Headspace, a digital meditation application, significantly reduces anxiety and sleep problems in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to a small study recently published in the Journal of Attention Disorders. The pilot study, which evaluated the efficacy of the health app in 18 children with ADHD between 6 to 12 years old, saw a decrease in anxiety and sleep problems in the group after four weeks of use compared to baseline. These reductions were true for participants no matter how much they meditated. The Headspace app guides users through mindfulness-based techniques and exercises designed to reduce stress. For this study, the authors tested the recently developed pediatric version of Headspace. (Headspace’s role in the study was limited to providing participants with free access to the app and providing the authors with data on participant application usage).
