As with anything ADHD, one is also prone to having high sensitivity to weather, especially when compared to people who have normal brains. So, asking a question like, “Does weather affect ADHD?” is not far-fetched that much but in fact it is right in the ballpark of what needs to be asked. For a more in-depth analysis of this subject matter, we need to go deeper into it and that is exactly what we are going to do. So, let’s talk about ADHD and weather changes’ effect on it.
Defining ADHD
ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is a neurodivergent disorder that is capable of affecting the executive functioning (your ability to sustain a day-to-day life) of the affected individual with inducing symptoms like procrastination, freezing in place, inability to focus, impulsivity, disorganization and of course, hyperactivity.
ADHD has a tendency to magnify the problems that have an opening for co-occurring with it, for example, bipolar disorder. Sometimes, environmental factors such as the holidays leading to Christmas Eve or the changing weather can have a negative effect on ADHD, increasing its sensitivity to associated risks even more so. ADHD remains the most frequent reason for the referral of young children to child psychiatry (Krutscher, 2008).
Read More: ADHD and Christmas: What’s The Real Connection?
ADHD and Weather Changes: Is There Any Link?
Yes. As we have mentioned before, ADHD and weather changes indeed have a correlation. So, no wonder a lot of us end up asking a question like, “Does weather affect ADHD?”. So how does it do it? Do these seasonal changes include hot and cold weather in equal parts? These are the questions that we are trying to ask!
But How Is Your Mood and Life Affected With Changes in The Season?
Essentially, your executive functioning can be affected by changes in the weather or even the changes in the day and night cycle. This is often referred to as the “winter blues” or less commonly as the “summer blues” (summer is less dominant in affecting someone with seasonal mood or behavioral changes). These winter and summer “blues” relate to Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is a mental condition that is characterized by symptoms such as persistent depression, where you feel like sitting idle and listless all day while being sad all the time with no interest in any activity since the depression begin when a seasonal change went through. In addition to this persistent sadness one is also expected to feel these symptoms when suffering from SAD (National Institute for Mental Health, 2023):
- Empty feeling
- You are under the hopelessness and pessimism
- You feel guilt and the weight of the world and also feel worthless and aimless
- Disinterest in hobbies and activities
- Highly irritable and impulsive
- Rattled cognitive processes and memory problems
- Extreme fatigue and decreased energy
- Changes in sleep and eating patterns (often leading to weight changes)
- Suicidal ideation and attempts
- Physical symptoms such as headaches, pain, cramps, or digestive problems
Perhaps, this will answer the question of, “Does weather affect ADHD?”. It also depends on the different kinds of seasons to manifest different symptoms, for example, in winter these can come into motion:
- Hypersomnia (oversleeping)
- Overeating, which often leads to overweight
- Social anxiety, which leads to social avoidance behavior (where it often feels like you are hibernating)
And when the summer season rarely happens in terms of ADHD and weather changes:
- Insomnia (persistently having difficulty going to sleep)
- Falling appetite, which often leads to underweight of the affected individual
- Aggressive and violent behavior
- Agitation and restlessness
- Rising anxiety and stress
While these symptoms can overlap with something people often describe as “holiday blues”, it is something that is highly different. The depression associated with SAD is more akin to changes in the daylight hours, so anxiety associated with the holidays or predictable seasonal changes in work or school schedules, family visits, etcetera are not part of the winter blues but can indeed come between them in an overlapping scenario.
Read More: What is Executive Dysfunction ADHD? Causes, Symptoms, And Treatments
But How Does SAD Relate to the Question Of, “Does Weather Affect ADHD?”?
ADHD is usually accompanied by different disorders such as OCD, so SAD is not an exception. In fact, a better question would be formulated as how does weather affect ADHD via SAD? SAD affects when the season changes, predominantly when the winter is poised to arrive and is just around the corner. While researchers are hard at work, it is difficult to ascertain the causes of SAD, especially in relation to ADHD. But they have an idea who or moreover what is the usual suspect.
The Usual Suspect: ADHD and Cold Weather
The changes happen due to changes in the day-night cycle. This means that the shorter days, which tend to happen in the winter season, affect your circadian rhythm (our internal clock that keeps up with the day and night cycle via a neurotransmitter called serotonin), which in turn affects your sleep patterns. As you may ask, well, research also suggests that sunlight affects levels of molecules that help maintain normal serotonin levels (Sansone, RA. & Sansone LA, 2013). Without or decreased sunlight, problems such as depression and insomnia are bound to happen. People with ADHD already tend to have bad sleep patterns and once SAD comes into motion, then questions like, “Does weather affect ADHD?” aren’t something far-fetched as it starts to become a reality. So, SAD essentially exacerbates the effects of ADHD to the point it becomes extremely difficult for affected individuals to retain a normal life, making treatment compulsory.
ADHD and Hot Weather
Does weather affect ADHD? You know that now in terms of exacerbating symptoms, which is usually through the winter season or as people commonly call it the “winter blues”, but what about the “summer blues”, you know the summer season. While rare, extreme temperatures of the summer season can also affect ADHD-affected people. ADHD and hot weather that is on the boiling point (basically the extreme) is not a good mix as its extreme temperatures affect the comfort levels, stress, and the ability to concentrate or stay calm of affected individuals. High temperatures often restrict many activities such as regular exercise, which is often used to manage ADHD, which makes the hot season a double-edged sword for ADHD-affected individuals.
