I am trying to manage my ADHD sympthoms naturally. I don't believe that I should take stimulants until I have my lifestyle habits in order.
I found that sleep quality is the number one metric that determines the level of ADHD sympthoms I experience. I do yin yoga before sleep every day, and have fully quit caffeine. I also make sure to not eat at least 4 hours before bed and to not look at any screens 1 hour before my bedtime. Sleep is absolutely my number 1 priority in life.
Starting my day with some heart-rate elevating exercise is the second most helpful habit. I really got into power yoga during lockdown, I highly recommend it.
Having elevated blood ketones, either through fasting or eating low carb, are the third most helpful tool. My level of focus is just incredible when my body has switched to fats as the main fuel source.
My ADHD is quite manageable this way. I feel like having to work for mental clarity is better for me than relying on amphetamines.
I think a large amount of the ADHD symptoms can be mitigated with lifestyle habits. Proper sleep, moving the body, getting sun, meditating, proper nutrition, managing dopamine disrupting activities (e.g. mindlessly scrolling TikTok or watching porn), etc. all improve ADHD symptoms.
Medication should be the last resort, only for severe cases, or perhaps not used every day so that the brain can recover. 4 day on and 3 days off seem to be a popular dosing schedule by some mindful advocates.
Of course, it’s incredibly difficult to do all the things mentioned above to aid optimal dopamine levels.
The way our society operates, it’s much easier to take the shortcut and pop some amphetamine after you wake up to get your day going.
Exceptions apply to legit, severe cases.
Andrew Huberman has a good podcast about the topic. [0]
I think I have mild ADHD, but I don't need to take meds if I have these life habits that greatly helped me.
* sleep as you mentioned
* omega 3 and multivitamins (including vitamin D)
* exercise in the morning if possible then on the evening if not possible.
* no strong lunches ( eat something that energizes you but for a long time, lately I have been eating just cooked beans and the energy I get from that is very stable and durable, beans is so cheap and so nutritious ) this avoid lethargy feelings after lunch
* not too much coffee not too less, Coffee does help but too much, it actually increases the chatter in my brain.
* One of the latest things I applied is pomodoro and daily TODO, this I feel solved for all my adhd problems. Keeping focus is an habilitie that you can train, forcing to be focus for 25 minutes is a good enough time. I get more work done and get less at the end of the day.
Yeah, as someone with ADHD, good diet, exercise, sleep, etc. are critical for managing symptoms. They're also effectively impossible to maintain consistently without medication.
Stimulants are bad news bro. I was diagnosed as a kid, and my sophomore year of college as well. I also didnt get enough sleep (or low quality sleep), had a terrible diet, etc. You can avoid the grips of amphetamines with regular exercise, mindfulness meditation, keto diet, yoga, etc. It's a bit harder to maintain, but you won't have to take amphetamines.
- DIET: consume as little in the way of simple carbohydrate as possible. Eliminate sugar/HFCS, refined flour; up your intake of whole natural foods, healthy protein, healthy fats. Try taking Omega 3 supplements and see how much better your brain works on that fuel (I take three per day).
- Spot-on about meds.
- Task lists: I'd add if you're overwhelmed, a common state for an ADHD sufferer, "pick one thing, and do it."
- Sleep schedule: I beat myself up for over a decade for my inability to stick to a sleep schedule. Ultimately I'm better without one. I cannot possibly adhere to a 24-hour schedule, so if you have this in common, simply learn to live around it. I'm much better off for accepting it.
- Cardio: For optimal physical health and wellness, cardio and weights are needed. I do more like 1hr cardio 5x per week but do whatever you can.
3. Quit caffeine. It does help with attention for a very short period, but the sleep disruption outweighs any perceived benefit for me. Even a single coffee in the morning I find messes with my sleep.
4. regular exercise several days a week.
I still struggle, but since I've made these lifestyle changes I'm able to compensate much better, and my mood is much improved as well which helps with the self-defeating thoughts that inevitability go along with ADHD. Like you I was previously on stimulants but for multiple reasons opted to get off them years ago.
I've had a pretty similar experience. Get exercise, sleep, food and hydration under control, then (in my case) medication helps me make the most of that structure.
I actually just wrote a giant post [1] about what I've learned about managing ADHD so far. It focuses on the core stuff, but I want to follow it up with a breakdown of how books like Deep Work (e.g. Flow; Farsighted; Thinking, Fast and Slow; How Not to be Wrong) have made a difference for me.
