3:27
Welcome to Huberman Lab Essentials, where we revisit past episodes to find the most effective and practical science-based tools for mental, physical health, and productivity. I'm Andrew Huberman, a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. Today we will discuss focus and concentration, as well as tools for improving them. These tools will allow you to tap into the neurochemistry and neural circuits of your brain and body, which have been proven by peer-reviewed science to significantly enhance your focus and concentration abilities. To give you a little teaser of what tools I'll be offering in today's episode, I'll mention that the guest on the Huberman Lab podcast was Dr. Wendy Suzuki. Dr. Suzuki
is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at New York University, or, as it is more commonly called, NYU. Her lab made a very important discovery: a short, 12-minute- actually 13, if you include the introduction- daily meditation practiced for 8 weeks significantly improved people's ability to focus and concentrate. And the great news is that you don't have to wait the full 8 weeks, it's just the length of the study. So during today's episode, I'm going to describe this protocol in detail. I will also offer you an even shorter alternative that you can use if you only have 3, 4, or 5 minutes a day to meditate. Since today's episode focuses mostly on tools rather than mechanisms, I'll focus on what to do, when, and how. But I want to take about 3
minutes to briefly describe a model, a visual image that you can imagine to better understand the mechanics of focus and concentration. I want you to imagine an arrow. An arrow, of course, has a tip and a shaft. The neurochemical system that really represents the shaft of this arrow, right? This straight line is epinephrine, also known as adrenaline. It turns out that epinephrine and adrenaline are released in your brain from a small area, a cluster of neurons called the locus coeruleus, although you don't necessarily remember that name, and also from the adrenal glands in your body. And the release
of epinephrine from these two sources generally increases energy levels. This increases alertness. But this substance by itself does not increase focus, understand? So things, whether they're behavioral, psychological, whether they're supplements or drugs that increase epinephrine levels, allow you to focus. They are necessary for focusing, but they are not sufficient for the process of concentration itself. That is, they are necessary, but they are not enough by themselves to create focus. So, we're going to need epinephrine in this equation. Now the tip of this metaphorical arrow, symbolizing focus and concentration, will be linked to the mechanisms of acetylcholine. And it 's best to think of it as a spotlight.
It highlights specific neurons, nerve cells, that should be active or, I would say, more active than other neurons in the environment. If you have an arrow with a very large point that is very wide, blunt, imagine a point that is a mile wide. It's not really focused on any one place. It doesn't really point to any specific place, does it? But with a narrow, very sharply focused tip, it is aimed at one point. So we have alertness, epinephrine, and there's the direct direction that our concentration and focus are directed, and that's, at least in this mental model that I'm creating, acetylcholine. And then, to maintain focus, we need another neurochemical. And it turns out that this third neurochemical is dopamine, a molecule that's often associated with
pleasure and reward, but it's actually a molecule of motivation. These three neurochemicals together- acetylcholine, epinephrine, and dopamine- allow you to focus, to focus very precisely, and actually become more and more precise over time, to narrow and narrow your focus gradually within a single period of focus, and to continue to do so, and to be able to repeat it whenever you want. Let's move on to tools for concentration and focus. One of the most important things to build and maintain your focus and concentration is to optimize your sleep schedule. That is, getting enough quality sleep, I would say, 80% of the nights of your life.
Not everyone can get optimal sleep 100% of the nights in their life. Nobody, really nobody achieves this. However, sleep has been proven to be linked to cognitive function, physical performance, hormone production, and many other things. We can confidently say that sleep modulates almost every process in your brain and body. So, assuming you sleep well 80% of the nights of your life, or at least work on various protocols and tools to sleep well and long enough for 80% of the nights, and you are interested in additional sound tools to improve your ability to concentrate, there is good quality peer-reviewed research that supports that white or pink noise does not improve concentration itself, but rather people's ability to transition into a focused state. There
is actually evidence to support the fact that white noise, and to some extent pink and brown noise, can increase neuronal activity in what's called the prefrontal cortex -the frontal area, a kind of "bumper " behind the forehead, that's directly linked to your ability to direct attention and stay focused on certain things. These are tools that have repeatedly demonstrated their effectiveness in people, reducing the time it takes to transition to a state of concentration. This is really a key point. Many people find it difficult to get into concentration mode. However, none of us should be expected to just sit down and instantly enter a state of concentration.