Read More: Understanding How Depression Can Cause ADHD-like Symptoms- An Informative Guide
ADHD and Rainy Weather
ADHD is also affected by rainy weather making ADHD and rainy weather another bad concoction and a good answer to the question, “Does weather affect ADHD?”.
The Psychological Effect Of Rainy Day On ADHD People
Continuously gloomy and rainy weather has the tendency to affect even normal people, so ADHD-affected individuals should not be an exception. ADHD and rainy weather do not match well because sadness and depression can prevail during ADHD episodes while the weather outside (of your home) stands to be gloomy and wet as there is no way to manage the ADHD symptoms like we are used to doing in the normal weather when it’s raining hard. It also affects the exposure to sunlight, making an opening for SAD to kick in and co-occur with ADHD symptoms, adding to the hardship of affected individuals. So, this is why ADHD and rainy weather do not mix well (which is a good answer to the question, “Does weather affect ADHD?”).
Treating ADHD and SAD
Treatment is the only way to surpass the effects of ADHD and SAD altogether. It can be done in two different ways: Medical Treatment and Lifestyle Changes. Instead of asking again and again whether the weather affects ADHD, it is best to go through these treatment methods before life is affected.
Ensuring Regular Physical Activity Somehow
While we know it can be difficult to continue physical activity if the temperatures are extreme or it’s raining, you can find alternate ways to continue physical activity and make it a regular thing. You can do this by starting out indoor physical activity such as yoga or calisthenics. It is important that you do that because exercise releases endorphins, natural mood lifters that help counteract the lethargy often associated with gloomy or extreme weather.
Keeping A Routine
Staying organized is a good way to manage ADHD and even SAD, as it takes the mind off from sadness and the raging symptoms of ADHD altogether.
Balanced Diet
Nutrient-dense foods are high in the necessary vitamins and minerals to support overall health and well-being. Maintaining a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables can positively impact mood.
Having A Support System
This keeps you motivated to align with the goals of managing ADHD and SAD symptoms. You do it for them, not just for yourself.
Read More: Normal Brain Vs ADHD Brain – How We Are Wired Differently
Medical Treatments
As SAD is essentially a type of depression, that means antidepressants like Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, target neurotransmitters like Serotonin (which is important for sleep) and increase their uptake in the body. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an antidepressant called bupropion, which you can use to treat the effects of SAD (National Institute for Mental Health, 2023). Vitamin D (which also comes from sunlight) supplements can also be used, especially if affected individuals have a deficiency of it.
Methylphenidate and amphetamine are the two most commonly used stimulant medications for the treatment of ADHD in adults and are also approved. Stimulants also use biological processes in the brain to induce beneficial outcomes but sometimes they can give side effects (American Academy of Family Physicians, n.d.). Then non-stimulants like Atomoxetine (Strattera) are used as they can induce the same benefits but without putting up side effects although it’s a bit slower (American Academy of Family Physicians, n.d.).
Therapy
There are different types of therapy for something that relates to your worry, which might be similar to: “Does weather affect ADHD?”. Well, let’s get on with it!
Light Therapy
Since the 1980s, light therapy has been a mainstay for treating SAD, especially during the winter season. It can be used as an alternative to sunlight as SAD usually starts due to the absence of sunlight. An affected individual sits in front of a very bright light box (approximately 10,000 lux) every day for about 30−45 minutes, usually early in the morning, starting in fall and ending in spring. It is usually safe in terms of UV light but people with pre-existing eye conditions should consult with a physician and ask if it is suitable to go through it (National Institute for Mental Health, 2023). As a cutting-edge approach that uses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate micro-cellular processes in the brain, it can also be used to treat ADHD.
Psychotherapy
Also called ‘talk therapy, it is a kind of therapy that helps affected individuals look inward introspectively for the resolutions of the problematic behavior and actions that stem from their negative thought processes. There is one called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is a short-term and goal-based version of psychotherapy that strives to help people learn to challenge and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to improve their depressive and anxious feelings. A CBT specifically designed for treating SAD, called CBT-SAD, can be done in a 6-weeks time and can also replace the negative thought processes associated with seasonal changes, especially the “winter blues” (National Institute for Mental Health, 2023). Additionally, CBT is also extremely suitable for treating ADHD and cold weather and also ADHD and hot weather.
Read More: Psychotherapy For ADHD in Adults
Metacognitive Therapy
Another one is this thing called metacognitive therapy which focuses more on how people think rather than what they are thinking. Instead of focusing on specific thoughts, the light is actually reflected on an affected individual’s thinking style. The aim of metacognitive therapy for ADHD is to improve organization skills, planning, and time management, and resolve thinking distortions that often lead to negative mood perception and the mirage of limited options (American Academy of Family Physicians, n.d.).
Summing Up!
If you have any questions like, “Can weather affect ADHD?”, or “Does weather affect ADHD?”, then these have already been answered in some form or another through the information laid up for your convenience. If you feel like you need treatment for problems mentioned above or others such as PTSD, then don’t fret about coming to the Inland Empire Behavioral Group for a consultation.
