Post by misty on Dec 4, 2008 18:49:04 GMT -5
This came in a newsletter. Interesting...I never knew that the seasons could make such a difference!
Coping with ADHD during winter
Frank Barnhill, M.D.
Winter can be a sad, dreary and depressing time of the year for a lot of us. Fortunately, most of us are able to cope with the little ups and downs of sad, dreary, dark and sometimes wet days, without having a major meltdown.
In contrast, while ADHDers thrive in sunlight and warmer weather, they tend to feel confined and make more mistakes in darker, colder months!
Winter…It’s just not the same for those of us who suffer from ADHD!
About 90% of ADHDers tend to have poor coping skills, so winter can become its own form of personal hell for these kids and adults. In addition, winter months are probably harder on ADHD kids since they often don’t understand what’s made them more irritable, sapped their energy, and messed up their concentration.
At least adults and older teens can understand a little of what’s going on when their mood swings worsen, their energy levels fall out the bottom and their attention span fades like the setting sun.
As the fall turns into winter with fewer daylight hours ADHD kids may
· Become confused about their emotional changes
· Get scared about what’s happening and
· As a result, get angry, defensive and
· Make a lot of mistakes as their ability to focus worsens
ADHD kids get into much more trouble with the law on dark, cold, rainy days and during late night hours. ADHD kids probably shouldn’t drive after midnight, because they usually suffer from severe concentration problems between then and sun-up.
When you don’t understand why your body is doing something without your permission, it creates both immediate and sometimes long lasting emotional problems. A good example of an unexpected “emotional trauma” would be the fear and panic an 11 to 12 year old girl goes through if her period starts without her parents talking to her about it in advance. I’ve been called by school nurses, teachers and parents on many occasions to deal with a terrified, unprepared pre-teen who thought they were bleeding to death when they started their first period at school.
Similar emotional trauma can occur with ADHD kids and adults as the season changes from fall to winter. Since ADHDers usually wait until the last minute to organize and finish everything, shorter daylight days make it harder and harder to procrastinate and still get everything done at school or work. As you know, ADHDers usually require more time to finish assigned tasks or projects and when daylight hours are shorter, they simply appear to run out of time!
Just the thought of failing a class or losing your job because you don’t have the concentration needed to finish a book report, science project or a project assigned you at work is enough to cause panic, worsen your hyperactivity and make you both moody and irritable.
Fortunately, most of the time, seasonal ADHD changes are slow in onset and easy to recognize. If handled properly, parents, teachers, and employers can help minimize the “side effects” of daylight savings time changes, shorter days, and cold chilly mornings.
Here are the key points to remember as you try to help your ADHDer with season changes:
ADHD kids and adults are more prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression, fatigue and depressed brain functioning that occurs as a result of little or no exposure to sunlight. Our brains really need sunlight to set and manage our biological clocks and when we don’t “see” sunlight for days at a time, things can rapidly get out of synch. (See www.drhuggiebear.com for more on SAD)
Seasonal affective disorder mostly occurs during the dark months of December through February in our part of the world. However in places like northern Canada and the Scandinavian countries where winter can occur for over eight months, SAD may occur for as little as two or as often as eight months out of every year.
Many parents have noticed their ADHDers do so much better during the summer that they can stop their medications and still do well. They can participate in sports, read books and socialize with others almost “like they didn’t have ADHD”.
Then the days get shorter…
In the fall, as time changes from daylight savings to “normal time”, shorter daylight hours cause concentration problems; ADHD kids:
Lose control over what they are able to do during those daytime hour
Have changes in awakening and sleep patterns
Are often not being able to play outside to burn off excess energy, so they become more hyper
Suffer increased impulsivity as are trapped inside and get cabin fever from a lack of continuous visual, physical, and auditory stimulation
Show and cause shorter tempers are shorter as they can't be sent outside to get out of everyone’s hair as often
ADHD kids are good at “picking up on” their parents post holiday depression and often instinctively respond by becoming depressed, anxious, and more manipulative as they seek attention and ways to help their own depression.
What can you do to help?
· When you know winter weather is going to be sunny and warmer, plan outdoor activities in advance
· Open all the blinds and drapes in the house or remove them all together so that any available sunlight can get in and stimulate the part of the brain that synchronizes everything
· Provide larger areas and more open room for play in the house or make plans to go to indoor restaurants, fun parks, arcades, or malls for exercise and playtime activities
· Decorate living and work areas in bright cheerful colors and textures to help improve mood
· Use a lot of bright accent lighting in study and play areas
· Install special lighting that looks like “real sunlight”
(these fixtures are common in northern Canada, Iceland, Greenland and Norway)
Enjoy the sunshine you will make for your ADHDer and the peace of mind you make for yourself!
