Yes, but not for the reasons you might think.
Anyone with ADHD, regardless of what type, understands that it can feel like a constant “all or nothing.” Because of the way ADHD effects the brain, an ADHD brain is unable to produce the same levels of dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline as a neurotypical person’s brain produces. This results in the ADHD brain being faster than the non-ADHD brain.
So how does this relate to fasting? Well, you kinda need to have a surplus of energy to accommodate for the wildly energetic nature of the ADHD brain..
(I’m trying not to ramble and run around in circles about it because earlier I basically wrote an essay for this 💀)
To sum it up:
The ADHD brain is faster than the non-ADHD brain
It takes more energy for the brain to function like that
Fasting causes an energy deficit, forcing the body to break down fat deposits and sometimes even muscle mass in order to have enough energy to function properly.
Less energy in the body => body prioritizes sending that energy to the bodily processes needed to live => less energy available for the ADHD brain to go running around like Sonic => the symptoms seem like they are easier to manage
Absolutely.
I felt a mental clarity and ‘stillness’ that I had never felt in my life. Usually around hour 35+ is when I really start feeling it.
Makes me wonder if ADHD is just a symptom of our modern eating practices. Just musing, no hard proof of that
I’m new to purposefully fasting more than 18 hours, and 25 is my current longest purposeful time. I’ve done several 24s recently and noticed a big difference! (Though I’m also gonna chalk lots of the newer differences to also actually hydrating more as well…)
Im 18 hours into a 43 hour and am excited to see what happens!(I’ll definitely be making an apple pie for my mom while fasting… we’ll see how that goes xD)