Living with ADHD

It is about ‘everyone’ living with ADHD

Exercise

Exercise naturally releases a lot of the hormones and chemicals your brain needs to function, and especially if you have ADHD, the release can bring levels up to a more manageable level. Just 20 mins of light exercise regularly throughout the day can make a big difference. Take a walk or run, outside wherever you live, around the block, along the lane, the woods, fields, walk the dog, or if you are at work, take a walk around the area for just 20 mins during a break. Healthy Neuro transmitters are released helping the brain to function better.

Healthy neurotransmitters released into the brain allowing us to feel more positive and encouraged. This impacts performance either mentally or physically

Diet and eating habits

People with ADHD often have a poor relationship with food. Our experience tells us that this could be for one or more of many reasons, here’s a short list:

• An inability to plan shopping leads to ineffective meal plans

• A slightly chaotic lifestyle leads to meals not being planned in advance which leads to poor quality food choices, such as fatty foods or snacks

• A low self-esteem that can further compound issues with food choices, as 'being healthy' isn’t seen as important.

Low Self esteem, weight management

Sleep hygiene

Your bedroom needs to be a very quiet space. The room requirements for a reasonable night's sleep are simple, but rarely followed:

• Darkness, get a blackout curtain

• No TV, video games, phones or tablets etc in the room

• Quiet

• Still air

Your own conduct also has an impact on sleep possibilities:

1. Do not use a mobile phone or tablet for the last hour before bed

2. Try to have a soothing, warm bath about 30 mins before you retire to bed

3. If you are watching a TV programme i.e on Streaming TV catch up TV, don’t follow an episode to the end, finish with 20 minutes still to go. The cliff hangers at the end will hook you and probably entice you to watch, ‘just a little bit longer’, breaking your schedule and affecting your sleep pattern

4. If you are reading a book, don’t finish the chapter, for similar reasons to not finishing an episode on TV

5. Avoid caffeine totally including chocolate late at night

6. Reduce, or eliminate your alcohol intake

Keep the stress levels down so during healthy sleep cycles we empty the stress during REM ( rapid eye movement) leaving us waking up in a positive state of mind to start the day free of stress, anger or anxiety.

The contents of this blog are courtesy of ADHD 360 UK’s leading Autism and ADHD practitioners, who have recently diagnosed me with ADHD in May 2025. Their care plan, post assessment has been very helpful for me. If you feel you may be ADHD or someone you know, take a look at: NHS advice page and follow the instructions to the next steps. Whether you are enquiring for adult, child or young adult, the advice and support is here: ADHD360
NHS - ADHD

“You are not broken, you are just wired differently”