Did you know that, on average, around 2% of the UK public is doing everything possible to maintain their brain health?
That's not a lot. Looking after your brain health is such an important cause; if you don't, you could be at risk of depression, stroke, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, dementia and a range of other neurological conditions.
Reduce your risk of this, prioritise your brain health and learn how to optimise it with our top tips in this post.
The importance of concentration
We live in a distracted world; the average attention span is only 8.25 seconds. This new figure is just less than a goldfish's 9 seconds! This means our focus rates as humans are only declining, making it difficult to do our daily work.
Our contraction isn't just declining by one factor but a range of things such as:
-
Online distractions: The rise in social media and notifications can easily disrupt your focus. Algorithms are now designed to capture attention and make concentration difficult.
-
Multitasking: Busy lifestyles often put adds more pressure to multitask and manage tasks simultaneously, which can scatter attention.
-
Anxiety: With around 4% of the global population and rising experiencing an anxiety disorder, focus can easily be hampered. The brain prioritises survival, impacting cognitive focus.
-
Abundance of information: Nowadays there's too much information happening everywhere and staying on top of everything can be overwhelming. With abundant information, it can be challenging for people to prioritise tasks and focus.
-
Sleep/rest: If you don't get 7-9 hours of sleep every night, your concentration could suffer.
The role of memory
Memory plays a key role in your concentration. By knowing how your memory works, you can connect with your past, understand the present and plan for the future. Here is how the role of your memory influences your focus:
Encoding and storage
Your memory involves encoding, storing, and recalling information. When you focus on a task, it encodes important details into your memory, which helps you maintain your concentration by staying on track and remembering what needs to be done.
Recall and enforcement
You gather information from your memory (recall), creating stronger neural pathways. This helps you focus better on similar tasks in the future. Memory plays a vital role in helping filter out distractions. If you have a strong recall, you can access past information and focus.
Natural ways to support brain power/function
When you focus, you'll likely be in a Flow State, which means you are in an optimal performance state. There are different ways of achieving this, and it's not the same for everyone. Knowing how to get into your Flow State is a case of trial and error. Here are a few natural ways to support your brain performance helping you concentrate better:
-
Exercise frequently: Regular physical exercise increases blood flow to your brain, enhancing cognitive function and memory recall.
-
Get a good night's sleep: Having consistent sleep can help with memory consolidation and cognitive function.
-
Eat brain-boosting foods: The right foods can help increase your attention span and increase concentration. Foods like walnuts, berries, leafy greens, salmon, and fatty fish can support your cognition. Avoid processed, starchy and sugar foods.
-
Meditating: Daily meditation can help train your mind to focus on a specific task, increasing your attention span and ability to ignore distractions.
-
Schedule breaks: If you have a busy working day, trying to complete a task for an extended period of time can be tiring and chaotic. Try scheduling frequent breaks to help improve your chance of focusing.
-
Review your social media usage: Looking at your social media pages or feeds every day can really make it challenging to pay attention to other tasks. Try capping your social media usage to a certain time of the day.
Herb-ology supplements that support brain health
In addition to a healthy diet, there are supplements which can support your cognitive function also; we recommend the following:
Magnesium
One mineral you might want to make your best friend when it comes to brain health is magnesium. It's known to decrease inflammation, reduce oxidative stress in the brain, and enhance cognitive function. At Herb-ology, our 500mg vegan magnesium glycinate capsules, which are free from GMOs, artificial flavours, colours, and preservatives, can be a natural way to support cognition.
7 Chakras Tigers Milk Mushrooms
Another supplement you may want to consider is our 7 Chakras Tigers Milks Mushrooms. These are traditionally used in Chinese and Malaysian medicines for their health benefits. They are thought to have high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which can protect your cells from damage and reduce inflammation in your body. Adding 7 Chakras Tigers Milks Mushrooms to your diet may aid your brain health and help you focus better.
Black Walnut Hulls
Remember earlier we mentioned walnuts? Our Black Walnut Hulls 3000 mg capsules may help boost your brain power. Walnuts are high in antioxidants, which can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, protecting your brain health. Black Walnut Hulls also contain omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation and cognitive function.
Final thoughts
To summarise, our attention span is only on the decline. What's worrying is that the average human's attention span is just one second less than that of a goldfish! With the rise of busy lifestyles, pressure to multitask, and social media, more things are competing for our attention than ever.
To increase your focus, exercise regularly, meditate, eat healthily, sleep well, and schedule breaks in your working day. You may even want to try our Magnesium glycinate capsules, 7 Chakras Tigers Milks Mushrooms, and Black Walnut Hulls 3000 mg capsules.
Want to boost your performance even more? Learn everything you need to know about nootropics.
