Oct. 10 was World Mental Health Day, so I thought I’d recap an article I recently read on Sonima, a wellness website.
It goes through a bunch of things that affect our attention span and ability to think properly.
Read the following and see if any of them pertain to you. I should have read this years ago when I used to think I was sharp as a tack but was sometimes dumb as a sack of nails. Eschia, take it easy, eh!
Poor sleep used to cause me to wake up feeling dazed and tired and it was hard to think. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was mostly because I wasn’t getting enough sleep for days at a time, but we can feel dazed even after sleeping for eight hours. Say what? Yup, it happens.
For instance, you might have sleep apnea, meaning we temporarily stop breathing while we’re sleeping. Or we might not be getting enough deep sleep. Tell your doctor what’s going on and don’t let him or her simply prescribe sleeping pills; get checked for sleep apnea.
And, remember that drinking alcohol actually interferes with deep sleep. To boot, we also wake up in the middle of the night after the booze starts wearing off. Also, lay off the caffeine after 3 p.m. It’s found in chocolates, coffee, tea and pop.
Allergies cause many, many people to get seasonal allergy symptoms like itchy eyes, runny nose, fatigue and congestion. You might not have realized it, but poor concentration often comes with it.
There are a few things you can do. First, check weathernetwork.com for the allergy outlook and close your windows if the pollen forecast is high. Wash your bedding once a week in case dust mites are causing your allergic symptoms.
Also, see your doctor to find out what is best for you to take for the symptoms.
Food sensitivities cause many people like me to feel bloated, fatigued, groggy or moody after eating certain foods.
What to do? You can see a naturopathic doctor who will do a food sensitivity test, which you have to pay for. I did this and, while many people are sensitive to dairy and gluten, I found out I’m sensitive to black tea and white potatoes. I now drink green tea.
If you can’t afford the test, and you are suspicious about a food, you can stop eating it for a few weeks to see if you can focus better.
Lacking vitamins or minerals, like iron, causes many people to have problems with poor memory, poor concentration and make it hard to pay attention.
Your doctor can do a blood test to see if you’re anemic or if something else is going on. Ask your physician if you should take multivitamins or eat certain foods like leafy greens to increase your iron levels. I take Usana CellSentials multi-vitamins every day.
What we’re eating
Not eating enough can make it hard to focus and to retain information because our brain needs nutrients. This is often the case when we’re on a diet, especially if it’s a low-carbohydrate diet.
It’s best to eat every few hours and to include a healthy fat, like avocado, to keep energy and brain levels high.
Eating too much or eating the wrong foods can make us feel drowsy, and some people say I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer to begin with. LOL!
So, we should avoid eating greasy fries and a burger because it’s hard to digest, which creates less blood flow to the brain, thus less brain capacity.
Similar to above, it’s best to eat several smaller meals instead of three big ones. And food guides tell us to fill half our plate with vegetables and fruit, one quarter with a lean protein, like chicken and another quarter with carbohydrates, like rice.
Depression or anxiety can make it hard to concentrate, so we might keep reading the same page with nothing sinking in or become fixated on things like family and finances.
If these symptoms last for two weeks or longer and you also feel sad or moody, make an appointment with a counsellor who can help you work through issues. If going to a counsellor is not your thing, you can also see your doctor and tell him or her what’s going on.
You can also do some meditation. Simply turn to ever-present Google and enter “meditations to focus better” and you will find lots of calming exercises to try.
So, there you have it. I hope this gives you some ideas on how to concentrate better.