Hyperactivity can be described as a physical state in which a person is abnormally and easily excitable or exuberant. Strong
emotionAn emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior. Emotions are subjective experiences, often associated with mood, temperament, personality, and disposition. The English word 'emotion' is derived from the French word émouvoir...
al reactions,
impulsiveAn impulse is a wish or urge, particularly a sudden one. It can be considered as a normal and fundamental part of human thought processes, but also one that can become problematic, as in a condition like obsessive-compulsive disorder....
behavior, and sometimes a short span of
attentionAttention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. Attention has also been referred to as the allocation of processing resources...
are also typical for a hyperactive person. Some individuals may show these characteristics naturally, as personality differs from person to person. Nonetheless, when hyperactivity starts to become a problem for the person or others, it may be classified as a medical disorder.
Hyperactivity can be described as a physical state in which a person is abnormally and easily excitable or exuberant. Strong
emotionAn emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior. Emotions are subjective experiences, often associated with mood, temperament, personality, and disposition. The English word 'emotion' is derived from the French word émouvoir...
al reactions,
impulsiveAn impulse is a wish or urge, particularly a sudden one. It can be considered as a normal and fundamental part of human thought processes, but also one that can become problematic, as in a condition like obsessive-compulsive disorder....
behavior, and sometimes a short span of
attentionAttention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. Attention has also been referred to as the allocation of processing resources...
are also typical for a hyperactive person. Some individuals may show these characteristics naturally, as personality differs from person to person. Nonetheless, when hyperactivity starts to become a problem for the person or others, it may be classified as a medical disorder. The
slangSlang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language. It is often used as a way to say words that are not appropriate, and is not often found in the standard dictionary for the language...
term "hyper" is used to describe someone who is in a hyperactive state.
Causes
There was a great deal of focus on
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorderAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder. ADHD is primarily characterized by "the co-existence of attentional problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone." While symptoms may appear to be innocent and merely annoying...
as a cause of hyperactivity. Other conditions can cause it as well. Normal young children can be very lively and may or may not have short attention spans. Normal teenagers can also appear hyperactive;
pubertyPuberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction. Puberty is initiated by hormone signals from the brain to the gonads . In response, the gonads produce a variety of hormones that stimulate the growth, function, or transformation of...
can cause it. Children who are bored, are suffering from mental conflict, or are having problems at home — which may even include
sexual abuseSexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another, when that force falls short of being a sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
— can be hyperactive. The disorder has a large range of effects on children. Some have
learning disabilitiesLearning disability , is a disorder in which a person has a difficulty to learn effectively, caused by an unknown factor or factors. The unknown factor is the disorder that affects the brain's ability to receive and process information...
, while others may be very gifted, or both.
Hyperactivity can also occur because of problems with hearing or vision.
Overactive thyroidHyperthyroidism is the term for overactive tissue within the thyroid gland,resulting in overproduction and thus an excess of circulating free thyroid hormones: thyroxine , triiodothyronine , or both...
,
lead poisoningLead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body...
,
atypical depressionAtypical depression is a subtype of dysthymia and major depression characterized by mood reactivity — being able to experience improved mood in response to positive events. In contrast, sufferers of "melancholic" depression generally cannot experience positive moods, even when good things happen...
,
maniaMania is a severe medical condition characterized by extremely elevated mood, energy, unusual thought patterns and sometimes psychosis...
,
anxietyAnxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components. These components combine to create an unpleasant feeling that is typically associated with uneasiness, fear, or worry....
,
sleep deprivationSleep deprivation, a sleep disorder characterized by having too little sleep, can be either chronic or acute. Long-term sleep deprivation causes death in lab animals...
and a range of psychiatric illnesses are some of the potential causes.
Severe cases of hyperactivity can be very harmful if left untreated, since hyperactive people seldom think about the consequences of their actions. An action or joke that is harmless or innocent to a hyperactive person may be annoying or even offensive to others..
