Combining Medication and Exercise to Soothe ADHD Symptoms: 4 Facts
Article originally published by Manjari Bansal on WebMD.com. Article preview below.
Many adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) encounter problems with maintaining focus, controlling impulses, and managing emotions. A variety of medications and therapy strategies exist to help control these symptoms. Additionally, growing evidence shows that medication, combined with regular physical exercise, may effectively reduce ADHD symptoms. Discover four interesting facts about how the combination of exercise and medicine can be a valuable feature of your ADHD treatment plan.
1. There is evidence that exercise combined with medication helps reduce ADHD symptoms.
According to a 2020 study published by the journal Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, there is a growing body of scientific literature demonstrating that physical exercise can potentially play a role in the treatment of ADHD. Evidence suggests that physical exercise helps reduce the severity of core ADHD symptoms and improve executive function.
“Exercise is an incredibly powerful treatment approach that can be combined with medications or other treatments to reduce ADHD symptoms,” James Greenblatt, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, tells WebMD Connect to Care.
“While research has focused more heavily on children, studies in adults appear to corroborate the findings. Generally, regular aerobic exercise has been found to increase motivation, reduce impulsivity, restore attention, and improve mood,” Greenblatt says.