Improve Concentration Naturally: Introducing 4 Easy Tips

The mind is a valuable asset.  We use it to do everything.  Everything that we do begins with a thought.  Whenever we attempt to do anything, work or even play we require the ability to concentrate on the task at hand.  

Many complain that they are not able to concentrate.  They decide that they must be ADHD and seek medical help.  The fact is, however, that only 4.5 percent of adults have ADHD.  The rest who find it hard to concentrate are suffering from poor habits not ADHD.

The following tips are meant to help you improve your concentration abilities.

One concentration tip is to cut back on caffeine.  Replace that extra double shot of expresso for regular, moderately intense exercise. 

‘Regular exercise releases brain chemicals key for memory,concentration, and mental sharpness, from the May 2013 Harvard Men’s HealthWatch’ states that the May 2013 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch promotes exercise as a way to increase brain function. 

‘Regular exercise releases brain chemicals key for memory,concentration, and mental sharpness, from the May 2013 Harvard Men’s HealthWatch’ also states that “”There’s a lot you can do to prevent cognitive decline, or slow it down, or recover memory function that you might feel you have lost, “ says Dr. John Ratey, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

One key strategy is regular, moderately intense exercise.  It helps maintain healthy blood pressure and weight, improves energy, lifts mood, lowers stress and anxiety, and keeps the heart healthy, all of which contribute to brain health.  But exercise also stimulates brain regions that are involved in memory function to release a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).  BDNF rewires memory circuits so they work better.  “When you exercise and move around, you are using more brain cells.” Says Dr. Ratey, who is also the author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (2008).  “Using more brain cells turns on genes to make more BDNF.””

Another concentration tip is to get more sleep.  Camille Noe Pagan, in ‘How to Focus: 4 ProvenTricks to Improve Concentration ‘states the following:  “”When a patient suspects she has ADHD, one of the first things I investigate is her sleep routine,” says Vatsal G. Thakkar, MD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine.  “The inability to concentrate is often caused by a lack of delta sleep.”  Thakkar is referring to the slow-wave stage that precedes REM sleep; it’s the time when the brain powers down, and some evidence suggests it’s the period in which certain cognitive functions consolidate and strengthen.  “If you’re regularly dipping below seven hours, you’re likely cutting into the delta phase, and this can make it difficult to focus when you’re awake,” says Thakkar.  His Rx: Get a solid seven to nine hours a night for at least two weeks.  If your concentration doesn’t improve, see a sleep specialist to determine if an undiagnosed disorder like sleep apnea might be to blame.”

A third concentration tip is to stay hydrated.  Merlin Hearn states in ‘Water Benefits Health’ that “drinking water and brain function are integrally linked.  Lack of water to the brain can cause numerous symptoms including problems with focus, memory, brain fatigue and brain fog, as well as headaches, sleep issues, anger, depression, and many more.

Over 70 percent of your body is composed of water and every function in the body is dependent on water, including the activities of the brain and nervous system.”

Pagan suggests that a fourth concentration tip would be to wiggle your toes.  She states the following:  “Ever catch yourself nodding along absentmindedly during a conversation as your brain flits to a million other things?  “The frenetic nature of our society – constant updates via e-mail and Twitter, for example – provides some sort of excitement every few minutes, and we’ve become trained to expect that,” says Olivia Fox Cabane, author of the Charisma Myth.  “If we’re not stimulated after a short period of time we look around for something that will do the job.  This is true whether we’re reading a dull news story or involved in a conversation. “To be a more attentive listener, Cabane recommends taking a moment to focus your attention on your toes.  This mindfulness trick will instantly bring you back to the present – right where you belong.”

(This article was written via ‘How to Focus: 4 Proven Tricksto Improve Concentration,’ by Camille Noe Pagan)