What is ADD/ADHD?
Attention Deficit (with or without hyperactivity) Disorder (ADD/ADHD), is a medical diagnosis made in children and teenagers that suffer from inattention (inability to focus), easy distractibility, poor organization skills, impulsivity, and possible hyperactivity.
It is estimated that ADD/ADHD affects over 6 million children and teenagers in the US which is over 9% of the pediatric population. As many as 2/3rds of these children also have other behavioral or emotional issues including anxiety, depression, and sleep issues.
How Does Good Day Chocolate Help?
You are probably asking, how can Good Day Chocolate help my child and/or teenager with ADD/ADHD? Some of the answers may surprise you, let's talk about our Energy Chocolate, but see here for how our Calm Chocolate or our Sleep products may be able to help.
Traditional treatments for ADD/ADHD include behavioral therapies and medications. The medications typically used are a class of stimulants. There has been a lot of discussion about the possibility of using caffeine for ADD/ADHD as it is also a stimulant, albeit a milder stimulant than the prescribed medications. Concerns about caffeine in children and teenagers with ADD/ADHD revolve around the ability to accurately dose caffeine, and the possibility of over-stimulation in children/teenagers who are already on a prescribed medication taking additional caffeine.
At Good Day Chocolate, we always stress safety.
We would not recommend taking caffeine in addition to any prescribed medications for ADD/ADHD. Caffeine, without additional prescription stimulants, however, may be helpful for your child and/or teenager suffering from ADD/ADHD, and at 20mg of caffeine per piece of chocolate, you can control the dose!
Combining L-Theanine with Caffeine
The caffeine conversation gets even more interesting with a recent study by Texas Tech, that concludes that the combination of l-theanine with caffeine may be even better than either of them alone! While caffeine is stimulating, it appears the effects of l-theanine counteract the negative “jittery” effects of caffeine and further enhance the ability to focus and concentrate. It’s like getting the best of both worlds! Taking a combination of Good Day Chocolate Calm for Kids, and Good Day Chocolate Energy may provide helpful support for your child or teenager with ADD/ADHD.
Yes another way that Good Day Chocolate can help support your child or teenager with ADD/ADHD - I guess that’s why we call ourselves “Chocolate with Benefits!”