I believe this is a completely unfair demand on ourselves. I mean, for example, you would n't expect yourself to go out on the track or for a run without warming up. You can jog for a few minutes or even walk before running and then start running, right? I hope you do. And if you're doing strength training, I doubt you walk up to a barbell or machine, load up the maximum weight you can lift, and immediately start the exercise. You always do a warm-up. And I think it's very important to understand that mental work, focus, and concentration require the same warm-up. It's a gradual immersion into any state, regardless of whether it's a dream or not, right? You move from light sleep to deep sleep, and then eventually wake up
. It's the same with concentration: you move from superficial attention to increasingly deeper. To use our arrow metaphor, it is initially very wide. It is aimed at many things, and over time, as we immerse ourselves in a state of concentration, this arrow narrows and narrows. This is not what we call a step function. It's not like you go from being distracted to focused and then immediately reach peak concentration. By understanding that this is a dynamic process, and realizing that you will constantly be moving in and out of different levels of concentration, you will greatly reduce the pressure on yourself to be focused whenever you feel like it. So
be patient with yourself and understand that focus is a skill that can be improved by repeatedly engaging the neural circuits responsible for attention, thanks to something called neuroplasticity, the ability of your nervous system to change in response to experience. There are several components to this, but simply put, what we repeat becomes embedded in our nervous system and becomes easier over time. A question I'm often asked is: how long should I try to stay focused? Well, the research literature points to the key importance of so- called ultradian cycles. You've probably all heard of circadian rhythms or circadian biology: "circa" means "day," meaning it's approximately a 24- hour cycle. So, our brain and body function throughout this day,
or I would say, throughout every day, in 90-minute ultradian cycles. So my advice: whenever you are going to sit down and try to focus, or plan an intense physical workout, learning a new skill, music, or even just a conversation. Maybe you are a therapist, or you attend therapy or classes. How long should this take? The ideal duration is about 90 minutes. Everything from our sleep states or different phases of sleep to our waking states is divided into these 90-minute cycles, or so-called ultradian cycles. I recognize and accept the fact that the first 5-10 minutes of that 90 are the time for switching. It's like a warm-up before concentration, but I count it in those 90 minutes. I am often asked how many ultradian cycles can be sustained
during a day. It depends on how well you slept, how full you are, which we'll talk about in a moment, and how well- trained your ability to concentrate is. Again, this doesn't mean you should go to your teacher, your advisor, your parents, or your friends and say, " Listen, I can't focus or think about anything for more than 90 minutes a day." That's not what I mean. These are sessions of deep concentration. These are periods of mental or physical work where you really force yourself to focus and refocus to hone the arrowhead and direct it toward whatever you 're trying to focus on, and that's really hard work. I would even compare it, more or less, to any workout. Your ability to focus and, in fact, the ability of neurons to encode
specific information from the environment, that is, to reflect what is happening around, is actually related to blood glucose levels. A great study was recently published in the journal Neuron that showed that tuning, that is, the accuracy with which neurons in the brain map things in our environment, is significantly higher when the brain has enough glucose. In simple terms, this means that when we are hungry or when our blood glucose levels are very low, we are not able to perceive and understand things as clearly. But there are some nuances here. One claim that is heard quite often is that some people enjoy being hungry because they like the mental clarity it gives. That's the thing.
