Difficulty Concentrating: Signs and Symptoms You Should Look Out for

Is your work suffering because you cannot focus on the job at hand? Do you get distracted easily and cannot seem to shift your focus back to your task? This could be a sign that you require medical attention.

Lack of concentration can drastically affect your productivity at work or school. You need to find out the underlying cause so that effective treatment can be sought out for the same. As explained by Jenna, a grad student, “My grades were going down and I couldn’t understand why this was happening. I thought it’s only a phase, maybe I am just tired. But the stress of pending workload, and still not being able to concentrate started taking a toll on my health. That’s when I decided to see a doctor. He prescribed me an oral dose of Waklert 150 mg, and suggested I make some lifestyle changes as lack of sleep was the culprit for my problems.”

Before talking about what could be causing your decreased concentration ability, let’s discuss the signs that can help you diagnose that you are indeed facing it.

• Lacking focus
• Feeling tired all the time.
• Feeling jittery – unable to sit still
• Easily distracted by surroundings
• Forgetting things that happened a short while ago.
• Feeling irritable on common incidents that you otherwise won’t
• Mental and physical exhaustion to carry out chores/tasks.
• Unable to think straight
• Unable to stay awake
• Thoughts going haywire – you cannot seem to keep track of them.
• Being indecisive
• Unable to keep track of where you kept your things
• Feeling frustrated over facing difficulty in performing certain tasks.

Symptoms and signs may vary with every individual, however, the above-stated ones are the most widely faced ones. Do make an appointment with your doctor if you feel your memory is suffering a lot more than usual, you cannot seem to fall asleep, your performance at school or work is being affected, and constantly feeling tired.

Underlying Causes

Causes for difficulty in concentration may vary from person to person, and some people may have multiple reasons leading to this problem. Major causes that contribute to concentration issues could be categorized as follows:

Psychological Factors

Depression, anxiety, and mood disorders may alter your concentration capabilities. Feeling blue and anxious can take away the power to focus on a task.

Attention disorders, usually diagnosed in kids, have been recently being reported in adults as well, and have been proved to affect performance.

The loss of a loved one can also affect your ability to stay focused.

Medical Factors

Hormonal imbalances can cause your attention span to shrink as well. Improper functioning of your adrenal or thyroid gland could be a factor.

Decreased count of red blood cells may also affect your focusing power as the oxygen supply to the brain to function properly reduces.

Environmental Factors

Lack of sleep, emotional exhaustion, and stress may act as contributing factors as these directly affect your mental health. You are bound to be distracted when you are mentally overburdened.

Highly distracting surroundings can affect your ability to re-focus on a task.

Treating the Issue

Depending on the underlying cause the treatment may vary. For those who suffer from lifestyle issues or environmental factors, home remedies or rectifications can work wonders. While those with medical or psychological causes may have to take medication and/or therapy.

Home Remedies

• Don’t compromise on your sleep – The importance of solid 7-8 hours of sleep cannot be stressed enough.
• Limit your caffeine intake – caffeine can make you feel restless and distracted.
• Remove distractions around you – sit in a quiet place when you are working or studying. Keep cell phones out of your vicinity as their constant pinging can be distracting.
• Schedule your day – make a to-do list with specified deadlines to stay focused.

Medical Assistance

• Therapy – Professional help to deal with mood disorders, depression, or anxiety could prove to be highly beneficial.
• Use of Stimulants – Oral medications such as Modalert 200 mg work by modulating the levels of chemical messengers in the brain and create a stimulant effect.
• Psychotropic Medications – Depending on the psychological issue affecting the concentration power, other prescription medicines can also help.

When to Seek Emergency Help

If you face any of the following symptoms,  contact a healthcare provider:

1. difficulty in speaking or seeing,
2. weakness with numbness in the face or your body,
3. severe headaches, and
4. confusion about your surroundings.