Dr. Frank
Coping with ADHD during winter
Frank Barnhill, M.D.
Winter can be a sad, dreary and depressing time of the year for a lot of us. Fortunately, most of us are able to cope with the little ups and downs of sad, dreary, dark and sometimes wet days, without having a major meltdown.
In contrast, while ADHDers thrive in sunlight and warmer weather, they tend to feel confined and make more mistakes in darker, colder months!
Winter…It’s just not the same for those of us who suffer from ADHD!
About 90% of ADHDers tend to have poor coping skills, so winter can become its own form of personal hell for these kids and adults. In addition, winter months are probably harder on ADHD kids since they often don’t understand what’s made them more irritable, sapped their energy, and messed up their concentration.
At least adults and older teens can understand a little of what’s going on when their mood swings worsen, their energy levels fall out the bottom and their attention span fades like the setting sun.
As the fall turns into winter with fewer daylight hours ADHD kids may
· Become confused about their emotional changes
· Get scared about what’s happening and
· As a result, get angry, defensive and
· Make a lot of mistakes as their ability to focus worsens
ADHD kids get into much more trouble with the law on dark, cold, rainy days and during late night hours. ADHD kids probably shouldn’t drive after midnight, because they usually suffer from severe concentration problems between then and sun-up.
When you don’t understand why your body is doing something without your permission, it creates both immediate and sometimes long lasting emotional problems. A good example of an unexpected “emotional trauma” would be the fear and panic an 11 to 12 year old girl goes through if her period starts without her parents talking to her about it in advance. I’ve been called by school nurses, teachers and parents on many occasions to deal with a terrified, unprepared pre-teen who thought they were bleeding to death when they started their first period at school.
Similar emotional trauma can occur with ADHD kids and adults as the season changes from fall to winter. Since ADHDers usually wait until the last minute to organize and finish everything, shorter daylight days make it harder and harder to procrastinate and still get everything done at school or work. As you know, ADHDers usually require more time to finish assigned tasks or projects and when daylight hours are shorter, they simply appear to run out of time!
Just the thought of failing a class or losing your job because you don’t have the concentration needed to finish a book report, science project or a project assigned you at work is enough to cause panic, worsen your hyperactivity and make you both moody and irritable.
Fortunately, most of the time, seasonal ADHD changes are slow in onset and easy to recognize. If handled properly, parents, teachers, and employers can help minimize the “side effects” of daylight savings time changes, shorter days, and cold chilly mornings.
Here are the key points to remember as you try to help your ADHDer with season changes:
ADHD kids and adults are more prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression, fatigue and depressed brain functioning that occurs as a result of little or no exposure to sunlight. Our brains really need sunlight to set and manage our biological clocks and when we don’t “see” sunlight for days at a time, things can rapidly get out of synch. (See www.drhuggiebear.com for more on SAD)
Seasonal affective disorder mostly occurs during the dark months of December through February in our part of the world. However in places like northern Canada and the Scandinavian countries where winter can occur for over eight months, SAD may occur for as little as two or as often as eight months out of every year.
Many parents have noticed their ADHDers do so much better during the summer that they can stop their medications and still do well. They can participate in sports, read books and socialize with others almost “like they didn’t have ADHD”.
Then the days get shorter…
In the fall, as time changes from daylight savings to “normal time”, shorter daylight hours cause concentration problems; ADHD kids:
Lose control over what they are able to do during those daytime hour
Have changes in awakening and sleep patterns
Are often not being able to play outside to burn off excess energy, so they become more hyper
Suffer increased impulsivity as are trapped inside and get cabin fever from a lack of continuous visual, physical, and auditory stimulation
Show and cause shorter tempers are shorter as they can't be sent outside to get out of everyone’s hair as often
ADHD kids are good at “picking up on” their parents post holiday depression and often instinctively respond by becoming depressed, anxious, and more manipulative as they seek attention and ways to help their own depression.
What can you do to help?
· When you know winter weather is going to be sunny and warmer, plan outdoor activities in advance
· Open all the blinds and drapes in the house or remove them all together so that any available sunlight can get in and stimulate the part of the brain that synchronizes everything
· Provide larger areas and more open room for play in the house or make plans to go to indoor restaurants, fun parks, arcades, or malls for exercise and playtime activities
· Decorate living and work areas in bright cheerful colors and textures to help improve mood
· Use a lot of bright accent lighting in study and play areas
· Install special lighting that looks like “real sunlight”
(these fixtures are common in northern Canada, Iceland, Greenland and Norway)
Enjoy the sunshine you will make for your ADHDer and the peace of mind you make for yourself!
Dr. Frank
It has been so cold here, I feel like we're hibernating! Once I realized it, hubby took Josh out for a few hours. Today, we rollerbladed in the basement because he just needed to move.