I have ADHD, and I've been on medicine for a while.
I'm passionate about getting proper sleep because it makes a big difference in my performance. I've also seen a big difference in diet. I've noticed a difference when I reduce sodium intake (lunch meats, boxed mac-and-cheese).
I can't put my finger on how to consistently reduce the ADHD symptoms - I try a variety of things.
I know it can be difficult to think putting your health and and mental well-being first especially during stressful bouts.
I’ve had undiagnosed ADHD since I was a teen (now 32) and recently got a diagnosis and started using medication (Vyvanse).
Without a doubt the only thing that has ever come close to helping me feel “normal” has been exercising regularly. Whether it was going for a run, or lifting weights, the stillness you feel through medication is something I only felt after a nice workout.
So that’s what i’d recommend. Put your physical health first, eat better, exercise regularly, and top it off with something low effort but high reward like yoga or meditation. That is the only way.
have you explored alternative prescriptions? I've heard that some doctors insist on starting with non stimulant medications, even though for most people they are ineffective, and even that aside among the stimulant prescriptions, some people only respond to some of them. Also, at least with the stimulant ones, if they're effective, it should be obvious from day 1.
That aside, getting regular sleep where 8+ hrs is an option is important, as is being able to recognize when you're not going to get any work done during a day, and readjust your day plans to accomodate that fact.
also, if you've been diagnosed with the inattentive rather than either the joint or just hyperactive subtype, i've heard that most effective treatment options are different.
But first, if you doctor hasn't prescribed any of the normal stimulant treatments, go yell at him, please. Irrespective of cultural stereotypes regarding stimulants, for those who have adhd and don't have a history of being inclined towards substance abuse, stimulants in the immediately soluble and/or dissolved during digestion over time formulations are by and large the most effective and safest treatment option. Also, even if your activity level and food intake remains the same, you'll probably lose some excess body fat, though presumably you should then adjust your diet and activity level to be more active and to stabilize your weight (as in exercise more, and eating a healthy active person diet).
And to repeat whats definitely been said elsewhere is also important, its all about changing your habits gradually towards what you'd like them to be
this is a solid framework for coping/lifestyle modifications for ADHD.
I'll add nutrition to the list.
And for me personally: time-restricted eating/intermittent fasting (water fasts were not good for me, but time-restricted eating/staying in a 'fasted state' is)
I was diagnosed with ADHD 10 years ago. Tried a few drugs, and while it definitely helped with the ADHD symptoms, the other side effects that affected my daily life were too much.
I switched my diet from a high carb to high protein, high fat. Instead of a bagel for breakfast, I'll eat a couple eggs, a breakfast meat, and every once in a while a piece of toast. Tons of whole fresh fruit all day. Lunch is similar: think a chipotle style meal with a base of protein and rice and some light veggies. More fruit and raw vegetables and nuts for snacks. Dinner is the same thing - protein base but fewer carbs and more veggies. I'll have some candy in the evening from time to time.
I also started lifting weights 3x a week. I love it cause it's the most efficient way for me to exercise - I spend 60-120 minutes in the gym three times and work my whole body. Heavy squats, deadlifts and presses - strengthens the back and hips, makes sitting in a chair much easier, and is a really great vector for activating that hyperfocus we love so much. I read a book called Starting Strength that basically gave me all the info I needed to get started.
Since starting this routine about 8 or 9 years ago, I find I'm sleeping better, my focus is way better, I'm much more pleasant to be around socially, I'm way less impulsive and interruptive, I make fewer stupid rash decisions, and I'm generally in a better, chipper mood a lot more.
Edit: Might add: I drink coffee like it's going out of style and don't find that caffeine really affects my focus all that much - more my energy levels. They're similar but on different axes.
My issues with stimulants is how much they interfered with my sleep; Focalin did have a goldilocks level, but HMO wouldn't cover a high enough dose for me, unless it was ER, which just didn't reliably maintain a theraputic level in my system.
Things that help:
1. No/few simple carbs before lunch (I used to skip breakfast until I realized it wasn't all breakfasts that were the problem). Focusing is hard enough without being drowsy from hypoglycemia
2. Exercise. You'll probably be able to force yourself to run regularly for a week or two and then give up, so find something more interesting. I personally do martial arts that have some form of sparring because competition gets me engaged. Less competitive people might want to find something else; there are several forms of dance that are highly technical, so can be mentally engaging for years.
