You never feeling full with ADHD often stems from low dopamine, executive dysfunction (difficulty with self-regulation), emotional eating, and issues with interoception (not noticing body cues), making you crave stimulation, miss hunger/fullness signals, or overeat impulsively, sometimes worsened by ADHD meds wearing off. It's a complex mix of brain chemistry, behavioral traits, and sensory experiences that disrupt typical eating patterns.
The ADHD "30% Rule" is a guideline suggesting that executive functions (like self-regulation, planning, and emotional control) in people with ADHD develop about 30% slower than in neurotypical individuals, meaning a 10-year-old might function more like a 7-year-old in these areas, requiring adjusted expectations for maturity, task management, and behavior. It's a tool for caregivers and adults with ADHD to set realistic goals, not a strict scientific law, helping to reduce frustration by matching demands to the person's actual developmental level (executive age) rather than just their chronological age.
Experts believe that people with ADHD may overeat to satisfy their brain's need for stimulation. Also, problems with executive function can make self-control and self-regulation difficult. Inattention can also be a factor. People with ADHD may not be as aware of or focused on their eating habits.
Like those with disordered eating, people with ADHD often deal with boredom, stress and intense feelings by overeating in order to soothe themselves. Those with ADHD may be likely to forget to eat and to binge later.
The 20-minute rule for ADHD is a productivity strategy to overcome task paralysis by committing to work on a task for just 20 minutes, leveraging the brain's need for dopamine and short bursts of focus, making it easier to start and build momentum, with the option to stop or continue after the timer goes off, and it's a variation of the Pomodoro Technique, adapted for ADHD's unique challenges like time blindness. It helps by reducing overwhelm, providing a clear starting point, and creating a dopamine-boosting win, even if you only work for that short period.
The ADHD burnout cycle is a pattern where constant effort to manage ADHD symptoms (like executive dysfunction, overstimulation, and masking) leads to extreme mental/physical exhaustion, a "crash," and a shame spiral, often followed by trying to overcompensate again, repeating the cycle. It involves phases like the initial push/overcompensation, the struggle/stress, the collapse/shutdown, and the guilt-ridden recovery attempt, resulting in fatigue, irritability, procrastination, and disengagement from life.
For adults, 7-8 hours is recommended. Try to avoid napping during the day. Optimise your sleep environment. Make sure your environment is quiet, calm and comfortable.
4 Strategies to Manage ADHD and Binge Eating
The top 3 core symptoms of ADHD are inattention (difficulty focusing, staying organized), hyperactivity (excess restlessness, excessive movement), and impulsivity (acting without thinking, poor self-control). People with ADHD often experience a combination of these, though some might primarily struggle with inattention (inattentive type) or hyperactivity/impulsivity (hyperactive-impulsive type).
The 10-3 rule for ADHD is a productivity strategy involving 10 minutes of focused work followed by a 3-minute break, designed to match the ADHD brain's need for short bursts of effort, making tasks less overwhelming and procrastination easier to manage by building momentum with quick, structured intervals. It helps individuals with ADHD ease into tasks, offering a tangible goal (10 mins) and an immediate reward (3 mins) to keep focus without burnout, often incorporating movement or preferred activities during breaks.
Interoception and body awareness
Beyond dopamine and executive function, many people with ADHD also experience reduced interoception. This means they have a harder time sensing and understanding signals like hunger, fullness, and emotions.
💙 ADHD shutdown is a mental freeze triggered by overwhelm, leaving you unable to start tasks, make decisions, or interact with others — often described as paralysis, a freeze, or a neurological pause.
When it comes to food, many kids—and even adults—find themselves returning to the same “hyperfixation meal” over and over again. Whether it's chicken nuggets, pasta, or a favorite snack plate, these go-to meals can bring both comfort and convenience.
Use the five-minute rule
Commit to working on something for just five minutes. This can sidestep internal resistance and build momentum naturally. Many people find they continue past the five-minute mark once they get going.
Increase stress relief by exercising outdoors—people with ADHD often benefit from sunshine and green surroundings. Try relaxing forms of exercise, such as mindful walking, yoga, or tai chi. In addition to relieving stress, they can teach you to better control your attention and impulses.
Dislikes or avoids activities that require paying attention for more than one or two minutes. Loses interest and starts doing something else after engaging in an activity for a few moments. Talks a lot more and makes more noise than other children of the same age. Climbs on things when instructed not to do so.
Active and dynamic jobs
The 5 C's of ADHD, developed by psychologist Dr. Sharon Saline, is a framework for parents and individuals to manage ADHD challenges, focusing on Self-Control, Compassion, Collaboration, Consistency, and Celebration. This approach builds skills for better emotional regulation (Self-Control), empathy (Compassion), working together (Collaboration), establishing routines (Consistency), and recognizing progress (Celebration) to foster a supportive environment and reduce stress.
What Is the 10-Minute Rule? The 10-minute rule is beautifully simple: when you're avoiding a task, commit to working on it for just 10 minutes. That's it. After 10 minutes, you have full permission to stop.
The 24-hour rule for ADHD is a self-regulation strategy to combat impulsivity by creating a mandatory waiting period (often a full day) before reacting to emotionally charged situations or making significant decisions, allowing time for reflection and reducing regretful snap judgments, especially for things like impulse purchases or arguments. It's a pause button that gives the brain space to process, move from impulse to intention, and evaluate choices more logically, helping manage ADHD's impact on emotional regulation and decision-making.
The foods people hyperfixate on tend to be more palatable foods, like candy and junk food, as well as comfort and convenience foods that are easy to prepare, such as prepackaged and frozen meals. However, these tend to not be the most nutrient-dense meals.
There is significant research that shows mindfulness and meditation improve mood and positive feelings. Moreover, meditation has been demonstrated to improve many symptoms of ADHD including focus, concentration and mood regulation. There are many strategies for increasing mindfulness.
Researchers speculate that ADHD is associated with a state of increased sleepiness rather than hyperactivity. Hyperactivity could be a coping mechanism to counteract the daytime sleepiness these children experience. Excessive daytime sleepiness is believed to worsen the symptoms of ADHD.
There's no definitive time stamp on how long ADHD burnout lasts. Some people might experience burnout for weeks or months. But it can become chronic, with symptoms lasting for years if it's not treated effectively.