Can ADHD Symptoms Get Worse?
While there is no cure for ADHD (sometimes still referred to as ’ADD’), it is manageable with medications and/or cognitive behavioral therapy. Nonetheless, certain factors can make your ADHD more problematic and difficult to manage. The good news is that you can keep your symptoms under control by determining what exacerbates your ADHD symptoms. By finding out what worsens your ADHD symptoms, you can take steps to address those factors, and eventually, better manage your ADHD.
Factors that can worsen ADHD symptoms include:
1. Stress
Living with ADHD itself can be overwhelming. Trouble focusing, easy distractibility, and difficulty initiating and/or completing complex tasks, along with poor organizational skills — can all lead to daily frustration and stress.
If you add other stressful factors on top of the ongoing challenges that people with ADHD tend to deal with, it’s no surprise how ADHD symptoms can appear to become worse than ever.
Chronic uncontrollable stress induces chemical and structural alterations in your brain, slowing down its function. Especially noted is a surge in hormones called catecholamines that damage the top-down cognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
The PFC normally helps people set and achieve goals, and helps with executive function and focus. Known as your brain’s key ‘executive/control center,’ PFC is the same area affected in ADHD. Research shows that PFC’s low activity in people with ADHD makes them potentially vulnerable to the harmful effects of stress. This, in turn, leads to a heightened stress–ADHD–stress cycle.
Solution:
It is, therefore, of utmost importance to find ways to reduce stress and thereby prevent your ADHD symptoms from worsening. Techniques such as mindfulness and deep breathing can help you keep your calm during stressful situations. Of course, preventing exposure to stress can help, but that’s easier said than done; look for patterns and take note of your possible sources of stress. Next, form a smaller and more achievable plan to manage and reduce the stress you experience. Talking it through with a friend or family member is a bonus that brings another perspective and experience. Likewise, seeking professional assistance can also help you explore more effective ways to cope with stress and ADHD.
2. Lack of Sleep
About 80% of adults with ADHD face difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, getting restful shuteye, and waking up on time. Sleep has the same reciprocal relation to ADHD symptoms as stress — meaning if one gets worse, the other is thrown out of whack.
Various factors can keep people with ADHD from getting deep, restful sleep, such as:
Core ADHD symptoms.
Two key features that often contribute to sleep issues in ADHD are easy distractibility and lack of organization. Hence, people with ADHD find it hard to tune out distractions, complete their tasks before bedtime, stop their brain chatter, and call it a night. Some find lying in bed while waiting for sleep to be incredibly boring. Thus, they avoid hitting the bed until they nod off in the middle of something.
Disrupted sleep patterns and problems.
The brain’s PFC not only plays a role in carrying out executive functions but also regulates the sleep/wake timings. Certain sleep problems have been linked to dopamine pathways in ADHD. These include:
1. Restless leg syndrome – an irresistible urge to move your legs that occurs shortly after lying down at night.
2. Sleep apnea – periodic pauses in breathing while sleeping; also associated with snoring and daytime drowsiness.
3. Circadian-rhythm sleep disorders – when your internal sleep clock goes out of whack, which is why many people with ADHD identify as ‘night owls.’
4. Hypersomnia - sleepiness throughout the day despite adequate sleep at night.
Stimulant Medications.
Stimulant medications used to treat ADHD can also sometimes disrupt sleep and make you more alert when it’s time to hit the bed. Having said that, they may also ‘paradoxically’ slow down the ‘racing’ thoughts by tempering your symptoms, thus, helping you fall asleep in a different fashion.
Natural stimulants.
The same goes for the natural stimulant, caffeine, found in sources like coffee and tea. Caffeine is shown to boost attention and overall cognitive function in people with ADHD. But there’s a catch! Caffeine can be a sleep killer if consumed in the evenings or close to bedtime.
Associated conditions. People with ADHD also have mood disorders like anxiety and depression or substance abuse concerns that can make falling and staying asleep difficult.
Solution:
A two-pronged approach comprising improved sleep prioritization and taking your ADHD medications on time can help improve your sleep patterns, thereby keeping your ADHD symptoms under control.
3. Sedentary Lifestyle
Low levels of physical activity combined with a sedentary lifestyle are linked to poorer attention spans and hazy memory. Making things worse, studies show that people with ADHD are more inclined towards this sitting disease, particularly those that engage themselves in more screen time.
Solution:
Make it a point to incorporate mild-to-moderate intensity exercise throughout the week. Exercise alleviates ADHD and improves your attention span by boosting your body’s naturally produced feel-good chemicals, including dopamine. You’ll also feel less irritable and restless once you start exercising.
4. Dietary Factors
While the effects of diet on ADHD have been increasingly studied in children, adults with the condition also need to be mindful of what they consume. The jury is still out pertaining to the effects of foods on ADHD. However, certain foods and food additives have been believed to exacerbate ADHD symptoms. The best diet is one that limits added sugar and avoids processed foods.
Solution:
Take a well-balanced diet consisting of proteins, complex carbs, minerals, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish and nuts). Do not skip your breakfast, as that can derail your attention span and focus too. Also, steer clear of food items that come in a bottle, can, box, or wrapper. Put simply: packaged foods contain added ‘shelf benefits’ often at the cost of health benefits.
5. Too Much Screen Time
People with ADHD tend to seek activities with immediate rewards, which are increasingly delivered through screen time use. With screen time use, the brain’s reward system promptly releases a small droplet of the chemical dopamine. This screen time addiction aggravates ADHD symptoms, or the other way around — the presence of ADHD fuels excessive screen time use. As a result, a repeating ADHD-screen time-ADHD cycle ensues.
Solution
Practice good digital hygiene by limiting when and where to use your electronic devices. Limit your television media time to prevent your symptoms from worsening. Apple and Android devices also carry "Screen Time" features that keep track of your screen time, as well as built-in apps that give you an option to set limitations on screen time usage by time spent in certain categories and by app. You may also ask your accountability partner to keep a check on you.
If you think your ADHD symptoms are worsening and negatively impacting your performance and productivity, we’ve got your back.
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