3. Structure & Boundaries. As swatcoder says in another comment, you just aren't likely to be as "together" as someone who isn't ADHD, so maybe you decide "I'll clean for 15 minutes a day" or "I'll make my bed before eating breakfast" or whatever, but pick small, attainable, measurable goals for the things that are likely to fall through the cracks, and set aside specific times to do them. This will both keep you from looking like a complete slob and also help you feel like an "adult" (which is important for emotional well-being).
Ive been diagnosed with ADHD since I was in 2nd/3rd grade and have been on Ritalin and now Adderall pretty much the whole time. That article sounds exactly like my experience. This morning I have been avoiding working on a project, and I caught myself staring at my computer with my hands ready but I just couldn't start. I do feel that it is my ADHD, but I also feel that there are other emotions involved. It kind of relates to this post https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22124489.
My main piece of advice that I write on every post about ADHD is the following: Get plenty of sleep, exercise, and look into meditating. Using the Waking Up app by Sam Harris has really taught me so much more than I was expecting. For the first time last year I went 3 months without medicine. I wanted to gauge how strong my attention/focus muscle was without medicine. At the end of 3 months I was able to start noticing when I was distracted or in my head and that was such a be improvement for me, because it allowed me to start paying attention again. I also noticed how I was communicating with myself. I went from being negative towards myself because I knew i should be paying attention. To understanding where my mind is at that day and knowing that today might be a harder day than yesterday, but that is okay. Just take it one step at a time.
TLDR: Exercise & Meditation. Mindfulness will help keep you present and away from the endless mind games you can experience with ADHD
As someone who has experienced a bad reaction to ADHD medication after years of using it, I can say that it was a frustrating and difficult time. I felt like I had been relying on the medication to function, but it suddenly stopped working for me and made me feel even worse. I was worried about how I was going to manage my ADHD symptoms without it.
However, I eventually discovered that I could improve my executive functioning skills by getting ten hours of sleep a night and engaging in intense exercise. These changes have made a huge difference for me and have greatly improved my ability to manage my ADHD. I'm glad that I was able to find alternative methods that work for me.
I never have problems concentrating, it’s always motivation and follow through.
For entirely selfish reasons I’ll recommend against taking stimulants because there is a shortage and I don’t want to run out again :). I’ll say finding the right one can help a ton, but you have to realize very early on, what you are feeling is a kind of “high” that will wear off over the course of the never several months. I haven’t seen any data that they are that unhealthy for you long term if you are not abusing them.
What helps me the most is focusing on getting good sleep - and note that it takes over a week to transition from being regularly poorly rested to well rested. And even more, exercise! Sometimes I don’t even realize how bad my symptoms were on some particular day until I get a bunch of sun and lift weights. Also, if you regularly consume cannabis, try taking a week off - for me I find a pretty strong correlation between how much cannabis I'm consuming and how strong my symptoms are.
Outside of general lifestyle choices, I find collaborative work to be much more engaging and help me stay on top of things. “Body doubling” of just being around other people working isn’t effective for me, but actively working or chatting about work with someone else keeps me very engaged.
I have ADHD and have found that being on a strict sleep schedule and really making good sleep a focal point has helped maybe more than taking a stimulant
Meds didn't work for me, they just made me feel in overdrive, and I have a high sense of awareness so I always knew in the back of my mind the drugs were just making me high for a short amount of time. It never felt like real progress.
However, exercise, diet, and prayer cause my symptoms to almost vanish. In particular, keeping sugar content extremely low. Also being aware of my cues when I know my leg is going to start bouncing up and down and the impulse of doing anything _but_ my work is about to kick in (such as viewing this site for hours), and using behavioral modification techniques to mitigate this. Making good habits is especially important for ADHD people. It's not easy, but take comfort knowing it is doable. You can make progress today.
I found that sleep quality is the number one metric that determines the level of ADHD sympthoms I experience. I do yin yoga before sleep every day, and have fully quit caffeine. I also make sure to not eat at least 4 hours before bed and to not look at any screens 1 hour before my bedtime. Sleep is absolutely my number 1 priority in life.
Starting my day with some heart-rate elevating exercise is the second most helpful habit. I really got into power yoga during lockdown, I highly recommend it.
Having elevated blood ketones, either through fasting or eating low carb, are the third most helpful tool. My level of focus is just incredible when my body has switched to fats as the main fuel source.
My ADHD is quite manageable this way. I feel like having to work for mental clarity is better for me than relying on amphetamines.
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