How to manage ADHD without medication

Treating ADHD isn’t a “one size fits all” journey — there’s no one treatment that works for everyone. Medication remains one of the most effective options for kidsopens in a new tab and adults. Stimulants are the most common type of medicine for ADHD. Research shows that about 70 percent of children and adults taking stimulantsopens in a new tab notice an improvement in ADHD symptoms.

But some people experience side effects from ADHD stimulants or non-stimulants. Or they want to try natural or holistic methods, in addition to medication, to manage common symptoms — like trouble focusing, fidgeting, and making impulsive decisions. 

These alternative ADHD treatments include everything from behavior therapy and mindfulness to exercise and dietary supplements. And there’s no shortage of ADHD remedies that have gained popularity on social media. 

So do they actually work? And what does science say about how effective alternative ADHD treatments are for kids and adults? 

We’ll break down which non-medication treatments can help manage ADHD symptoms — and which don’t — and how to use them.

Therapy is a scientifically proven non-medication treatment that can help manage ADHD symptoms. After an ADHD diagnosis, short-term therapyopens in a new tab can be especially helpful for learning about ADHD, identifying symptoms, and working on executive functioning skills. And for people with ADHD and anxiety, therapy in addition to medication can be the most effective treatment plan. 

The most well-known therapy for ADHD is cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT is a form of talk therapy that helps you recognize negative thoughts or challenging behaviors and reframe them into more productive ones. 

Evidence suggests that CBT is most helpful for adults with ADHDopens in a new tab who have mood symptoms like anxiety, depression, or high stress. CBT can also improve executive function. This includes things like memory, focus, resisting impulses, and regulating your emotions. And it can be helpful for teens with ADHD who also have mood-related symptoms like anxiety or depression, says Elizabeth Harstad, MD, MPH, a board-certified pediatrician and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. 

But while CBT is very popular, the most useful type of therapy for ADHD really depends on your age, Harstad points out. “For school-age children, cognitive behavioral therapy isn’t proven as a therapy to reduce core ADHD symptoms, though it can help with organization and planning skills for some people with ADHD,” she says.

For children under 6 with ADHD, Harstad suggests that parents may first want to consider behavioral parent training. BPT focuses on improving parenting skills,opens in a new tab helping kids manage their behavior, and enhancing the parent-child relationship. In BPT, parents learn strategies like “positive reinforcement, consistency, follow-through, and using charts and checklists,” says Harstad. 

Older children, teens, and adults may also benefit from organizational skills training.opens in a new tab OST helps develop time management skills, improve planning and scheduling, and support homework or task completion. 

Exercise is an important part of a comprehensive treatment plan for ADHD. Research shows that exercise can improve core ADHD symptoms, particularly when it comes to executive functioning skills. 

Moving your body can be beneficial for ADHD because it releases dopamine and norepinephrine. These are brain chemicals that help improve focus and manage impulses. “It’s generally recommended for all children to engage in 60 minutes of exercise per day and for all adults to get at least 150 minutes [of] moderate to high intensity [exercise] each week,” says Harstad. 

You don’t always need a structured exercise regimen. But it’s a good idea to make sure you’re getting enough physical activity throughout the week. Most importantly, get your body moving in ways that you enjoy so you stay consistent with your routine, says Harstad. Consider these activities: 

For kids 

• Running around at the park

• Playing games like tag and hide-and-seek

• Doing gymnastics

For teens

• Participating in team sports

• Riding a bike

• Going for a jog after school

For adults 

• Doing yoga

• Taking a dance class 

• Lifting weights

People with ADHD can have a hard time sustaining attention. Spending time outside, especially in a natural setting, gives their brains a much-needed break.

The brain has two types of attentionopens in a new tab it uses to keep focused: 

• Voluntary attention: This requires you to put in effort to focus on something important, like homework or meetings. 

• Involuntary attention: This is a more passive or effortless type of attention. You use it when your attention is naturally drawn to something stimulating, like a loud noise or a moving object. 

When you spend time in nature, your mind is using involuntary attention to focus on outdoor stimuli, like a squirrel running across the field or waves crashing on the shore at the beach. Because your involuntary attention switch is on when you’re outside, it allows your voluntary attention to turn off and take a break. 

This is important for ADHD brains. By giving your voluntary attention a chance to recover, you’ll be better able to use it later to focus on an important task. 

Best of all, you don’t need to head to the forest or ocean to give your voluntary attention a much-needed break. Consider these activities closer to home: 

• Take a 15-minute walk around your neighborhood every evening after dinner. 

• Check out a new trail or hiking path with friends. 

• Sit next to a big window on a sunny day. 

Mindfulness is a practice that helps train your mind to stay in the present moment. Some people assume that mindfulness requires sitting still, but that’s not entirely true. Being mindful doesn’t mean you have to be frozen in place or keep the voice in your brain completely quiet. It just means becoming more aware of your thoughts and how your body feels.

Mindfulness is helpful for people with ADHDopens in a new tab because it can support executive function and self-regulation skills. And it can reduce ADHD mental health symptoms, like stress, anxiety, or emotional dysregulation. 

There are plenty of mindfulness options to choose from, so you can select which type of mindfulness works best for you. Here’s a look at some common mindfulness strategies for ADHD and how they work:

Dr. Mark Bertin answers common questions about mindfulness and ADHD. 

