Can Meditation Help with ADHD?

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What are your ambitions in life? Almost everyone will be able to answer this question. The responses will no doubt be wide and varied, but it’s very rare that you’ll meet someone with no goals, hopes or aspirations in life. They don’t have to be grandiose, it’s certainly not feasible that all of us can become formulae one racing drivers, or possess the vocal chords to impress a stadium full of screaming fans. But we all have goals in life. Without them, well, what’s the point!

Ambition is healthy and natural, it ensures we never sit still and challenge ourselves to be the best we possibly can be. Without it the pyramids wouldn’t have been built, America would never have been discovered and the moon could still be seen as a giant lump of cheese.

The challenge is often turning these ambitions into a reality. To reach our goals we often require dedication, focus and the ability to continue when we feel like throwing in the towel. Olympic champions undoubtedly get bored and fed up with running, rowing or throwing things on cold winters morning, but they keep going, single minded in the pursuit of their goals.

It therefore must sometimes be incredibly frustrating for those suffering with ADHD. To regularly experience problems with attention and focus must at times be infuriating. It can lead to poor performance at school, in the work place, and is certainly not conducive to reaching all of life’s goals. While it’s not impossible and I’m sure there are many wonderful examples of ADHD sufferers who have achieved all their goals in life, it certainly can’t help.

Research is starting to show that one thing that could help with ADHD is the daily practice of meditation. Results are both exciting and full of promise. The simple premise is that the stress and ADHD are interconnected, reduce the stress in your life and you will in turn reduce the symptoms or the onset of ADHD.

 

The relationship between stress and ADHD

The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain that controls our executive decision-making. When working correctly it communicates with other areas of our brain to assist in problem solving, our emotions and our impulses. If the neural connections between our prefrontal cortex and other areas of our brain aren’t properly formed (1), then children are more prone to aggression, conduct disorder, delinquency, anti-social behavior, anxiety and depression. All symptoms associated with ADHD.

The neuronal connections between our prefrontal cortex and other areas of our brain are inhibited when we experience prolonged exposure to stress. Chronic stress damages and can even kill these important neuronal connections. Research from the Department of Psychological Medicine and Neuropathology (2) found that in certain cases, stress was responsible for as much as a 34% reduction of cells in the prefrontal cortex. Impairing the executive functioning within the brain, resulting in problems with focus and sustained attention.

The disruption or death of these brain cells is caused by the excessive production of cortisol. Cortisol is produced during the “flight or fight” response and its primary function is to redistribute glucose to regions of the body (like our muscles) that need it most in a crisis. In evolutionary terms it’s a remarkable design that helps us run away from an angry bear or an erupting volcano. Evolution unfortunately, simply hasn’t had time to catch up with the advances of mankind and the stresses of the modern world

The prolonged exposure to cortisol disrupts the metabolism in the brain cells, creating free radicals that harm and eventually kill the cells. Resulting in impaired neuronal connections that affect the way we think and behave.

 

How can meditation help?

Meditation has been show to work with ADHD by reducing the level of stress we experience, restoring the balance and optimal functionality of our otherwise compromised systems. By calming the mind we can de-stimulate the nervous system and reinstate a healthy and more stable set of hormones. Meditation causes the brain to produces more serotonin, which counteracts the harmful effects of cortisol.

The minimal side effects from meditation are also a consideration. The ingredients in the common ADHD medications (Ritalin and Adderall) are amphetamines, which artificially increase the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain. The drugs speed up the prefrontal cortex, making it more active and efficient in the use of executive functions. The effects however are temporary (while the drug is acting) and fail get to the root of the problem. This is why the research into meditation is exciting, a natural treatment with no side effects that addresses one of the fundamental issues and root causes of ADHD. Meditation simply puts our neurological chemistry on the opposite spectrum from stress.

A study by Susan Smalley of MARC and Lisa Flook, Ph.D, at the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds (3), at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, examined the effects that meditation has on the behavior and executive function in elementary school children. The study showed that meditation improved executive function in the children, particularly those who started out with lower executive functioning.

Modern science is starting to understand the important relationship between our mind and body. How the way we think and feel has a direct impact on our neurological chemistry. It may be counterintuitive but reaching all of our goals in life, may just be reliant on sitting still and doing nothing.

 

About the author: Nick Huxsted is an independent writer who’s interested in meditation research and the effects in has on the body. He currently works at Will Williams Meditation in London and is a regular contributor to Hip & Healthy.

(1) Sarina J. Grosswald (2013). Is ADHD a Stress-Related Disorder? Why Meditation Can Help, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents, Dr. Somnath Banerjee (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-51-1086-6, InTech, DOI: 10.5772/55127.

(2) Cotter D, Mackay D, Chana G, Beasley C, Landau S, Everall IP. Reduced Neuronal Size and Glial Cell Density in Area 9 of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Subjects with Major Depressive Disorder. Cerebral Cortex. 2002 Apr 1;12(4):386–94.

(3) Flook L., Smalley S.L., Kitil, M.J., Galla, B., Kaiser-Greenland, S., Locke, J., Kretzmann M., Ishijima, E., Kasari, C (2010). Mindful Awareness Practices Improve Executive Function in Elementary School Children. Journal of Applied School Psychology, Vol. 26, No. 1, 70-95.

Nick Huxsted
Nick Huxsted works for Will Williams Meditation in London. Their aim is to help people live the happiest, healthiest lives they can through the ancient practice of Vedic meditation.