Neurons, unless you're on a ketogenic diet, actually do great on glucose. They love glucose. So why do some people experience a state of heightened mental clarity when they are hungry? Of course, I've felt this way before too. Well, it is worth saying that with proper hydration and a sufficient amount of electrolytes in the body, the nervous system switches to the so-called parasympathetic mode during eating. You've probably heard of it as the "rest and digest" state, although it serves other functions as well -it's a more relaxed mode that can actually cause severe drowsiness. Eating too many carbohydrates can actually make us quite sleepy. However, if we eat, if we eat enough, that is, when our stomach is full, blood
is directed to the digestive system, we become sleepy and cannot focus well. Imagine a U-shaped function, right? Where if you are very hungry you will have a high level of focus and concentration but once you eat and your stomach is full your focus and concentration will decrease. At the same time, sufficient blood glucose levels and even increased levels improve cognitive function. So you have to choose your state. What do you need for periods of focus and concentration? I actually practice both . So, I do what I mentioned earlier: I eat around 11:00, which is my first meal, unless I feel very hungry right after waking up. So I do a workout and one session of focused work.
I always consider this my hard work at the beginning of the day and do it on an empty stomach. At the same time, I drink water with electrolytes. This is my first focus session of 90 minutes or less. And then I eat, and after eating I notice that my ability to concentrate really goes down. But then, in the afternoon, I work again for 90 minutes in focus mode. So, to put it simply, or as simply as possible: being on an empty stomach is great for focus and concentration, as long as you're not thinking about food the whole time. And satiety is also great for focus and concentration. It can even improve neuronal function, provided you don't eat too much. So one way to deal with this is if you're going to eat lunch, make sure you don't overeat and fill your stomach
so much that you put your nervous system into a parasympathetic state, where it's hard to focus after dinner. But if you eat large portions of food, you reduce your ability to concentrate and focus. Point. I know many people are wondering if caffeine can improve focus and concentration. And indeed, maybe. There is a general range within which we can talk about the benefits of caffeine for focus and concentration. This range is approximately 100 to 400 mg. I want to warn everyone. If you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks, are not used to caffeine, and suddenly consume 400 mg of caffeine in the form of espresso, mate, energy drink, or pills, it will be very uncomfortable for you. You will sweat profusely, your pulse will increase, and you will feel panicked
or, at the very least, very anxious. However, most people are fine with consuming 100-200 mg of caffeine before work that requires concentration. I want to warn those who think they can drink caffeine in the evening or at night and still fall asleep normally. All studies indicate that the architecture and depth of sleep are disrupted; Even if you can fall asleep, the quality of your sleep is significantly worse than if you had given up caffeine at least 8 hours, and preferably 10 or even 12 hours, before bedtime. But, of course, there are practical limitations. There was a great study done not long ago on how stress itself can increase our ability to focus and concentrate.
You know, most people believe that stress impairs our ability to concentrate, but that's actually not the case. When we experience stress, there is a release of adrenaline, epinephrine, and this adrenaline changes our field of vision. In other words, it narrows our vision to a more tunnel-like focus. That is, it makes the arrow in our metaphor sharper and improves our concentration. So, a study that really convincingly shows that acute stress, that is, stress that occurs quite suddenly, improves concentration performance. This is an article published in the journal Experimental Psychology in 2020. The title of the article, not surprisingly, is " Acute Stress Improves first author is De Groot, d e g r o t e. This study involved recruiting subjects and
creating a stressful situation for them or not before a cognitive task or a concentration task. There is a lot of data in this article, but I will focus on just one specific data set. I should note that they measured things like cortisol-the stress hormone-as well as anxiety. This was a pretty thorough study. And they found that concentration performance improved significantly, I would say. Concentration and productivity scores in the stressed group more than doubled. And stress in this context was created by the standard method of its induction. The point is that they invite subjects to a laboratory, where they
have to go through a simulated interview, an arithmetic task, and they are evaluated while performing it. So it's not intense psychosocial stress. They don't watch anything disturbing and don't undergo any trauma. This is a fairly low level of stress that increased epinephrine levels, and we know that from this study, and also cortisol levels, another stress hormone, moderately in their brains and blood, but even this modest increase in these stress hormones and their subjective level of psychological stress really enhances their attention and concentration. Of course, there are other ways to increase stress levels in healthy ways to improve concentration and productivity, and one of the best ways to do this, because it is reliable and generally safe when
done safely, is through intentional cold exposure. This is something I've talked about on the podcast before, but intentional cold exposure can be achieved by taking a cold shower for 1-5 minutes. We know that immersion in cold water or being under cold water significantly increases epinephrine and dopamine levels. There is a great study published in the European Journal of Physiology that showed that dopamine levels increase significantly, almost doubling or more, and this effect lasts for hours; Epinephrine levels also increase, which not only supports the immune system and improves mood, but also really increases concentration and focus. This is not a biohack.