Sugar consumption
A common belief is that eating too much
sugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many...
will make a person hyperactive. This belief is especially prevalent amongst parents and teachers who claim that children's behavior often gets more rowdy, excited and energetic after they eat too many sugary foods and drinks (such as
candyCandy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
/
sweetsis a Japanese idol group. Put together through auditions, the group debuted in 2003 on the avex trax label. Although the group met minor success, they disbanded after three years with the release of a final single in June 2006.- History :...
or
soft drinkA soft drink is a drink that does not contain alcohol . Soft drinks are often carbonated and commonly consumed while cold. The most common soft drinks are colas, flavored water, sparkling water, iced tea, sweet tea, lemonade, squash and fruit punch....
s). One particular study found that the perception by parents regarding their children's hyperactivity depended on their belief as to whether they had been given sugar . Majority of the studies show no connection between sugar and hyperactivity.
Studies on other dietary causes
In two studies published in 2004 and 2007, researchers from Southampton University suggested that a statistically significant increase in the hyperactivity of children occurred after they consumed common artificial food colours and additives from fruit drinks. The list of compounds used in the two studies included a preservative commonly used in beverages,
sodium benzoateSodium benzoate has the chemical formula NaC6H5CO2. It is the sodium salt of benzoic acid and exists in this form when dissolved in water. It can be produced by reacting sodium hydroxide with benzoic acid.-Uses:Sodium benzoate is a preservative. It is...
, and six color additives used in foods:
tartrazineTartrazine is a synthetic lemon yellow azo dye used as a food coloring. It is water soluble and has a maximum absorbance in an aqueous solution at 427±2 nm....
, quinonline yellow, sunset yellow, carmoisine and allura red. On the basis of the 2007 report, The UK
Food Standards AgencyThe Food Standards Agency is a non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for protecting public health in relation to food throughout the United Kingdom and is led by an appointed board that is intended to act in the public interest...
has revised its stance on these additives, informing parents of children that demonstrate hyperactive behaviour that removal of foods containing the six additives from their diet may have beneficial results on behaviour. The
European Food Safety AuthorityThe European Food Safety Authority is an agency of the European Union that provides independent scientific advice and communication on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain....
(EFSA) was asked to review the 2007 study that asserted a link between consumption of artificial food colours and the observation of hyperactive behaviour in children. EFSA invited a number of experts in behaviour, child psychiatry, allergenicity and statistical analysis to provide input to the EFSA Panel on Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food. In a press release from March 2008, EFSA indicated that, in their view, the 2007 study provided only limited evidence of an association between the intake of the mixture of additives and activity and attention, and then only in some children studied. They further indicated that the effects that were reported in the study were not consistent for the two age groups and the two food additive mixtures.
Other studies have recommended the
Feingold DietThe Feingold diet is a food elimination program developed by Ben F. Feingold, MD to treat hyperactivity. It eliminates a number of artificial colors and artificial flavors, aspartame, three petroleum-based preservatives, and certain salicylates. There has been much debate about the efficacy of...
which eliminates several synthetic colors, synthetic flavors, synthetic preservatives, and artificial sweeteners. Scientific studies have shown mixed results in double blind studies of the diet. A 1983 publication in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggested that administration of the Feingold diet produced very minimal behavioural alterations in hyperactive children.
Complicating Factors
Other studies point to synthetic preservatives and artificial coloring agents aggravating ADD & ADHD symptoms in those affected. Older studies were inconclusive quite possibly due to inadequate clinical methods of measuring offending behavior. Parental reports were more accurate indicators of the presence of additives than clinical tests.
Two studies show academic performance increased and disciplinary problems decreased in large non-ADD student populations when artificial ingredients were eliminated from school food programs.
See also
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder. ADHD is primarily characterized by "the co-existence of attentional problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone." While symptoms may appear to be innocent and merely annoying...
- Adult attention-deficit disorder
Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the common term used to describe the neuropsychiatric condition attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder when it is present in adults...
- Workaholic
Colloquially, a workaholic, is a person who is addicted to work .The phrase does not always imply that the person actually enjoys their work, but rather simply feels compelled to do it...
External links