Staying at home does a number on our minds. By virtue of having little to no change in routines, we’ve begun to find ourselves increasingly distracted and unable to focus  n the tasks at hand. 

A lack of concentration can be dangerous. While at work, fumbling and forgetting a response in the middle of a meeting might not be as fatalistic. But when an inability to concentrate becomes an issue with your day to day tasks, then there’s a chance you may be putting yourself in harm’s way, e.g.: driving and cooking require constant attention, and a lack of it can be dangerous. 

Here are 5 tips to improve your concentration levels: 

One of the most wonderful natural phenomena of the human body, sleep allows you to recharge your batteries. High quality sleep improves your concentration levels, allowing you to focus better. Both REM and non-REM sleep have varying levels of brain activity. Studies have shown that a lifestyle built around poor sleep may lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s. 

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There are few things better than getting down to basics and giving yourself a good workout. It helps improve your cognitive functions, including concentration and memory. It can even lead to a better mood. Sometimes when we’re feeling distracted and unfocused, it can mean that our mind’s attention span has been depleted. Even a quick workout can help your nervous system calm down, as it floods the brain with endorphins.

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The quality of what we put inside our stomach has a pivotal role in how our cognitive functions fare. By binging on junk food, we’re training our brain to release dopamine frequently. This can overload the reward circuits in our brains. Junk foods are loaded with sugars and fats, plus they’re highly refined as well. They’ve been designed to be addictive. According to a study, our brain’s memory centre, the hippocampus, performs poorly when it's fed junk foods in comparison to healthier diets. 

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Not just another fad, Mindfulness Meditation allows your monkey brain to switch off. The Default Mode Network or The DMN in some people can overload and cause excessive rumination and self referential thoughts. Meditation allows you to train your mind to focus on one thing at a time. 

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Sometimes our inability to concentrate or focus can stem from being overwhelmed by numerous things. Talk therapy allows individuals to verbally address their issues. Talking to a mental health professional about your problems can take an excess burden off your mind and allow your brain some much needed space to function effectively.  

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Concentration issues sound silly, but they aren’t. It’s the equivalent of slowly chipping away at your cognitive abilities on a daily basis. So if your focus has been off for a while, try some of these tips for help! 

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