How to improve concentration
"Three days to go until the exam, how am I supposed to memorise the 30-page summary in such a short time?" You've probably been in a similar situation before and didn't know what to do. Having a photographic memory would be simply brilliant - never spend countless hours memorising again. But unfortunately, the problem is not so easy to solve. A photographic memory cannot be trained. Bummer.
Choose your fighter
Concentration by definition
Concentration refers to the state in which you devote your attention solely to a specific activity or task. In the best case, everything around you is completely blocked out. Do you usually find it difficult to maintain your concentration for a long time? That's perfectly normal. Many students feel the same way. With a few tips and tricks, you will be able to improve your concentration.
Sleep
How much sleep is necessary?
Sleep is an essential aspect that influences the ability to concentrate. Especially during exam periods, students do not usually get enough sleep. Nevertheless, you should make sure that you sleep about eight hours a night during exam season. Getting enough sleep helps you to perform well the next day.
Why repeat before going to bed?
As early as 15 minutes after you have fallen asleep, the processed information of the day is shifted from the intermediate memory (hippocampus) to the long-term memory (neocortex). It therefore makes sense to have a short repetition session before going to sleep. Films and tv shows, on the other hand, are not advisable.
When should I go to sleep?
With the sleep phase calculator from Runtastic, you can determine when the right time to go to bed is in order to be well rested the next day. This is based on when you have to get up the next day. The page also gives you a short overview of the sleep cycles.
Physical exercise
Reset your brain
Working out has a positive effect on your body and your learning performance. Exercising is like a reboot for your brain, because the prefrontal cortex is active during learning and the motor cortex is active during exercising. So it's worth working out during your breaks. Running really clears your head. A simple walk will also do the trick, though.
Improving learning performance
Regular exercise will improve many aspects related to learning: Long-term memory, problem solving, abstract thinking and concentration. It doesn't matter what kind of workout you do. The hormone dopamine, which is responsible for maintaining concentration, is also broken down more slowly as a result.
Increased stress resistance
Another point in favour of exercising is that you become more resistant to stress. Especially during exams, you may be stressed out more often. The risk of contracting certain diseases can also be minimised with regular exercising.
Nutrition
2 liters minimum
Our body consists of more than 50 % water, which is needed for many important bodily functions. It is therefore important to drink 2 - 3 litres of water per day. Regardless of whether you have to study or not. If you have trouble drinking the recommended amount of water, there are many apps that can remind you to drink. A good alternative to water is tea or water sweetened with fruit.
Coffee and energy drinks are not only not that effective for studying, but are generally not to be recommended in high amounts. Energy drinks and many soft drinks do provide a short energy boost, but they contain mostly one thing: a lot of sugar. This leads to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels so that you can supply your body with the energy it needs, but it is followed by a rapid drop of those blood sugar levels. Even lower than it was before, which is why it leads to fatigue and tiredness! Therefore, ban these drinks from your studying routine.
Brainfoods
When it comes to your diet, you should always make sure that it is balanced. Important nutrients that you should supply your body with are: long-chain carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibre, vitamins and trace elements. Also pay attention to the form in which you consume them. The longer the breakdown process takes, the longer your body can be evenly supplied with energy. Long-chained carbohydrates are found in wholemeal products and rice, for example. Nuts contain carbohydrates, vitamin B and many minerals that are good for concentration. Fruit is a good substitute for chocolate lovers because it tastes sweet and is full of vitamins. If you want to pay special attention to a healthy diet, the sweet potato should not be missing from your next shopping trip. It's one of the healthiest foods in the world and a great brain food.
Concentration techniques
Breathing exercises
There are now breathing exercises for almost every occasion. Exercises that help you relax, fall asleep faster and that relieve stress. Since stress has a negative effect on your concentration, we introduce you to the 4-6-8 method. This is a breathing exercise to prevent and reduce stress. You should repeat this exercise at least five times in a row. It is very easy to integrate into your daily routine.
4-6-8 Method
Stand or sit upright with your shoulders relaxed. Place your hands on your stomach and breathe deeply through your nose for four seconds. Make sure that your chest does not rise. Now hold your breath and slowly count to six in your head. In the next step, let out the inhaled air evenly through your mouth in eight seconds. After a while it will be very easy for you to do this exercise. You can then increase the time per step proportionally.
Meditation
Mediation also helps to increase concentration. However, it is not so easy to start meditating if you have had the attitude that it is useless anyway. Let yourself be convinced of the opposite and try it out for yourself. You can attend a course, or maybe the university sports centre at your university offers one free of charge. You can also find good videos on YouTube and helpful apps.
Concentration exercises
If you prefer to do classic concentration exercises, the following are suitable: mirror writing, counting steps, solving Sudoku and examining a certain text for the frequency of a letter. A special tip is to solve a Rubik's Cube. You can use the standard 3 x 3 cube, but there's also other ones that are a bit more easy to solve (or harder haha).
Now all you need is useful study materials and contact with other students? Then take a look at Studydrive!