Mental fatigue is real, and it can have a serious impact on declining cognitive function. Allowing it to persist can have devastating effects on an individual’s daily activities, making it challenging to accomplish tasks. When you find it hard to concentrate, you may not be able to think clearly, maintain your focus, or make insightful decisions. Here are some science-backed methods you can implement to improve your concentration:
1. Brain Training Activities
A 2015 study showed that individuals who engage in brain training activities can improve their concentration. Playing games such as crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, memory games, sudoku, and Scrabble can help you develop your short-term memory and improve your problem-solving skills.
2. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep deprivation can also cause you to lose focus and concentration in addition to declining memory and decreasing attention-span. This is why it is important to get enough sleep. While many experts recommend getting at least eight hours of sleep, it also needs to be restful. If you find it difficult to get quality sleep every night, you might want to consider adopting a nightly routine to prime your body to doze off, such as turning off the TV or having a warm bath.
3. Consume Brain Food
Eating nourishing food is also another way to help you boost focus. The food you eat has a significant effect on your mental functions. When you add healthy variety to your meals, you are promoting healthy brain cells. Go for meals that include naturally fatty foods, blueberries, gooseberries, eggs, and spinach. As much as possible, you should try to avoid processed foods or sugary drinks. Making sure that you eat a healthy breakfast also helps you improve your brain functions.
4. Do Meditation
When you meditate, you’re ensuring that your cognitive functions, particularly your concentration and focus, remain at optimal levels. The calmness of mind and spirit can help you realign your focus. Giving yourself enough time to pause, take a break, and reignite your senses can help you shift your mind into more important aspects of your life. Doing yoga can be a good start.
5. Regular Exercise
Exercising is also an effective way to improve your concentration and focus. There are some types of workouts that not only focus on your body but on your mental functions. Concentration workouts are particularly useful for individuals that find it hard to focus. In such workouts, you may be asked to devote your attention to the completion of a particular task given a specific time.
6. Give Supplements a Try
If your healthcare provider gives you approval, you can rely on supplements to help you improve your focus and concentration. While you may get most of your vitamins and minerals from food items, supplementation may be necessary if you need to meet daily goals. Some of the supplementations you may want to consider for your brain health, include choline, folate, vitamin K, and omega-3 fatty acids.
7. Drink Caffeine
If you are a coffee or tea drinker, you will find it useful that caffeine is good for increasing your attention span and focus. Research shows that the phytochemicals present in matcha are great for promoting relaxation and improving cognitive function. If you don’t like the jittery feeling associated with coffee, you may also want to try eating a serving of dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao or higher, as they would have the same benefits.
Make sure to experiment on which of these tips will work for you. You can try to follow one or combine two of these tips to see what helps.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.
