Can Meditation Help ADHD?

If you live with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you know it can be a daily challenge to stay focused and on task. Medication and behavioral therapy are the first-line treatments. Now, researchers are learning that in people who have ADHD, meditating can promote feelings of calm and increase the ability to focus.

“Meditation, especially a form of meditation known as mindfulness, shows promise as a complementary treatment for ADHD,” says Douglas Russell, MD, attending child and adolescent psychiatrist at Seattle Children’s and assistant professor at the University of Washington.

It should not take the place of first-line ADHD treatments like medications, he emphasizes.

“Think of meditation not as a primary treatment but as a potential adjunct to more established treatments which have a much stronger evidence base,” Dr. Russell says.

One of the most common disorders of childhood, ADHD can continue through adolescence and adulthood and includes symptoms like difficulty paying attention, impulsive behavior, and trouble staying focused or hyperfocus. Medication is the single most effective treatment for reducing ADHD symptoms such as impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity.

Meditation may be worth trying to supplement other treatment. Meditation can increase a sense of awareness among the body, mind, behavior, and emotions, says Noshene Ranjbar, MD, an integrative psychiatrist at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson Campus in Arizona.

“It enhances the ability to focus as well as the ability to gain perspective,” she explains. “People with ADHD tend to have a super-active wandering mind, which makes it difficult to complete tasks. Meditation can increase the ability to sit still and focus.”

It also helps calm the mind and body, she says. Meditation can help improve executive functioning, which includes working memory, flexible thinking, time management, self-control, and organizational skills, Dr. Ranjbar says.

It is hard to measure just how helpful meditation might be for ADHD, Dr. Russell says, because it is very difficult to carry out controlled studies on this topic.

“The evidence supporting meditation in people with ADHD is difficult to interpret because there are so few well-designed studies on the topic, and the studies that do exist have a high risk of bias,” he says. “But there is a strong theoretical basis for its potential benefit in ADHD. And it is an intervention that is safe, relatively easy, inexpensive, and sensible.”

Meditating can increase one’s sense of compassion, Dr. Ranjbar says. “And meditation releases the energy going into criticism of yourself, and it allows you to prioritize your mind and brain energy for tasks and activities that are more meaningful,” she says. Meditating can impart a sense of mastery and accomplishment, she adds.

When you meditate, your brain can be calmer and more focused, she says.

“Neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins become more plentiful,” Dr. Ranjbar explains. “This supports motivation, improved mood, and stress release. These neurotransmitters counteract the impact of adrenaline and cortisol, both of which are stress-induced.”

Build meditation into your day. It needs to be done regularly in order to confer lasting benefits, Dr. Russell says. “Even a few minutes a day can make a difference,” he says.

Choose a time every day to meditate. “Ideally, it should be a time when there are not competing task demands,” Dr. Russell says.

And don’t set out to try to meditate when you are feeling upset. “Meditation will not be effective if you are emotionally agitated,” he says. “It is not a way to calm down when you are acutely stressed.”

Set aside at least 10 minutes for meditation, recommends Dr. Ranjbar. You could start with five minutes a day and then build up over time to 15 to 20 minutes, or more. Use imagery, like a candle or clear blue skies, to focus.

“Breathe in slowly through the nose and out through the mouth,” she says. Add a helpful word or phrase if that helps, Dr. Ranjbar says: “You might try, ‘I am grateful’; ‘I am alive’; ‘I am healthy’; ‘I belong’, or ‘I am loved.’”

You may want to enroll in a meditation class, or try a meditation app such as Headspace, Insight Timer, or Calm. These all can be very useful, Dr. Ranjbar says.

Keep a journal and jot down your experience after each meditation session, Dr. Ranjbar suggests. “You can keep track of what works and what you are becoming aware of,” she says.

Don’t have time to meditate? Even a few minutes a day is better than nothing. “Any meditation is better than none,” Dr. Ranjbar says.

Most forms of meditation have four elements in common: a comfortable posture, whether it is walking or lying down; a focus of attention (it could be a word or set of words, an object, or sensations of the breath); an open attitude; and a quiet location.

There are a variety of types of meditation that can help with ADHD, Dr. Ranjbar says.

“Active types of meditation that involve body movement can increase one’s ability to sit still and focus because they release some of the pent-up energy in the body,” she says. These include walking meditation, free movement meditation, and a variety of dance forms, she says.

“After a movement meditation, one can more easily do a quiet or sitting meditation,” she adds.

There are plenty of free apps and resources for those who want to practice mindfulness, a form of meditation, Dr. Russell says.

Besides medication, meditation, and behavioral therapy, there are more interventions to try for ADHD.

“I suggest healthy nutrition, including foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids; time spent in nature; and good sleep hygiene,” Dr. Russell says. “Physical activity is important, too. Try for 20 to 30 minutes of vigorous exercise two to three times a week.”