I don't like the word "hack". I know it's used a lot, but a hack is when you use something for a purpose other than its original purpose. And I do n't mean a shower or a cold bath here, I mean epinephrine. Epinephrine is a neurochemical that puts your vision into tunnel vision mode, allowing you to focus more intently on cognitive or physical work. You will be less prone to distraction. And this is very easy to achieve by taking a cold shower or submerging yourself in cold water for a short time. People always ask how long you need to stay in cold water and how cold it should be. The point is that it should be uncomfortably cold, but safe to stay in for 1-5 minutes.
Cold water exposure, I would say whether intentional or unintentional exposure to cold water, reliably increases epinephrine levels. This is an incredibly useful tool for this. Some of you might think this is a somewhat pointless tool for focus and concentration, but if you look at the data on epinephrine and how much it can increase focus, I think you'd be very impressed. I mean, it can certainly increase the ability to focus on specific visual stimuli. So for reading or working with math, etc., this will be very useful. The bottom line is that many people would like, and I believe should, utilize the healthy and powerful effects of increasing epinephrine levels to improve focus and
concentration. And running around and getting nervous about life events or getting into arguments just to increase concentration doesn't seem like a very adaptive way to me. So intentional exposure to cold is an easy way to do this. This does not require the involvement of other people. I suppose you could do this with someone else, but it doesn't require outside help. And again, there are free, inexpensive, and even profitable ways to approach this. Now I want to discuss some purely behavioral tools that, according to high-quality peer-reviewed research, can significantly improve focus and concentration. At the beginning of today's episode, I talked about a study from Dr.
Wendy Suzuki's lab that looked at the effects of 13 minutes of daily meditation for 8 weeks. This meditation led to significant improvements in concentration and focus, as well as other aspects of cognitive performance. It also improved mood and reduced stress levels. So, you may ask, what kind of meditation is this? This meditation is very simple, and anyone can do it. You need to set the timer for about 13 minutes. I don't think it has to be exactly 13 minutes, but since that's what the study was about, set the timer for 13 minutes. You sit or lie down, close your eyes, and simply focus on your breathing. Ideally, you should breathe only through your nose for 13 minutes, concentrating on your breathing and also directing your attention to a point
about an inch inside your forehead, while monitoring your breathing. Here's the thing: all the research on meditation shows that unless you're a very experienced practitioner, your attention and focus will inevitably drift away from your breath and from that point deep in your brain. This could happen every 10 or 20 seconds, or maybe even every 5 seconds. But an important part of this practice for improving concentration is to constantly return your attention to that specific point and to your breathing. This is something that, again, is not talked about often. People think that if you're supposed to focus on your breathing during meditation and your mind wanders, then you've somehow failed. But in reality this is not the case.
