5 Scientifically Proven Ways To Increase Focus
5 Scientifically Proven Ways To Increase Focus
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5 Scientifically Proven Ways To Increase Focus
Productivity at work or in school requires focus. You must be completely engaged in your work activities or studies for a period of time for you to produce the required results or achieve the wanted grades. Getting such focus could be very challenging since there could be noises around you that cause distraction. The situation gets worse if you are a procrastinator.
Focus involves concentrating on something to the point of digging deeper than usual. If you are focused for about one hour, there is a very high possibility that you will produce excellent work that is free of errors.
This article will address 5 ways which scientists believe are means to increase your focus.
Coffee
The coffee beans, which are berries’ seeds extracted from the coffee plant, are roasted to prepare a brewed drink named coffee. Coffee contains caffeine, which is a stimulant and quite an active ingredient. It is the substance behind the psychoactive aspect of this drink. As soon as you consume coffee, the caffeine enters your brain through your blood stream.
The brain contains adenosine, which is a form of xanthine. On the other hand, caffeine is a xanthine type. So as soon as caffeine accesses the brain it binds with adenosine receptors, distorting the normal functioning; adenosine joining with the same receptors.
The panic caused results to fight and flight preparations by the adrenal gland, which lead to the release of adrenaline. The cardiovascular system responds to adrenaline by increasing your heart’s functionality. Electrical brain activity then takes place due to the increased blood oxygen levels from increased heart beat and rapid firing of the neurotransmitters.
Consequently, you become very attentive and focused for quite a while. Therefore, coffee does increase your focus.
MCT Oil
Scientists believe that MCT oil is a type of supplement that you can add in salad dressing, smoothies and bullet proof coffee. Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil contains fat chains that are of medium-length, known as triglycerides. These fats are easily digested and their processing brings about health benefits.
The absorption of MCTs in the human body is very fast due to the few carbon atoms, which is contrary to long-chain triglycerides since they have more carbons. Therefore, if MCTs enter the body cells, including brain cells, without being broken down they become a source of energy.
If this takes place in the brain, MCT oil becomes a fuel for brain activity through the efficient and highly absorbable energy present. This takes place through rapid metabolism to produce ketones. Therefore, including MCT oil in your diet is healthy because you are able to maintain peak mental performance, which causes you to have increased focus
Exercise
Exercising keeps your cells active, thus promotes physical fitness and body wellness and health. Most people perform exercises to prevent aging, increase development and growth, enhance weight loss and strengthen the cardiovascular system and muscles.
Through regular exercise, neuroscientists believe that the brain improves in terms of blood flow due to the increase heartbeat. As a result, more oxygen moves to the brain, keeping it more active. They also believe that exercise triggers the birth of new cells through neurogenesis, which improve attention and memory.
Other neurobiological effects that arise due to exercise include improved working memory and improved academic performance. Therefore, following a strenuous exercise like aerobics, which lasts for about thirty to forty-five minutes, your brain’s alertness improves.
Therefore, with increased blood flow and oxygen, and improved attention and memory, you will be able to stay focused on you work or studies for about three hours after completion of the exercise. If you are conducting a presentation after exercising, your performance will be at the peak since your brain’s alertness will be high.
Eating Healthy
It is important to acknowledge that what you consume fuels your body as you make the commitment to eat healthy. From the 100% energy that your body produces, 20% goes directly to the brain. This means that you must consume the correct nutrients to adequately fuel your brain. Otherwise, you will suffer from issues such as fatigue, memory and concentration problems.
There are specific types of foods that are very healthy for your consumption and help in keeping you focused and improve your concentration. Among them is adequate water since the brain requires 85% water to fully function.
Also, you should consume; green tea, which contains caffeine that improves alertness; leafy green vegetables, since they have B- vitamins that help you focus and blueberries since their antioxidants stimulate oxygen and blood flow thus maintain your concentration for hours. Additionally, include fatty fish, for their omega-3 fatty acids aid mental performance and memory.
Meditation
Meditation is a technique that you can use to put your thoughts together on an activity, or object. This activity is known to provide calmness and clarity in the mind. Consequently, it reduces depression, anxiety, pain, and stress.
As you regularly practice meditation, you tend to alter your brain’s functionality. This involves changing your brain patterns and improving mental focus ability, which then aids in improving cognitive performance.
This alteration in the brain takes place due to the increased stability of the ventral posteromedial cortex, which lies on the brain’s underside and links to mind wandering and spontaneous thoughts. The ventral posteromedial cortex is important for focus since it is always active.
According to scientists, meditators have better control of this region since they are able to control their thoughts. As a result, they can limit the wandering of the mind and spontaneous thoughts, thus focus on one thing without any distraction. This means that regular meditation enables you to increase your focus since you are able to control your default brain activity.
In conclusion, focus is essential for performance wherever you are. Improving it is therefore essential since you can be in a better position to give better results. According to multiple scientific findings, consumption of coffee, MCT oil and healthy foods like blueberries seem to be smart moves towards improving your focus. Additionally, indulging in regular exercises and meditation will take you a step further into having better focus.