Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a mental health disorder that affects children in majority. It is a disorder that creates loss of attention or distraction from the activity they are doing and seem to be lost in their own world. Parents are not able to judge ADHD symptoms in the childhood due to lack of knowledge and symptoms of ADHD. For children, it is mostly through some concentration loss, poor results, not giving attention in class, impulsive behaviour and things like that. It is important to treat this disorder in early ages in order to control the attention deficit disorder. Today we will look at some lifestyle measures that can aid in controlling symptoms of ADHD in children.
How can lifestyle changes treat ADHD symptoms?
We spoke to Dr. Tanu Chowdhury, Clinical Psychologist from Healthcare Clinic, Lucknow to know details about lifestyle measures being effective in controlling ADHD symptoms. She told that attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome affects almost 7-8% of the total kids’ population below 13 years of age. This disorder does not have a conclusive treatment, therefore it is important to rely on other factors that can lower down the symptoms of this mental health disorder.
Exercise, nutrition and sleep cycle plays an important role in determining the symptoms of ADHD in children. If all these factors are taken care of, then majority of harmful symptoms can be controlled. During attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the child loses of day to day activities that need to be pushed in such a way that he starts taking interest. ADHD is a genetic disorder that could influence how strong or weak the genes of ADHD are present.
Lifestyle Remedies to Treat ADHD Disorder Symptoms
1. Improvement in Sleep Cycle
Sleep is one of the important factors when it comes to treating mental health disorders. This is because lack of sleep affects your neurons carrying information to the brain and vice versa. Sleep can be affected because of various factors such as social media addiction, improper diet, anxiety and nausea. Adequate sleep provides a huge benefit to your body and brain by improving on such problems.
Rest and sleep restore your energy to be more eventful and control your mood. Having a good sleep is related to good mood that helps in elevating symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Restoring energy during sleep has also been linked to better learning skills and brain imaging activities.
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Once kids get addicted to sleeping late and not having a proper sleep cycle, it can be extremely hard to revise their sleep cycle. Hence it is best to engage correct behaviour and time for sleep to control ADHD symptoms. Children may have defiant behaviour as their parent as them to sleep at time, but it is only healthy for them and their health. Proper sleep can aid in treating Attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome in children. Here are some things you need to keep in mind for good sleep of children-
- Do not give them screen time at night, especially close to sleeping hours.
- You may have to give them melatonin supplements with advice of your doctors in order to reset their circadian rhythm.
- Set up a permanent sleep routine for them so that their body clock adjust to it quickly
- Start putting them on behaviour therapy programs in order to control their sleep problems and benefit their health.
2. Try both physical and mental exercises
According to a study by National Institute of Health, sustained exercise can be effective in decreasing and lowering down the symptoms of stress or trauma. Physical activities are beneficial to promote growth in the brain and that improves the efficiency of the child. Relieving trauma, stress, anxiety and restlessness can improve significant symptoms of ADHD in children. Exercises can improve the brain condition and functioning, attention and working memory of the person. Children with ADHD may avoid going out in social or teat sports, but they can start with video games as well.
Here are some tips for exercise to improve ADHD symptoms-
1. Try to send your kids out to play for atleast one hour per day. It is not important that he plays all 60 minutes, but even 15-20 minutes of extensive outdoor games or exercise can improve the response to ADHD.
2. Exercise should grow from moderate to vigorous. If kids with ADHD are given extensive exercise straightforward, then they may not do it. Hence you should make it hard gradually.
3. Aim at providing varied exercise; this improves brain functions as it gets involved in multiple types of functioning process. Involve a workout schedule that makes your children develop muscle learning, coordination and aerobic exercises. This can have a positive impact on ADHD.
4. Work out as a family to encourage your child to participate in outdoor games that provides both fun and increases likelihood for that activity.
5. Experiment with different games and activities for your child that can help him in providing better neuron response.
6. Encourage your children to discover and engage in outdoor activities, sports and different kinds of activities. If they are not comfortable getting along with other kids, then make them go easy with themselves and play some indoor sports that involves their thinking and cognitive skills.
7. Do not make them stick to a rigid routine that does not allow them to explore. Even little changes in their schedule are necessary to make them more involved with outside world and be less lost.
3. Nutritional Changes for ADHD
Food plays an important role in determining the changes in the body. It is helpful for both physical and mental development of children and thus can aid symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome. You must be careful about diet you are giving to your kids that it does not trigger symptoms of ADHD. Here are some nutritional changes you must apply in order to control ADHD in children.
The brain is mostly is made up of fatty cells around the neurons. The neurones are responsible to signal the brain from different parts of the body. According to several researches, omega-3 fatty acids have been found effective in providing beneficial nutrients to brain and improving signal strength. This helps to relieve ADHD symptoms in kids. You can get omega-3 fatty acids from food such as fish and nuts.
Brain signalling also requires nutrients such as zinc, iron and vitamin D to function effectively. If these nutrients are in deficit then it can cause nutrient deficiency in children which may cause symptoms of attention deficit disorder to rise. Clinical Psychologist gives some steps in order to provide right amount of nutrition to your kids-
1. Eliminate or decrease the use of caffeine for your kids. It elevates symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children; hence it is best to avoid it.
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2. Add some cold water fish or fish oil supplements to your diet of children. This will give them energy to fight symptoms of ADHD in their body. Children below the age of 13 years must have at least 1000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids in a day to control disorder and improve mental health. Fish oil supplements can also do the job for you.
3. Check for mineral deficiencies if any, provide your child with supplements to fulfil that deficiency as it can trigger symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
4. Eliminate any kind of trigger foods- sugar, gluten, dairy and food additives can worsen the symptoms of this mental health disorder. You must eliminate these foods from your diet in order to maintain healthy nutrition and diet for your children to cure attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Take help of a dietician or nutritionist to provide you with a proper diet chart for ADHD.
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