercise triggers a release of dopamine. The “runner’s high” mood boost induced by physical activity has long been attributed to endorphins, but research shows that another class of brain chemicals — endocannabinoids — are also involved. Endocannabinoids increase dopamine in the brain’s reward system and fuel feelings of optimism.

The main issue with exercise as a treatment, however, is sustainability. An individual with ADHD might find it challenging to rely on exercise as a regular routine that’s followed consistently. “As individuals with ADHD may have difficulty focusing on the task at hand, they may also have a difficult time staying interested in a full workout session,” says Claney.

Each workout session might be viewed as one “dose.” Exercise, like medicine, must be repeated regularly in order to provide benefits.

Making exercise work

Jaclyn Paul, author of Order from Chaos: The Everyday Grind of Staying Organized with Adult ADHD, finds that exercise supports the effectiveness of her ADHD meds and helps her feel healthy and content. “For me personally, regular exercise helps increase calm and focus,” she says. “It gives my brain much-needed downtime and releases some of my nervous energy.”

((see below note about deletion of these two paragraphs — TM))

Paul advises anyone with ADHD to start “simple and cheap” on their exercise regime. “There’s a real risk, for some of us, of hyper-focusing on gearing up for a new miracle-cure plan,” she cautions. “The key is to pick something fun, relaxing and low guilt. Something that feels right, not something I feel like I am ‘supposed’ to do. If I have to force myself every day, it won’t last.”

Overall, Paul recommends something that’s easy to stop and start. “ADHDers are vulnerable to disruptions in our routines and habits,” she says. “Something easy to get back into after a lapse will be much healthier in the long run.”

Sources:

Journal of Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation

Carley Claney, psychologist

Frontiers in Psychology

American Heart Association

Neuropharmacology

Order from Chaos: The Everyday Grind of Staying Organized with Adult ADHD

Studies have shown that owning a pet can result in lower cholesterol, and decreased levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, resulting in an overall improvement in mental health. 

Let’s talk about how these amazing creatures can help.

Exercise: Dogs love to walk; they can help you commit to a daily exercise routine. Exercise improves focus and calms the hyperactivity component of ADHD. For kids with ADHD, it is a tremendously positive opportunity for both the pup and child to release energy and exercise. 

Organization: People with ADHD struggle with staying organized, and boundaries, rules, and routines are needed to help us thrive. Caring for our furry kids requires maintaining a schedule: feeding them, potty training, and teaching them how to be social. Once we start to maintain a plan, we tend to carry it over to other things.

Emotional Support: When it comes to companionship, a pet is always loving and understanding. Who doesn’t love snuggles? People with ADHD many times have a difficult time adjusting to social situations and environments. Petting and cuddling with your animals can reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.

While a furry friend can help us improve our mental wellness and live happier lives, it’s essential to know that any pet must be cared for, fed, and treated with love and respect.

Emotional support pets can help adults and children who struggle with ADHD, but be ready to love them and be responsible.

Photo @qrupt

Would you like to determine if you or your child has ADHD, and gain additional resources and help?

We make ADHD assessments easy. Our online platform allows adults and children to be evaluated from the comfort of home with instant 24/7 access, no referrals, and minimal cost.  Our assessment also includes screening for anxiety and depression. The results, provided by a doctorate-level psychologist, are accepted by doctors, schools, and employers across the country.