Having healthy lifestyle behaviors can be an effective intervention, either alongside or in the place of traditional medications. Healthy lifestyle habits help children learn how to cope with ADD and have other healthy behaviors within their lives.
Activities to Encourage
Recommendations include: Getting no more than 1 to 2 hours of total screen time daily (I-Pad, video games, computer, etc.); getting at least 1 hour of physical activity daily; limiting consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages; getting 9 to 11 hours of sleep per night; and consuming 7 to 10 cups of water daily, depending on age.
It is possible that changing multiple lifestyle behaviors at once can lead to other healthy behaviors. For example, physical activity increases thirst, making water consumption more attractive. Physical activity can also offset screen time and can improve sleep. Similarly, removal of caffeinated beverages prevents their diuretic effect, helps increase water consumption, and can help prevent sleep disturbance.
According to study results, children with attention issues, like ADD, were more likely to consume artificially sweetened juice, less likely to read for more than one hour per day, more likely to have more than two hours of screen time per day, and more likely to engage in fewer hours of physical activity during the week. Parents of children with attention issues were also much more likely to report that their children have difficulty falling asleep, to report concerns about their child’s sleep habits, and fear that sleep problems may be leading to behavior issues. These associations held even in those children not currently taking medication, which is known to cause sleep disturbance.
Start Healthy Habits Now
A healthful diet may also reduce symptoms of attention issues by reducing exposure to artificial colors and additives and improving intake of omega-3 fats and micronutrients. But it certainly will improve overall health and nutrition, and set the stage for a lifetime of good health. Encourage children with attention issues to consume levels of omega-3 fatty acids recommended as part of a healthy diet. For children, that means consuming up to 12 ounces (two average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are low in mercury, such as shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, and Pollack, along with daily plant sources of unsaturated fats.
As research into health outcomes in children with attention issues continues to provide new insights, focusing on the overall number of healthy lifestyle behaviors continues to become more and more important.