10 Incredible Home Remedies for ADD and ADHD You Should Know

10 Incredible Home Remedies for ADD and ADHD You Should Know

Here you will find the most common home remedies for ADD and ADHD. Even if it is sometimes difficult to find the right home remedy, sometimes it is not that far away. You already have most of the home remedies in your household, as the name suggests.

If you have been diagnosed with ADHD or know someone who has ADHD, you know that treatment options look a little different for each person.

Depending on your age, symptoms, and your body's response to medications, you may skip traditional medications and opt for natural treatments. Fortunately, there are several promising natural options for treating the condition in adults and children.

Just remember to consult your doctor before making any changes to your current treatment plan. Home remedies are great, but they are not a substitute for doctor-prescribed treatment. For some people they can even be harmful.

Attention

ADHD is more than just a stereotype about a person's short, haywire attention span. It makes it harder to concentrate and complete tasks on a schedule – something most of us have to do every day at work or school – making it difficult to be productive. It can also make you forgetful, less organized, and prone to losing things.

Home remedies for ADHD and ADD

Fish oil

Omega-3 fatty acids are known for their brain-boosting properties, and there are many reasons why they make a great addition to a healthy diet. But as it turns out, they can also be useful for relieving the symptoms of ADHD.

Research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids affect serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain and reduce oxidative stress that sometimes occurs in people with ADHD.

Fish oil pills are the easiest way to add concentrated amounts of omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. If you want to try them, you can get them here. You can also increase your omega-3 intake by eating more seafood.

Melatonin

Did you know that sleep deprivation affects everything from your memory to your digestive system? It is well known that lack of sleep can severely impact mental and physical health. For people with ADHD, poor sleep can make it difficult to pay attention.

One way to deal with sleep problems naturally is to take melatonin every night before hitting the pillow. It's a hormone that your body naturally produces to regulate your eyesight, and when your sleep cycle gets messed up, your melatonin levels can get out of balance too.

Taking a melatonin supplement can help you get these levels back to a normal schedule. It is not clear whether melatonin has other effects on ADHD symptoms. And while melatonin is safe for both adults and children in the short term, not as much is known about long-term use.

Try starting with a very low dose (as low as 0.2 milligrams) and working your way up to find your ideal amount each night.

Light therapy

It's important to expose your body to light during the day and darkness at night to keep your circadian rhythm in check - which we know can help you ward off the negative effects of poor sleep.

Even better, an open-label study of ADHD patients found that morning light therapy improved participants' mood and helped reduce their core ADHD symptoms.

If you live or work in an environment without constant access to sunlight (perhaps you work the night shift), you might benefit from adding light therapy to your morning routine (or using it whenever you normally wake up).

Light therapy boxes are commonly used to treat seasonal pattern major depressive disorder (formerly known as seasonal affective disorder) and are available online.

They give your body a boost of sunshine in the morning, which helps you fall asleep more easily at night. If you need to sleep while it's light outside, try using an eye mask to simulate darkness.

zinc

Found in meat, legumes, seeds, nuts, and other foods, this mineral boosts your immune system and helps your body make proteins to support cell membrane growth.

Interestingly, zinc deficiency has similar symptoms to ADHD: inattention, impaired cognitive development and restless behavior. But zinc deficiency does not directly correlate with ADHD symptoms.

If your zinc levels are normal, this treatment probably won't do much for you. But if you or your child are zinc deficient (which is more likely if you're vegetarian or vegan), taking a zinc supplement could reduce your hyperactivity symptoms.

Be sure to talk to your doctor before starting to take any supplement, as too much zinc in your system can also cause problems.

magnesium

Just like zinc supplements, magnesium supplements are only helpful for people who suffer from magnesium deficiency.

However, a 2017 study of children with ADHD found that more than 70 percent of them were magnesium deficient and therefore benefited from taking magnesium supplements.

Diet change

Research has shown that a diet low in processed foods and chemicals, with an emphasis on avoiding food allergens, can help reduce symptoms of ADHD in people of all ages.

If you've never paid much attention to your body's reactions to different foods, consider trying an elimination diet to figure out what you're sensitive to (your nutritionist or doctor can help you with this).

Even if you don't limit certain foods, try to eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, legumes and whole grains and low in sugar, artificial sweeteners, nitrates and dyes.

The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes whole, colorful, fresh foods and lots of fish (remember those omega-3 fatty acids?), is a good place to start if you want to change your diet for the better. Plus, it could help manage your ADHD.

Behavioral therapy

For young children, whose brains and behaviors are particularly malleable, behavioral therapy can help reduce disruptive tendencies.

