Thirty some years ago, I had a foster child with ADHD, and his pediatrician told me to give him strong sweet iced tea about three times a day, especially before bed. It did help him sleep, and not be "bouncy" all day. He was not on any medications, and was only 5 years old. I had never heard of ADHD at that time, and this was my first experience with it. I noticed on the days that he did not get his iced tea, he was more irritable and impulsive. I had totally forgotten about that until I read this article. I think this Pediatricain was ahead of his time. Anyway, it worked. The boy was only with me about a year, and then went back to his parent after his dad came home (his father was deployed in the navy for a year, and his mother was "missing".) I often wonder what ever bacame of him and if he ever got on "real" medication for the ADHD.
I am one of those adults that used coffee as a sleep aid. I fix myself that warm cup of coffee and sit still for more than 5 mnutes savoring the smell and taste. Many times I only get halfway through the cu.
Another quick pickme is a can of Mountain Dew, a 12 ounce can has something like 54 millgrams of caffiene. A cold drink can be easier to down than a hot one, especially on days like this summer.
I was trying to get my son to have a cup of coffee in the mornings before school. It was bridging that gap before his meds kicked in. He wasn't a coffee fan at the time. Now, he is, but he has decided he does not want to take his meds. Not much you can do with a teenager in this situation. He doesn't see the benefit and says he doesn't like the way it makes him feel.
Reta
Coffee contains Harmala Alkaloids ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmala_alkaloid ) which act as a weak MAO-B inhibitor. Definitely not the relief from ADHD symptoms that comes from medicine but in combination with the Caffeine and some liquid or sublingual B-12 can bridge the gap between when a medicine is taken and takes effect. The Coffee-B12 combo can help clear the typical inattentive ADHD morning "fog" or hangover-like feeling after waking up. Just keep coffee limited to 6-8 oz.
Oddly enough, I have observed that Hyperactive ADHD's will sometimes have a cup of coffee to go to sleep. I suspect that there is an inverse reaction situation which caffeine is a relaxant of sorts. It might also be possible that there is enough sensitivity to the Harmala Alkaloids that the hyperactive can actually relax in peace and quiet because MAO-B compounds tend to "clear the head".
Even decaf coffee has a great deal of nutritional benefit. See this article from Psychology Today , http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-food/201105/why-decaf-coffee-is-just-healthy
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Hi Eileen - I'm unclear how to id myself as an "old" cohort without leaving "personally identificable information" that will be "pubicly visible on the Internet" (say WHAT?!) -- perhaps "sponsor/facilitator of OFI's ADD Hours for its seven year run" might do it? In any case, I've been MIA for 4 years due to health and personal challenges. I'm ba-a-ck, glad to be alive and healthy and ready to see what my NEXT 20 years bring.
So many new names in the ADD field in the intervening 4 years -- how wonderful to see! Still, it's lovely to see one I recognize -- and to see that all your hard work at ABOUT has morphed into expert status here.
Kudoes on the caffeine article - informative, balanced, and helpful to many I'm sure. I would love a guest post on my new blog if you've got the time (ADDandSoMuchMore - dot com!).
xx,
mgh
Madelyn
So good to hear from you again. I hope all is well. I do remember talking to you several times, I believe I interviewed you for an article on about once.
I looked around your site and thought it would be great if we could talk (phone or email) more about peer coaching and how this can be an affordable alternative to coaching. I am sure my readers/members would benefit from this.
Eileen
I would LOVE it! This has been a dream of mine since I first began training professional coaches, so I'm thrilled to talk about it now that I'm actually in action on it.
PHONE - p-l-e-a-s-e! (I have been spending so much time in front of the computer lately my ankles swell, so email sounds like cruel and unusual punishment!!)
I'm an extreme owl [DSPS-N-24] so 5AM to 2PM daily I'm sleeping -- ok to leave message anytime because I sleep like the DEAD, but if you want to get ME, after 10PM Eastern is your best bet (my coaching schedule varies - but there ARE earlier evening times).
How do we exchange #'s/emails without announcing to the spammer universe?
xx,
mgh (blogging at ADDandSoMuchMore and ADDerWorld - dot com!)
If you click on my picture, you will see my profile. There is a link "Send Message" which will send me a private message not seen by anyone on the site.
Eileen