More and more of us are starting to realize how beneficial Nootropics can be in improving our mental skills. Some can even help to treat some neurological issues effectively and improve one’s overall health.
Still, what about giving them to children? Should you, as a parent, be giving your child Nootropics to help enhance their cognitive functions, to help improve mental performance, and to allow your child to achieve their maximum potential?
Like so many other parents, you may be wondering if Nootropics for kids will prove beneficial to your child and the truth is that a good Nootropic supplement will offer the same benefits to your child as they would to you as an adult.
However, before you go out and purchase such supplements to help enhance your child’s cognitive functions, there are certain things you need to consider.
Let’s take a look at what these are below.
The majority of children suffer from issues relating to brain function due to poor nutrition. There are specific vitamins and minerals a child needs in their diet to help with mental clarity and the only way that this can be achieved is by them enjoying a healthy diet.
However, even when children enjoy a healthy balanced diet, a daily dose of certain dietary supplements can help improve their cognitive abilities further.
Are Nootropics Safe for Children?
Many adults now take a Nootropic supplement in order to help improve their quality of life. These allow them to maintain concentration and analyze information more rationally.
As a parent, the safety and wellbeing of your child is important, and you are probably wondering whether giving your child popular Nootropics is a good idea or not.
If you are, we aim to provide you with answers to these questions and any others you may have below, including if they will offer the same benefits to your child as they would to you.
The truth is that children, just like adults, can benefit from being given natural Nootropics but are they safe?
You will find that many health experts advise that we use these supplements with caution.
However, there are quite a number of health experts who advise against giving kids these supplements, too. There are several reasons why they advise against their use.
The main one is that a kid’s mind is very delicate, fragile, and is still developing and won’t be fully developed until they reach adulthood.
However, it is possible to give your Nootropics for kids to your child, but it is best to seek advice from a health professional before you do. This is the best thing to do even when other parents are telling you how safe Nootropics are.
Even when you give what some refer to as smart drugs to your child that has been prescribed or recommended, you should watch how they affect them. If you notice they start to suffer from any adverse side effects like nausea or headaches, stop giving them to your child immediately.
Why Should We Consider Giving Nootropics for Kids to Our Child?
As parents, we all understand how vital vitamins and minerals are to help with healthy development and growth in a child. Ideally, kids of all ages should get all the ones they need by eating certain foods as part of a healthy diet.
However, this may not always be the case, and here are some of the reasons why.
- Children who enjoy a plant-based diet aren’t able to get sufficient amounts of Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, calcium, iron, or zinc through the food they eat. They will need to take supplements that they would generally get from foods packed with protein such as meat, eggs, and fish.
- Children who suffer from certain medical conditions affect how much or how little of certain nutrients their body is able to absorb. So children who have celiac disease or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) need to include supplements in their diet. This is because their body finds it challenging to absorb Vitamin D, iron, and zinc.
- If a child is a picky eater, you may find it hard to get them to eat a variety of different foods as a parent.
- If a child’s diet consists of a lot of processed food, this can affect their health and their brain cell performance. Such foods will contain far fewer nutrients that the body needs for healthy brain function and strong bones.
Which Nootropics Are Safe for Our Children?
When it comes to Nootropic supplements that we use as adults, there aren’t any hard and fast rules we need to follow to find a product that works for us. This is because it isn’t as easy to alter an adult’s brain function as it is fully developed by now.
However, when it comes to children, the situation is different. As our kids grow older, their bodies and brain are still developing. This is why you must be careful when thinking of giving any kind of cognitive enhancer supplement to your child.
Some are perfectly fine for you to give to your child, while others, such as synthetic Nootropics, should be avoided altogether.
As your child’s neurological structure is still developing, you need to know which Nootropics are good for them and which aren’t. Below, we look at some of the best natural Nootropics to give to your child (with caution).
Which Nootropics Are the Best for Kids?
L-Theanine
This is an amino acid that you often find in green tea and is one of a handful of Nootropics that are safe for kids. It is most often used to help induce a sense of calm and relaxation in people, helping to reduce anxiety and stress levels.
Due to these properties, L-Theanine is an excellent Nootropic that children can use. It is something that health professionals may recommend to parents whose children suffer from conditions like ADHD. This is because it can help children who have ADHD to improve their concentration and regulate other behaviors.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
After many years of studies and research, many pediatricians agree on how beneficial it is to include Omega-3 fatty acid supplements in a child’s diet. Such a supplement has been found to help those children who have specific comprehension, reading, or writing disorders. Also, it has been found to help improve physical coordination in children with the condition known as dyspraxia.
