Do Well in Exams Naturally

 The exam season is a busy and stressful period overall. Learning large quantities of material, gaining an in depth understanding of long articles and getting good grades in the exams seems like an impossible feat, especially for those coping with issues related to ADHD. The good news is that there are simple and natural ways to cope with them.

What is ADHD?

ADD [Attention Deficit Disorder] is a behavioral disorder with a high rate of incidence in children, which is sometimes accompanied by hyperactivity [ADHD]. The main characteristic of ADHD is the ability to simultaneously register a large variety of stimulants and to treat all of them equally. In other words, the inability to isolate one single stimulus and give it exclusive attention, while ignoring the other stimulants.

ADD/ADHD in expressed in a wide variety of behaviors:

• Giving up easily on completion of assignments, tasks and hobbies
• Deficient ability to examine reality and evading logic
• Difficulty in performing integration – in projecting from the general rule to the individual and from the individual to the general rule
• Difficulty in focusing on one subject for an extended period of time
• Difficulty in managing short and long term memory
• Difficulty in decision making or choosing between options fearlessly and with ease
• Difficulty in making plans or being persistent in performing an action
• Difficulty in ignoring competing, external stimuli
• Being over stimulated by and hypersensitive to the environment
• Poor listening skills reflected in interrupting other people and changing the subject abruptly
• Difficulty in managing emotional responses, excessive responses to patterns of continued neural suppression, followed by tantrums
• Easily frustrated, lack of emotional stability and a tendency to cry, which leads to sudden mood swings and a lack of behavioral consistency
• Inability to maintain proper social behavior, a tendency disrupt lessons at school
• Difficulty in following instructions
• Impatience, difficulty in delaying gratification
• Poor sleep habits accompanied by a feeling of tiredness, anger or depression when waking up from sleep

In 90% of the cases, the preferred treatment for ADHD is Ritalin – a psychotherapeutic medicine used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. The medicine belongs to the phenethylamine class and effects the central nervous system. When the attention deficit is accompanied by hyperactivity, Ritalin has a calming effect, even though Ritalin itself stimulates the brain.

Ritalin has been in use for the past sixty five years and is the most extensively studied medicine among those used to treat ADHD. Even though using Ritalin is safe, it does entail adverse, common side effects such as a diminished appetite and insomnia at the start of the therapy and headaches, stomachaches and apathy, which is why many parents object to the use of Ritalin.

 Not by Ritalin Alone

As popular as it may be, taking Ritalin is not the only way to cope with ADHD and there are more than a few, simple, natural alternatives.

A balanced diet – one of the factors with the greatest impact on ADHD is the food that we eat. A proper diet will reduce the attention deficit, improve cognitive abilities and streamline body and brain functions. A varied diet includes fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, proteins and carbohydrates alongside the essential vitamins and minerals.

Sufficient sleep – the lack of sufficient sleep might lead to memory and attention deficiencies, deficits in metal performance, mood swings, tension, learning disorders and even attention disorders. Eight to ten hours of sleep a night are recommended.

Avoiding sugar consumption – large quantities of processed sugar, found in abundance in sugary breakfast cereals, candy, carbonated beverages and sweetened juices, cause rapid changes to the blood sugar level. After consuming processed sugar, the insulin levels skyrocket and then plummet down low and fast. This results in extreme mood swings, being overcome by a feeling of depression and fatigue and even hyperactive behavior. This could happen to anyone who consumes exaggerated quantities of processed sugar; however, in people with ADHD, the effect is a lot worse.

Healthy habits - make sure to eat a rich breakfast that will provide the body with the energy it needs in order to start the day of well, help it remain alert and focused for extended periods of time, improve brain function and reduce tension and fatigue.

Physical activity – Studies conducted on this subject show that physical activity greatly improves the general feeling of people with ADHD. The increased movement allows the body to produce more adrenaline, which stimulates the areas in the brain in charge of planning, organization and performance abilities. For example, some claim that the best time for them to internalize study material is while running on the beach or peddling vigorously on a bicycle.

Simultaneously to adopting more healthy daily habits, ADHD can also be treated naturally with dietary supplements.