Factors That Affect Mental Concentration: Improve Your Concentration

You cannot concentrate and are not not certain why? Perhaps you feel like your life is spiraling out of control because mentally, even though you try, you cannot concentrate properly and it seems that there is no particular reason. It may be frightening for you, particularly if concentration is an important part of your studies or job.

Exploring factors that affect your mental health can help to improve your mental concentration and assist you to regain control of your life.

At this moment, you may think that you cannot do anything about your ability to concentrate. Rest assured there are many things that will help to improve your level of mental concentration, regardless of your age. 

People of all ages have times when they find it difficult to concentrate.

First, start to identify the different aspects of your life that you suspect, think or feel may be affecting your mental concentration. Begin by looking at the following five factors: stress, fatigue, alcohol, nicotine and substance abuse.

Stress:

Stress is a major factor that affects your concentration. A small amount of stress can serve as a stimulant in terms of mental concentration, but even a small amount of stress over a long period can affect your mental health adversely, as well as your ability to concentrate.

The higher the degree of stress, the more your mental concentration is affected. Too much stress is harmful to your mental health and affects your ability to concentrate. High stress may appear to help you to focus temporarily, but that kind of mental concentration may not last long.

For example, a fire fighter may be highly stressed while focusing on the resolution of a fire. For the moment, his level of concentration is high, but once the immediate emergency is under control, he may lose his high level of concentration and miss other things that are important.

Here is another example.  You are going to a large city with your son. That may seem to be mentally stimulating and increase your ability to concentrate. Stress arises when it involves a visit to a major, medical center for his heart problems. Then that is what you are likely to focus on, rather than your studies, job or something else that is equally important.

Similarly, continual high stress at work can affect both your physical and mental health. For example, if you continually have to worry about fighting with your professor or boss and are concerned about losing your job, your ability to concentrate will diminish. It is also difficult to focus on academic or employment issues, if your marriage or family is breaking up.   

Fatigue:

Fatigue can affect your concentration more than you realize. It is normal for you to be tired at night and to want to sleep, particularly after a hard day’s work. Excessive tiredness or fatigue, particularly during normal waking hours indicates that there is something amiss. It may be time to undergo a physical examination because it is not normal to feel exhausted.

You know if or when, you are in a state of mental fatigue or exhaustion. Perhaps there are things that you can change, like the hours that you work or study. There may be things that you cannot change, like a demanding job or responsibilities at home.  

For example, you may be a single mother caring for a newborn baby. Additional hands may be required 

initially because of your long, difficult labor. You may need time to rest and overcome your physical fatigue, so that your mental concentration improves.

Alcohol:

Alcohol affects your concentration depending upon the amount of alcohol you consume. How often you drink is important. Alcohol can serve as a mental stimulant for you, when consumed in small amounts. In large amounts or with a high intake on a frequent basis, your mental faculties are numbed and your concentration diminishes. 

For example, a university professor may feel high, mental stimulation from a glass of wine with dinner, prior to teaching an evening class. At the same time, one of his students who is consuming an excessive amount of hard liquor, cannot concentrate in class. In fact, he falls asleep. He has lost his ability to concentrate, at least for the time being. Heading home after class, he cannot concentrate on road safety with respect to himself or others.

Nicotine:

You may not be aware how the level of nicotine in your blood steam affects your mental concentration. While a small amount may act as a stimulant, a large amount on a regular basis becomes harmful to your health and mental health.

Because nicotine is addictive, the use of large amounts of nicotine on a frequent basis, depresses your ability to concentrate. You body continually seeks more nicotine. Nicotine diminishes your blood flow circulation to the brain, thereby reducing the function of your mental faculties. A reduced blood flow makes you continually crave more nicotine.  

For example, a group of employees takes a smoke break every couple of hours, while another group of employees has a coffee break and lunch. The power to concentrate diminishes in the group that is waiting for the next smoke break, while those who eat and drink normally, experience enhanced mental concentration.

Substance Abuse:

Substance abuse will affect your level of concentration in a negative manner. These kinds of substances are addictive. The nature of addiction is such that the human body and mind only seeks to fulfill its addiction.

For example, if you are a person who is on addictive substance like marijuana or cocaine, you may be experiencing a temporary high, depending upon which substance you are using. The person sitting or standing next to you may be suffering ill effects from your fumes and experience a diminished ability to concentrate. You may be on marijuana and become slow to speak and act. This is just one indication that your power of mental concentration is less, even though you think it is not.

Note that many other factors including poor physical health, dietary problems like vitamin and mineral deficiency, over-working, living a destructive lifestyle, excessive noise and continual interruptions can affect your mental concentration.    

Ask yourself what can you change and what can you not change.

There are things that you have to learn to live with. These might include things like the continual noise on your job, heavy traffic, disruptive neighbors or family members and noisy pets. Focusing on changing anything that you know affects your mental concentration in an adverse manner, will lead towards improving your ability to concentrate.

Perhaps you know when you can concentrate and when you are not able to do so. Maybe your mental concentration level is the best in the early morning. Others may find that it is later on in the evening, so time of day or night may be an important factor.

What is affecting your mental concentration?

If you are observant, you may be able to find out. Is it caffeine or sugar? Caffeine in moderation, can improve your concentration. Too much caffeine can work the other way, as you may have too much stimulation to concentrate properly. Similarly, a small amount of sugar may increase your ability to concentrate, while a high level of sugar consumption diminishes it and makes you want to sleep. Remember that all carbohydrates eventually turn to sugar.

You probably know many other things that affect your power to concentrate too, including temperature, humidity and oxygen levels.

Begin to identify them. Start with the things that you suspect are creating problems for you with respect to your mental concentration. Some of them, you may be able to rectify, while others may require transitions or changes in your lifestyle and environment. They may be affecting others also.

In conclusion, living a positive, constructive and healthy lifestyle that is relatively stress free is important with respect to mental health and concentration. Getting sufficient rest increases your ability to concentrate. 

Avoiding alcohol in excess, nicotine and substance abuse, will allow you to function on a much higher level of mental concentration. Determining and eliminating other negative factors will be beneficial for your mental health, as well as your mental concentration.