A huge part of improving focus through neuroplasticity, or the rewiring of neural circuits, lies in repeatedly returning to a state of focus from a state of distraction. Okay, think of it like trying to drive on a highway without going outside the lane markings. Every now and then, because the car is pulling a little to one side-perhaps the wheels are out of alignment or there's some kind of steering problem -it starts to drift, you hit the curb, and then you turn the steering wheel back to center. This is the essence of meditation for developing concentration, not expecting that you can always stay within the " mental band." By doing this over and over again, you're actually training a network in your brain that
includes the prefrontal cortex, which is where you focus, as well as other structures: the infratemporal cortex, the hippocampus-a structure associated with memory-and other components of the circuit responsible for directing our mental attention and concentration. The point here is not how long you focus, or trying to achieve complete concentration throughout a 13, 17, or 60-minute meditation session. While that would be great, and I think many aspire to it, it is extremely hard mental work. I find that for most people, myself included, a relatively short meditation practice of about 13 minutes, during which you expect your attention to wander but you continually bring it back, will be most effective. Yes, it really is the most effective way to
teach yourself to focus and stay focused. In fact, I suggest you take every moment your attention wanders from a point about an inch behind your forehead as an opportunity to return to focus, and think of this refocusing as a trigger that teaches your neural circuits to focus for long periods of time. As a bonus to this meditation practice, research from Wendy Suzuki's lab also showed that people reported improvements in sleep and memory. So, it's not just about improving mood, reducing stress, and increasing concentration levels, but all these additional positive results from doing just 13 minutes of daily meditation. This is a practice that I have started using, have experienced tremendous benefits from, and encourage many of you to try it as well.
Now there is another set of behavioral tools that can help improve the ability to concentrate, and that is visual tools. In fact, the tools I'm about to describe are already being used in many schools in China and other countries to teach children to focus better and for longer periods of time. The key principle is that much of our cognitive attention- our ability to think about something specific and stay focused on reading, or holding a conversation, or math, or music, etc.- is directed by our visual system. That's why they put blinders on horses. This is why sometimes wearing a hoodie, hat, or limiting your field of vision in some way can help you improve cognitive focus. This helps limit distractions. You just see less of your surroundings. So,
a practice that has been studied in various laboratories and is used in various schools is to force children or adults to visually focus on one point for a certain amount of time. How long? From 30 seconds to 3 minutes. And believe it or not, 3 minutes is a long time to hold your visual attention in one place. If you tried to do this right now, you would probably feel some tension. But if you want to try, you can do it. Also remember that refocusing is a key component of how to train yourself or your brain to focus better. So, if you are going to implement this practice, you need to choose a specific location. It could be a stain on the wall.
This could be a location on the computer in front of you, although I wouldn't recommend choosing something that's displayed on the screen itself. Maybe you should just turn off the screen. You can stick a piece of paper with a cross or any visual mark, or imagine such a mark, and then focus your gaze on it, trying to breathe normally, stay relaxed, and, of course, blink so that your eyes don't dry out. By focusing on this specific point and forcing yourself to return your attention to it every time your gaze wanders, you train your neural circuits to focus better for longer and to return to focus more easily when your attention wanders. This practice engages
certain elements of the so- called prefrontal cortex, as well as the frontal eye fields-areas near the prefrontal cortex that are responsible for consciously directing one's gaze toward specific objects in space. Here's what I recommend. First, set a low bar: set a timer and try to focus on one point for 30 seconds-and that's it for today. The next day you can add 5 seconds, and then another 5 seconds the day after. If you miss a day, no problem. Simply perform the exercise for the same amount of time as last time, and then gradually try to increase the amount of time you can stare straight at one visual point. So, I recommend taking 30 seconds to 3 minutes at the beginning of a concentration session, when you are about to
