First of all, you are not imagining it. Your period absolutely can make ADHD symptoms worse & cause medications to be less effective, if they work at this time at all. As well as talking to your healthcare provider about this I have put together 5 habits you can start building to help manage your ADHD at your time of the month. Even better, these habits are hugely beneficial for assisting with ADHD symptoms every day.
In addition to this you can speak to your psychiatrist or ADHD nurse if you have one about increasing your medication in the second part of your cycle. But my advice would be to try these holistic approaches first as they can be incredibly effective, especially 2 & 5!
Eat a healthy diet consistently (don’t worry I will explain how!)
We all know that eating foods such as vegetables, lean proteins, tofu, nuts & wholegrains are good for us. But what does all that really mean? And how can we put it into practice out here in the real world when ADHD, work, kids & life all throw challenges & obstacles at us constantly & make it hard to stay consistent with new habits.
The trick is to keep it simple. One of my not so secret weapons is the meal kit delivery service Simply Cook. You can choose your meals from their list of recipes, they will send you all the sauces measured out in pots along with the recipes and a strip you can tear off as a shopping list (there is also an app should you misplace anything). You take the done for you list to the supermarket to pick up your fresh ingredients and there are your meals for the week. The recipes are uncomplicated and don’t require anything you can’t find down at Lidl or Aldi. Even better, they are quick. I’ve found it so easy to motivate myself to cook these recipes because they are so straightforward & low effort my brain doesn’t argue as much!
I find this way of doing things useful for people with ADHD as we can pick up the fresh ingredients when we are ready to cook & there is no pressure to make everything in the same week or few days as with other delivery boxes like Gusto & Hello Fresh. It gives much more flexibility and means that groceries aren’t rotting in the fridge if for some reason we don’t cook that night.
If it’s easier for you to not make trips to the store and want to eliminate the hassle of shops altogether then I have reviewed some of the most popular meal delivery services here.
You can also use my FREE 10 Recipes for ADHD Women who want to lose weight. These recipes come with ingredient lists that you can screenshot & take to the store with you.
This concept is really about accepting that your ADHD brain may struggle with tasks such as looking for recipes, making shopping lists and cooking. So you want to find ways around that to make it as easy as possible for yourself. Fortunately technology has made this so much easier for us.
By eating a healthy diet that balances your blood sugar levels you can help give your body everything it needs to keep functioning & avoid the blood sugar rollercoaster.
Supplement with B6, Taurine & magnesium if you suffer from PMS or PMDD
Multivitamins are a great way to ensure you are getting everything you need, but make sure to check with your healthcare provider before taking any. While it is possible to get the vitamins & minerals you need from food, it’s not always as easy in the real world as it is on paper.
If you suffer from severe PMS or PMDD then I highly recommend adding in a daily multivitamin that is high quality (not all are the same). I recommend Beauty Pie Daily Multivitamin & Minerals Capsules to cover B6 & magnesium in particular. B6 is particularly important as it helps with the production of GABA which people with ADHD are lower in. Also the magnesium supplement from Beauty Pie if you find you are low on magnesium.
For those with ADHD adding in a high quality Omega 3 supplement can also be beneficial. I highly recommend supplementing with Iron too for vegetarians & vegans. I highly recommend Iron + Vitamin C from Boots as the vitamin C helps with absorption. However, if you are already taking a multivitamin or are planning to, make sure to check the levels of iron in it, you may find you’re already covered.
I’m NOT an affiliate for any of these products or for anything else because I feel that’s a major conflict of interest as a health coach. I suggest these because I have used them myself & are the best quality at a reasonable price.
Cycle syncing
Now this is a tricky one because while good in theory it’s not always doable in the real world. The idea is to track your cycle and schedule in your more challenging tasks and work inthe first two weeks of your cycle. Then gradually reduce your workload and do easier tasks and activities during the last two weeks as your PMS symptoms get worse & meds become less effective. That might work for some people, but for others it’s not always practical. If your boss wants something done you can’t exactly say “I’ll do it in 2 weeks when I’m in the Follicular phase”. Might get some funny looks.
You could of course if your symptoms are severe enough, employers have to make reasonable adjustments, but not everyone wants to go down that path. So, instead try to follow cycle syncing as much as you possibly can. Track your cycle over 3 months and look at what patterns emerge. When do you find ADHD symptoms getting worse? When do you feel at your best? And plan around that as much as you can.
