Staying Focused Series - Fuel Up

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Taking care of your body is an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to helping you focus. Without enough sleep and the right foods to provide important nutrition to the body, the brain is not able to focus or perform the way that it should. Both of these components need to be in place or you will struggle to get anything done during the day. The other techniques can do some amazing things for helping you stay on task and get more done during the day, but they need some assistance from the food you eat and the amount of sleep you get.

How Sleep Improves Focus

It is really easy to avoid getting the sleep that you need. You may not think it is a big deal to stay up late and miss out on a few hours of sleep, but this can do a lot of damage when it comes to your sleep. Getting enough sleep is a good thing because it helps us to think clearly, make smart decisions, and remember information.

When we fail to get enough sleep, it is going to cause impairments of the executive function. This is basically a set of

abilities that we use to do well at work, in school, and in all parts of our life. A clear and alert brain, which we get when we sleep, allows us to focus, remember information, and be creative. None of this is possible when we do not get enough sleep.

Think about the last time you barely got any sleep. You may have had to stay up with the kids or worked on a big project. After just a few hours of sleep, you felt worn out and had trouble getting anything done, no matter how hard you tried. This can happen, though to a smaller degree, when. You miss out on a few hours of sleep each day.

If you find that your focus is just not coming into line the way that you want, it may be time to look at your sleep schedule. A routine sleep schedule, meaning you go to bed and get up at the same time each day, will make a big difference in how well you feel in the morning. Aim for at least eight hours of sleep as well. This gives your mind time to rest and clear out the mess so you can get to work with some of the best focus around.

Getting the Right Diet

Eating a healthy diet is a great way to help you maintain your focus. Foods full of bad fats and lots of sugars can hurt your brain power and actually makes it harder to focus. The right foods will make it easier to focus on any task that you need to get done during the day.

Food is the main food that will help to regulate your energy and your mood. Both of these are critical when it comes to your attention. Just like it is not a good idea to add some olive oil into the car to help it run, you should not put a ton of cookies, chocolate syrup, pop and other items into your body to help you run.

Food is really amazing in that it can affect your mental clarity, memory, mood, and the ability to focus. If you are still struggling with focusing and getting things done during the day, then it may be time to look at the foods that you eat.

When we have a soda or eat something with a lot of sugar, it can give us a temporary burst of energy. We may feel great for a little bit, but this energy is pretty fleeting. As soon as the sugar high is over, we have a big crash. From there, it is impossible to stay alert much less have the focus that we need. Healthy foods help keep our energy levels steady so we can focus all day long.

There are many foods like green tea and blueberries that have claims about how they help your memory and can make you focus. But the most important thing is to focus on an overall healthier diet. Eating foods that fuel the body, rather than ones that will give you a temporary burst of energy and then makes that sugar crash hard to work with, can be the best for sustained focus.

Lots of lean proteins, healthy carbs, and fruits and vegetables are a good place to start. These will give your body all of the vitamins and minerals that it needs to stay sharp. Keep some healthy snack alternatives around the office too. You never know when all of that hard work is going to make you worn out and tired and having something that is easy to grab and will fuel your body can prevent you eating something bad that takes away your focus.

If you want to get the good focus that helps you get work done in a timely manner, then you need to focus on fueling the body right. Adequate amounts of sleep at night and eating foods that not only stop the hunger pains, but also help you get all the vitamins and minerals you deserve can make all the difference.