You might hear a lot of online discussion about the connection between food and ADHD, and the effectiveness of supplements. It’s important to understand what the science says about these popular natural ADHD remedies.

Though not a replacement for stimulants, omega-3 fatty acidsopens in a new tab have been shown to improve ADHD symptoms in kids. Some research suggestsopens in a new tab that people with ADHD may have lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood. These fatty acids help neurons in the brain communicate more effectively, so low omega-3 may play a role in worsening ADHD symptoms. 

Fatty fish like salmon and sardines, as well as fish oil supplements, are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s always a good idea to let your doctor know about any vitamins or supplements you or your kids are taking. 

If you’ve ever scrolled social media, you may have come across people recommending certain diets for ADHD. As Harstad points out, “All people should aim for a diet that prioritizes nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables, protein, grains, and dairy, and that limits added sugars and saturated fats. Having ADHD doesn’t change this general diet recommendation.” 

That hasn’t stopped elimination diets from getting a lot of buzz. Like the Feingold Diet, which cuts out artificial sweeteners, food dyes, and salicylates (compounds that can be found in fruits like apples or berries). There are also claims that foods with a high amount of sugar can cause ADHD. But research doesn’t back up these diets or claims, Harstad says. 

“There isn’t sufficient medical evidence to make the claim that eating a diet low in sugar and food dyes is better for ADHD,” Harstad explains. “But aiming for a diet low in sugar and with limited food dyes could be recommended for general health.”

Essentially, focusing on whole foods and eating a well-balanced dietopens in a new tab with lots of fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains can support your overall well-being. 

If you’re a parent who has a child with ADHD, it’s a good idea to focus on a well-balanced eating plan for them. But if your child wants a little treat once in a while, that’s OK. In fact, research shows that restrictive diets can be difficult to maintain, increase frustration or anxiety, and worsen overall quality of life. 

Some people try certain herbal supplements to keep ADHD symptoms at bay. Common options include ginkgo biloba, melatonin, or St. John’s wort. 

At this time, there isn’t enough evidenceopens in a new tab to show that any of these supplements can effectively help manage ADHD for kids and adults. It’s also important to note that supplements aren’t regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Check in with your health care provider to ensure that they’re safe for you to take, won’t cause interactions with any medications you take, and don’t cause any side effects. 

Neurofeedbackopens in a new tab is a type of biofeedback. During a session at a neurofeedback clinic, sensors are placed on your scalp. A licensed technician will ask you to focus on a specific activity — usually a movie or a video game. 

As you focus on the activity, the sensors use very tiny electrical signals to pick up on different brain waves. When you’re focused, these brain waves are fast. And when you’re distracted, the brain waves slow down.

The purpose of this therapy is to gently encourage you to focus more by giving you reinforcement based on your behaviors. If the neurofeedback machine detects a slower brain wave, it might slow down the game, darken the screen, or pause the movie. When you bring your attention back to the activity, the game or movie will likely go back to its original quality. This is the machine’s way of rewarding you for concentrating on the activity again. 

While this sounds promising, the research on the effectiveness of neurofeedback for ADHDopens in a new tab is still mixed. Health care providers don’t recommend it as an alternative to medication and therapy. However, neurofeedback is safe to try. So if you or your child are interested in attending a neurofeedback session, talk to your health care provider about your options. 

In some states, neurofeedback is starting to be covered by insurance. Check your insurance plan to see how much a neurofeedback session may cost you. 

In recent years, brain training games have started to become a potential treatment option to help improve cognitive and executive function in people with ADHD. The first FDA-approved video game treatment for ADHD was EndeavorRX, an immersive mobile video gameopens in a new tab that helps strengthen certain brain skills like memory, attention, and impulse control. 

Early researchopens in a new tab suggests that people who engage in these types of brain training do improve their skills as they continue playing. But, research shows that those improvements don’t necessarily translate outside of the game. So, even if your focus improves in a game, it doesn’t mean you’ll be more focused in your everyday life. 

As of now, scientists can’t recommend these games as effective treatment options. But there’s no physical harm or safety risk in giving cognitive games a try. As always, before you make any changes or additions to your ADHD treatment plan, check in with your health care provider. They can recommend the best options for your overall health goals. 

ADHD can affect your sleep quality and sleep patterns. Not getting enough sleep can cause ADHD-like symptoms — like trouble with focus and managing emotions — in anyone. Or it can make these symptoms worse in someone who has ADHD. 

There are some strategies you can try to improve sleep quality for both kids and adults. One studyopens in a new tab showed that improving “sleep hygiene” for kids with ADHD improved their quality of life and reduced their ADHD symptoms. 

Here are some healthy sleep habits you can try: 

• Get daytime exercise.

• Spend time outside in sunlight.

• Skip caffeine later in the day.

• Avoid screens before bed.

• Keep a consistent bedtime.

• Set a sleep routine focused on unwinding and getting ready for sleep, like a bath, followed by dimming the lights and reading a book. 

• Set your room for sleep with a cool temperature. Some people also use blackout shades and white noise.

Sleep expert Marlee Boyle explains why ADHD brains are wired against a good night’s rest. 

Thumbnail image credit: Yuliya Taba via Getty Images.