Reduce stress (even without taking up meditation)
Stress is responsible for so much damage. Including how you can be eating a healthy diet and exercising & still not losing weight, struggle with stubborn belly fat and even digestive issues. It can make your ADHD medication less effective, your ADHD symptoms worse & worsen PMS & PMDD. I cover this extensively with my 1:1 clients in Mind & Body Transformation because it’s so important for people to understand the impact stress can have on their physical & mental health.
It’s easier for people with ADHD to find themselves overstretched because time blindness can cause us to take on too much, commit to too many things and go into hyperfocus that can cause stress when we come out of it & realise just how much has been neglected & you have to catch up with.
Developing new habits such as having a physical pen and paper planned that has each half hour time blocked can help you see how much time you have and don’t have so you aren’t overcommitting & causing additional stress. Scheduling out time for exercise and time to switch off your brain and do something fun will help recharge your batteries and give your body & mind time to relax.
Now you may be surprised by this advice but here it is. You don’t have to start taking up yoga, meditation or scheduling bubble baths (unless you want to) often these “self care” tips can be just another item on your to do list that can stress you out. Instead, just do something you enjoy. Watch Netflix, play a video game, go out for a walk, go dancing or whatever it is you like to do in your down time.
Exercise
There are no downsides to exercise! It’s the best thing you can do for your ADHD, PMS, PMDD, depression, physical health & anything else you can think of.
For people with ADHD I often find they go too far and over exercise & hyper focus (guilty as charged on that one!) or they find they can start but struggle to keep going once the novelty or hyper focus wears off. Afterall ADHD doesn’t do things by halves, does it?
Smaller amounts of daily exercise can be more useful for those of us with ADHD to do. By doing exercise daily you aren’t able to procrastinate & switch days around. That workout session on Monday can’t just be done on Wednesday instead. And Wednesday can’t turn into Friday, and before you know it it’s Saturday and you have 3 workout sessions to do in 2 days!
The guidelines on exercise for adults is to aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity every week. If you commit to just 22 minutes each day then you are there! And it’s much easier to convince yourself to workout for 20 minutes than it is for an hour.
Now you know how long to move for then focus on keeping it simple. You want to move as many obstacles out of your way as possible. I always advise my clients to ditch the gym (unless they particularly enjoy it) and do home workouts instead. This ditches all the faff of membership, driving, traffic and changing rooms. All are time consuming obstacles your brain can use to talk you out of it. Why not eliminate them entirely? I love the Peloton app (you don’t need the branded bike or treadmill to join in) as the instructors are motivating and the music helps give me a boost & my brain is occupied. Other apps you can use are the B method, Glo Yoga, TF Pilates and tons more. There are so many out there so try some out & see which ones you like best.
If you find accountability useful then look for group classes in your area, find an exercise partner on meetup, book in a personal trainer or try a Saturday park run. They are free to attend and everyone is at different levels of fitness. Some people walk and some run so don’t worry if you can’t run that far yet. Park runs are free too so there really is no barrier.
Work with a Health Coach
Making the changes you need to eat a healthy diet, exercise and de stress to better manage your ADHD and physical health during your menstrual cycle is not always easy. If it was, we wouldn’t have an obesity crisis. And as always, ADHD makes things 10x harder, but it doesn’t make it impossible. I have ADHD, as do my clients who have been able to transform their lives, lose weight & learn to manage their ADHD symptoms (diagnosed or not) through making healthy lifestyle changes. ADHD doesn’t mean you can’t, it just means you have to find different ways of doing things sometimes. If you need help then you’re welcome to book in a free, no obligation chat here.
Dealing with PMS & ADHD is certainly challenging, but by taking steps to eat healthy food, exercise, reduce stress, take supplements if needed & cycle syncing then you can significantly reduce the impact these conditions have on your life.
As always if you have any questions feel free to e mail [email protected]
Sarah Parker, Health & Life Coach
I specialise working with women with ADHD - both diagnosed and those who identify with the symptoms of ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADHD later in life, just weeks before my 30th birthday. I’m also a proud crazy cat lady and have fostered over 300 cats & kittens!
