Impact Of Exercise On Adhd

Exercise And Its Impact On ADHD

Following The American Psychological Association’s Guidelines

Joshua Platt

Caledonia Mumford High School

Abstract:

● ADHD is a disorder that causes hyper activity, inattentiveness, distractibility, and impulsive behavior

● Medication is commonly used to treat the disorder, medicine is typically CNS stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Concerta. These medications can cause unpleasant side effects, and are a burden on the health care system.

● Physical activity has the same effect on the brain as the medications used to treat ADHD, but without side effects or economic burden. This makes physical activity a better option than medication.

● The benefits of physical activity are not yet

The number of reported cases and diagnoses has steadily increased since the 1990’s. The most popular method of treating ADHD is currently medication like Ritalin and Adderall. Recently though, new research has shown that physical activity can have the same effects as medication does on affected patients. This is of interest because it suggests that there is a less expensive and less side effect riddled alternative to medication for patients. Physical activity has always been a popular method of expending excess energy. It only makes sense that physical activity would be helpful to treating ADHD. This paper will show the science behind ADHD, the way medication treats the disorder, and the way physical activity mimics the effects of

Physical activity has been linked to lower obesity, longer life, lower risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol, and reduced risk of stroke. More importantly for ADHD patients, exercise and physical activity has been proven to cause the brain to release more dopamine. As stated above, increased dopamine is effective in treating ADHD. Aside from the increase in dopamine production, certain exercises require the whole brain to be focused on multiple issues. These activities include running, biking, and other aerobic movements. (Stewart 1). There are many professional athletes with ADHD. Many of these athletes began their training to help manage the condition, such as olympic athletes Michael Phelps and Justin Gatlin. It is estimated that 10% of athletes have ADHD/ADD, double the amount that the general population has. Sports can turn ADHD from a hindrance to an advantage. Mike Stabeno, author of The AD/HD Affected Athlete, says that “While some activities require intense concentration, that’s not the case with athletics. Everything happens instantaneously. You’re in there for 10 minutes, you’ve got five people trying to take your head off, three referees, four teammates. You need to take everything that’s going on all at once. That’s how people with ADD go through life. So it makes sense that they thrive on the field”. (Dutton 1). Sports also give the bodies of ADHD affected persons a