Dopamine and ADHD

The biggest problem for those of us with ADHD is paying attention. Duh, that’s why it’s called Attention Deficit Disorder.

Not paying attention to something keeps us from storing it in our memory. People with ADHD are often described as having poor short term memory.

Studies show that increased interest and stimulation can increase the amount of time that one can pay attention. This explains why your child can be utterly absorbed in a video game for hours and yet can’t pay attention in class for more than a few minutes.

Video games offer lots of stimulus and action and almost immediate feedback on performance. You can see that school is nothing like it.

The reason that this intense activity increases our interest and attention is that the stimulus increases the amount of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine helps your brain recognize sources of pleasure and makes you want to repeat it.

Low levels of dopamine can cause depression, low energy, difficulty focusing or concentrating, dependence on sugar or caffeine, and even weight gain. Lack of sleep, poor nutrition, stress and even certain medications can lower dopamine levels.Low levels of dopamine are believed to be related to Attention Deficit Disorder.

The good news is that you can add certain foods to your diet to help boost dopamine levels naturally. In addition to relieving stress and getting more sleep, you can add things like almonds, bananas, avocados, lima beans and seeds like pumpkin or sesame to your diet. Dairy products can also increase dopamine levels, but there are some scientists who believe that dairy aggravates ADHD. You should do some investigation of your own to determine how dairy products affect your child.

Ideally, by adopting some of these ideas, you can lift and maintain dopamine levels. At the very least, I would suggest adding some almonds, a banana, or some pumpkin seeds to your child’s lunch or breakfast especially on those days when they may need the extra brain power – on a test day, for instance.