do mental or physical work, and fixing your gaze on one point in the room, or, if you want to do it discreetly, you can do so. Set a timer and try to do this for 30 seconds to 3 minutes. By doing this exercise, you are increasing neural activity in the brain circuits responsible for focus and concentration, and only then would I move on to the work you are trying to do-mental or physical. And if somewhere in the middle of your 90 -minute work or workout session you feel your concentration waning, instead of looking at your phone and scrolling through thousands of social media contexts, try picking a spot on the wall again
, focusing on it, using it as preparation to then redirect your focus back to, for example, sets and reps in weight training. If you are running or cycling, you can do this by choosing a specific point and focusing completely on it physically. By the way, this is a practice used by many athletes. And if you're doing music or math, say, then it's worth focusing on something other than the task itself that you're trying to complete. But again, use visual concentration as a way to "warm up " and increase your overall ability to focus, and then apply it to whatever you're trying to learn or do. Next, I would like to talk about compounds that can improve concentration and attention. They are most often consumed as supplements, although it is worth noting
that some of them can also be obtained from food. One of the key compounds that supports concentration and focus, as it generally supports mood, attention, and brain function, is omega- 3 essential fatty acids. It is clear that consuming 1 to 3 grams of the essential fatty acid EPA per day can improve outcomes, i.e. improve mood and cognitive function. Again, in the context of focus and concentration, this occurs through the modulation of neural circuits and brain functions that support attention and concentration. This does not mean that taking 1-3 grams of EPA essential fatty acids per day will only affect the circuits responsible for focus and concentration.
Another thing that can positively affect brain function and actually serve as fuel for neuron function, as well as improve cognitive abilities, especially in areas of the brain like the prefrontal cortex that are responsible for concentration and focus, is creatine. I know that many are familiar with creatine monohydrate due to its effects on muscle growth, strength, and performance, but it is quite clear that most scientific studies have examined the role of creatine in a clinical context and its significance in improving cognitive function. So, a literature review led me to take 5g of creatine monohydrate daily; This standard freely available form is actually not so much aimed at muscle growth or strength, but at the use of the
creatine phosphate system in the brain and, in particular, the benefits of creatine for the neural networks of the prefrontal cortex. Again, this is modulation-not direct control, but modulation and overall support of the brain networks that allow me to achieve focus and concentration. Now, as for compounds that more specifically affect concentration and focus, we should go back to that arrow metaphor that we talked about at the beginning of the episode, which involved epinephrine, adrenaline, acetylcholine, acting as a spotlight. In fact, acetylcholine and increased acetylcholine levels have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to enhance or
even directly neuroplasticity through direct enhancement of focus. As I mentioned earlier, there are a number of different products that contain choline. You can find them on the Internet. Choline acts as an amino acid precursor to acetylcholine, but of course, there are compounds and supplements that can increase acetylcholine levels even more strongly and faster. And, actually, I use them myself Alpha-GPC, taken at a dosage of 300 to 600 mg before work or exercise, significantly increases the ability to focus and concentrate. At least, that's my personal experience. There is also some compelling evidence from human studies. Many people are contacting me right now about a recent study that suggests that alpha-GPC, when taken long-term over many years, may
increase vulnerability to stroke. I have reviewed this data, and in my opinion, it is not conclusive. Although, when you see something like this, you should of course be careful. This appears to be related to increased levels of TMAO, a marker related to the cardiovascular system. One known way to offset the increase in TMAO levels associated with alpha-GPC or other factors, since consumption of certain food compounds can increase TMAO, is to take 600 mg of garlic. I have been taking alpha-GPC fairly consistently for several years now. I don't take it every day. I would say I use it about 4 days a week. Again, before training cognitive work sessions. I have n't seen any spikes in TMAO levels, I've had blood tests to check, but given
this recent study and the concerns about TMAO, I always take a 600mg garlic capsule when I take alpha-GPC, which again is about four days a week for me. So, if someone wants to increase dopamine transmission in the brain and body to improve concentration and focus, one of the most effective ways to do so is by taking the amino acid L- tyrosine. I use L- tyrosine in capsule form. I take 500 mg of L-tyrosine, 300 mg of alpha-GPC, and drink a cup of coffee. I do this in the morning before a workout or before a session of focused mental work. I do n't want to give the impression that I'm combining all the tools I've talked about today for every single job. To me, this seems like a very inefficient way to live. In fact, I try to use tools to