Plus, further scientific research indicates that supplements containing Omega-3 have proven helpful when given to children aged 8 to 12 diagnosed with ADHD. The study has shown that these children’s levels of concentration, rational thinking, and behavior improved.
L-Tyrosine
This is a Nootropic that naturally occurs in the body and is referred to as a non-essential amino acid. Often cells in the body use it for protein synthesis. The only other way a child would be able to obtain this particular Nootropic is by eating dairy and meat products.
It is effective in helping to aid a child’s growth and aids with neurotransmitter synthesis. So it helps in the production of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
Also, L-Tyrosine has proven effective in helping children who have ADHD. It not only helps to reduce such children’s stress levels but also helps to regulate hormone production. In turn, it helps to improve focus and memory.
Zinc
One of the main challenges teachers face in the classroom is a lack of attention. Certain studies have been carried out to determine the cause of this. One of the main reasons is that zinc levels in a child’s body are low.
The thing is that zinc is vital when it comes to neurotransmitter synthesis, as well as helping to maintain brain structure and function.
Also, zinc is crucial as it helps the body produce melatonin, a vital hormone that helps regulate dopamine levels. Dopamine is another hormone our bodies produce naturally and helps with the regulation of specific actions such as attention, learning, and emotional response. It also can help a child sleep better at night.
Ginkgo Biloba
In a study carried out on children aged 3 to 17 years of age, when given 50mg of this Nootropic and 200mg of American ginseng, it significantly helped to improve their attention and reduce their hyperactivity levels significantly.
Although these results are impressive, they aren’t conclusive. More research and studies need to be carried out to fully determine the benefits as well as how safe giving this to children will be, especially for those who have ADHD.
If you are going to consider giving your child Nootropics for kids, you need to consider which is better and safer: natural or synthetic ones
Which Are Better: Natural or Synthetic Nootropics?
There are two types of Nootropics available, natural and synthetic. Even though each is different, they do have some similarities, the most notable of these being that they help with cognitive enhancement.
Natural Nootropics
As the name suggests, these are obtained from natural resources such as plants. So they are unlikely to cause much risk to one’s health unlike the synthetic versions.
Some experts believe that little research is needed to determine how safe natural Nootropics are compared to synthetic ones. Still, you should err on the side of caution and discuss this with your child’s doctor if you choose to give them any of these supplements.
Synthetic Nootropics
These should be considered as experimental. Many scientists are working tirelessly to try and improve our capabilities by looking at ways to help raise the bar to improve our learning abilities by improving mental acuity.
These scientists are constantly creating synthesized products that will help improve our cognitive performance. Such products or smart drugs are produced in laboratory conditions and are specifically designed to help improve brain functions such as attention, focus, rational thinking, and memory.
Even though a great deal of research has been carried out in relation to Nootropics for adults, such research is still ongoing with regard to children taking these supplements. Having said that, children have found taking both natural and synthetic Nootropics to be beneficial for some time now.
As a parent, we recommend that when giving such supplements to help your child’s cognitive performance, you do so with caution. This is especially crucial if you intend to give your child synthetic Nootropics for kids rather than natural ones.
Let’s Wrap Things Up
The list of natural Nootropics we’ve discussed above is entirely safe for children to include in their diet. This is especially the case concerning L-Tyrosine, as our bodies produce it naturally.
All of the aforementioned Nootropics won’t just help with cognitive enhancement but will also help to support a child’s growth.
If you are thinking about giving any kinds of Nootropics for kids to your child, you must give them the recommended dosage. Also, you must never use them for an extended period. If you do, then over time, your child will begin to become tolerant of them.
Just as with any other medications or supplements, there are some risks involved, which you need to be aware of.
If you give children these too often, it could also lead to overstimulation of your child’s nervous system, which in turn can lead to the risk of damage to the cells in their body.
As with any other supplements you may be thinking of giving your child, you should first consult your child’s doctor regarding this type of medication. This is vital if your child is taking other medications, or even if they aren’t. If not careful, it could have an adverse effect on your child and their behavior.
As a parent, you only want the best for your child, and hopefully, this article has helped you better understand more about what Nootropics for kids are. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.