The Nervous System and Why It Matters for ADHD

Jennifer Pressley
1 day ago
3 min read

Understanding ADHD Through the Lens of the Nervous System

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is more than just difficulty focusing—it is deeply connected to the nervous system. Understanding how the nervous system functions can help parents, educators, and individuals with ADHD navigate challenges and build effective strategies for self-regulation.

The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System

The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) controls involuntary bodily functions, such as heart rate, breathing, and digestion. It has two key branches:

Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – The body’s “fight-or-flight” response.
Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) – The “rest-and-digest” system that promotes relaxation and recovery.

People with ADHD often experience dysregulation of the ANS, meaning they may have difficulty shifting between these states, leading to heightened stress responses or difficulty calming down.

Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn: ADHD and Survival Mode

When the nervous system perceives a threat—whether real or perceived—it triggers a survival response. People with ADHD tend to experience these states more frequently and intensely due to differences in nervous system regulation.

Fight – Reacting with anger, frustration, or defiance.
Flight – Escaping situations, avoidance, or excessive movement.
Freeze – Feeling stuck, unable to start tasks, or zoning out.
Fawn – People-pleasing, over-apologizing, or seeking excessive reassurance.

This survival mode can make it hard for kids and adults with ADHD to engage in everyday tasks, relationships, and responsibilities.

How do we Learn Self-Regulation?

Think back to how we soothe infants - with our tone of voice, picking them up in our arms, rocking or swaying. We borrowing another's regulation and energy until we develop our own. Co-regulation happens when a calm, supportive person helps someone regulate their emotions and nervous system. And while this is imperative for ADHD children, it is also particularly important for adults in relationships and workplaces.

Ways to foster co-regulation:

Taking care of our own needs, triggers and limiting beliefs to be able to regulate first
Maintaining a calm tone, body language, and physical presence to create a safe space
Using empathetic listening to help the other person feel understood
Validating ALL emotions by helping name and move through them
Joining them in a task or chore or even just the same room to get started and/or follow through
Providing structure and predictable routines to reduce nervous system overwhelm
Anticipating and meeting their physical and/or sensory needs
Petting an animal

Self-Regulation Strategies

Both children and adults with ADHD need tools to support their nervous system, but their needs may differ. While kids can use fidget toys and play-based regulation activities, they are often still learning when and how to access these strategies. Self-regulation refers to managing emotions, behaviors, and energy levels effectively. ADHD impacts the brain’s ability to regulate emotions and impulses, making it harder to move out of a dysregulated state.

There are many tools that have been shown to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and complete stress cycles. bringing awareness to the present moment, discharging excess energy, and reducing overwhelm:

Deep breathing exercises, mindfulness and grounding techniques
Regular exercise and movement breaks
Time in nature
Temperature changes like cold or hot drinks, cold water on the face or arms, or shower
Crunchy snacks or ice, flavored gum, hydrating
Music
Somatic experiencing, EFT, bilateral stimulation and other therapies focused on physiological awareness
Sleep
Emotional release including crying or laughing
Playfulness and fun activities
Sensory tools like weighted blankets or fidgets
Therapy and coaching to develop emotional resilience

Final Thoughts

By understanding how the nervous system influences ADHD, we can move beyond behavior-based solutions and focus on biological regulation strategies. Supporting both self-regulation and co-regulation helps ADHD individuals feel safer, more focused, and more in control of their daily lives.