This can be done with a licensed therapist who specializes in behavioral therapy, and typically parents and children will attend sessions together.

The professional will teach you how to reinforce positive behaviors and create structure that can help your little one stay calm and productive. Adults with ADHD can also benefit from behavioral therapy, but things are a little different.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of mental health treatment that teaches people to focus on the present moment. It is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, which can be side effects of ADHD in adults.

Note that research on CBT as a specific treatment for ADHD is still in its early stages, but its positive effects on anxiety disorders are well known. If you want to find out if CBT is right for you, seek out a therapist who has experience helping people with ADHD.

Probiotics

It's no secret that probiotics have a ton of health benefits, from digestive powers to allergy relief. Now science is increasingly pointing to probiotics as an aid for various mental health conditions.

While research linking probiotics to the treatment of ADHD is still in its early stages, several studies have shown promising effects. Cultivating a healthy gut microbiome can promote a vibrant and well-functioning brain.

fitness

Sometimes there's nothing better than a good sweat to clear your head and calm down.

Research is limited, but preliminary studies suggest a link between an active lifestyle and relief from ADHD symptoms, particularly in children. Exercise can promote brain development and function, which can help children with ADHD concentrate better.

Essential oils

To be clear, research has not confirmed that essential oils have a significant impact on ADHD symptoms. However, some people use them regularly and swear by their positive effects.

A few to try if you're interested: vetiver, cedarwood, and lavender, all said to reduce anxiety and promote a sense of calm.

Natural treatments

Studies have shown that several other natural remedies are useful in treating ADHD, but science does not agree on their overall effectiveness. St. John's wort, ginseng and pine bark extract are just a few of them.

If you haven't found relief through other options, these may be worth trying, but their effects will likely be mild. Always start slowly when trying a new vitamin or herb so you can measure the effects on your body.

If in doubt, ask your doctor or nutritionist to walk you through the proper protocol for starting a new treatment.

To avoid

Sometimes treating ADHD involves simply avoiding certain substances and behaviors. Here are five common triggers:

Food colorings and artificial colors

This is a difficult question because food dyes are in almost everything these days, but a handful of studies have linked consumption of these dyes to increased hyperactivity in children.

Considering we eat about four times as much food coloring as we did in the '50s, it's probably best to skip the coloring in your next batch of sugar cookies.

Gluten (but only if you are already sensitive to it)

More research is needed, but one study found that people with celiac disease and ADHD saw significant improvement in their ADHD symptoms when they followed a gluten-free diet.

The key is to monitor any food intolerances and ensure you are eating a diet that gives your body what it needs.

Getting the right vitamins and minerals and cutting out the foods your body doesn't tolerate can help you keep your ADHD symptoms under control.

High or low blood sugar

While these studies focus on children, research has found that consuming sugary foods and drinks can increase hyperactivity and make it more difficult to pay attention.

On the other hand, low blood sugar can mimic the symptoms of ADHD. It's best to keep your blood sugar levels in the Goldilocks zone to keep your focus razor-sharp.

technology

Technology may have put a person on the moon and brought streaming into your home, but that doesn't mean it's wrong to seek some distance. A study found that too much digital time can increase impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattention in teenagers.

You don't need to break up with your phone, but you may need to have some screen-free time every now and then (especially before bed).

stress

No one actively seeks out stress, and telling them to avoid it can actually feel stressful. Your ADHD itself could be the source of your stress, especially if your symptoms result in missed deadlines and a massive buildup of projects and tasks.

According to a study, stress is even severe enough to cause ADHD symptoms in healthy adults. Knowing all this, it's hard not to crawl under the desk and cry, Robin Scherbatsky style.

Take a deep breath and come with us for a second, because you totally get this (as we hope this article proves).

Plan a yoga class, light a lavender candle, take a few moments of silence to recharge, take a nap, or plan a coffee date with a trusted friend who you can trust and who will make you laugh. (FYI, the stress-relieving powers of all these activities are backed by research!)

And perhaps most importantly, forgive yourself for becoming overwhelmed or giving in to procrastination. You're only human, and you deserve a damn break.

Conclusion

The good news: There are many ways to treat ADHD without relying on traditional medications.

Although it may take some trial and error to find the perfect solution for you or your child, know that everyone reacts slightly differently to each type of treatment.

If you want to reach out to a professional (always a smart move when you're feeling overwhelmed), find a doctor, nutritionist, or therapist who is familiar with ADHD and its symptoms.

It's also helpful to find someone familiar with natural treatments if you want to avoid prescription medications.

And be patient! Change doesn't happen overnight - but the more you know, the better prepared you can be to reduce the impact of ADHD on your life.

The following articles may also help you as they look at the same topic from a different light:

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