increase my ability to concentrate and focus, but I don't combine more than two or three at a time. Other days, I admit, I've had a good night's sleep or my enthusiasm for what I'm about to work on is so high that I don't need any of these remedies. Again, this is not mandatory. There is no pressure to use these tools: behavioral, supplemental, or any other. It's simply a matter of using those tools that will help you achieve your desired states and improve your ability to enter them without any assistance at all. I prefer to view supplements of the type I described as a path to a deeper level of focus and concentration, which I use as a tool to learn how to focus more deeply so that I don't need these aids every time I try to concentrate. This is an
important point because I think a lot of people think of supplements as a crutch or a way to just get into a state that no other tool will work for or replace. But in this context, I want to remind you of the broader context of pharmacology, namely the vast landscape of prescription drugs for the treatment of ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I have already looked at this landscape in detail in an issue about ADHD and attention span. , Ritalin, Vyvanse, modafinil, armodafinil, and a number of other compounds that generally increase dopamine transmission in the brain, and also increase the transmission of epinephrine, or adrenaline, in the brain and body. Many of these
medications have been of great benefit to children and even some adults with ADHD. So, when administered correctly in the appropriate dosage, these compounds can indeed help people with clinically diagnosed ADHD. The way they help these people, however, is somewhat surprising. You might think: they simply activate chemicals in the brain that allow these people to focus. This is true, but they also allow you to train these neural circuits to function properly. This is one reason why, paradoxically, prescribing stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall to a child who really needs them is a no-brainer. Of course, this cannot be done without the supervision and careful evaluation of a psychiatrist. But if you give this to a child with severe ADHD,
you might think they would become even more restless, less focused, and even more distracted. After all, Ritalin, modafinil, armodafinil-they are all stimulants. So if you take a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and give them these drugs that increase dopamine and epinephrine transmission, you think, "Wow, this is going to make them even more distracted and hyperactive." But in fact they have the opposite effect. They don't necessarily make children calm, but they do allow them to focus. They can really hold their attention. The idea is that these neural circuits are trained or taught to turn on, focus, and concentrate on their own. And the ideal situation
is when the total dose of these compounds, these drugs, can be gradually reduced as these circuits learn to activate through purely behavioral tools. But I strongly advise against using powerful prescription medications that were not prescribed for you. First, it's illegal. Secondly, it is quite dangerous to press the "gas pedal" of these neural circuits so hard, as it can cause addiction and a number of other side effects outside of the clinically diagnosed and prescribed treatment of ADHD. I always believe that behavioral tools should come first. Next, focus on nutrition. In fact, I would call it behavioral and nutritional tools. And, of course, get a great night's sleep. Then focus on taking supplements. And only if all of this doesn't help
get your brain and body into the state necessary for successful study, work, or life, do I recommend people resort to prescription medications. So today we've talked about a number of different tools and to some extent the mechanisms involved in concentration and focus. Our goal was to give you an understanding of neurochemical systems and tell you a little about the neural circuits that allow you to achieve states of attention and focus. I hope that by gathering all this information in one place, you will be able to choose the protocols you want to include in your efforts to improve concentration and focus. Let me remind you once again, the goal is to train your brain, that is, to increase the
neuroplasticity of neural circuits that allow you to not only focus, but also refocus your attention. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that it's also critically important to be able to defocus. I strongly advise people to take time each day to daydream, to walk down the hall without looking at their phone, to not receive extra sensory input, to not make excessive demands on themselves in terms of concentration, and to see how a period of conscious decompression and defocusing allows your brain to focus much better when you decide to return to focused mental or physical work. So thank you again for joining today's discussion about mechanisms and, especially, tools for improving concentration and focus.
Last but not least: thank you for your interest in science.
