Naturally Increase Your Concentration With Essential Oils
Everyone has those days where it’s nearly impossible to concentrate on the task at hand. Whether it’s homework, housework, or office work, sometimes you just need a boost to focus. A lack of concentration can affect people differently, but some of the symptoms that you might experience include:
- Short term memory recall
- Trouble sitting still
- Difficulty gathering thoughts clearly
- Being unable to find items such as keys, cell phone, etc.
- Making careless mistakes
- Lacking physical or mental energy
Below are some of the common causes for an inability to concentrate, as well as the essential oils that can be used to help.
The Mid Afternoon Slump
One thing that can break your focus is the mid-afternoon slump. The sleep expert at WebMD, Michael Breus (PhD), explains that the body’s core temperature drops each night, signaling the brain that it’s time to rest. The same thing naturally happens in the afternoon as well, usually between 2 pm and 4 pm. It occurs on a smaller scale, but it still makes your brain believe that it is time to rest. This can cause a lack of concentration in whatever you do.
The last thing you want to do is ingest a sugary sweet or extra cup of coffee. Both caffeine and sugar can work against your body. You might pull out of the slump for a bit, but they both can cause a bigger crash later in the day. Try these essential oils to naturally uplift, energize, and sharpen focus:
- Lemon essential oil
- Grapefruit essential oil
- Basil essential oil
Poor Sleep Habits
Studies show that sleep deprivation can have a direct impact on cognitive performance. Poor quality sleep can slow down your thought process, leading to lower alertness and concentration. People who are sleep deprived have a difficult time performing tasks that require logical thinking. It can be difficult to remember things such as where you left your car keys or specific dates or appointments. Without a good night sleep, people can lose the focus they need to learn and the clarity they need to perform well in daily functioning.
Sleep is important, so even a 20 minute nap during the day can do wonders to improve your concentration. The ability to do so, however, is often limited. These essential oils have properties that can lead to a relaxed mind and induce peaceful slumber at bedtime:
- Lavender essential oil
- Roman Chamomile essential oil
- Rose Geranium essential oil
Depression
Depression is a serious illness with many symptoms, and trouble concentrating can be a major one. Research shows, a lack of focus is why depression has such a social impact on people. Being unable to concentrate makes it more difficult to keep up with relationships, work, or school performance. Chronic depression can damage different parts of the brain, making focusing on even small menial tasks nearly impossible.
Medication is available to help treat the symptoms of depression. There are also many natural ways to alleviate symptoms, such as exercise and meditation. The following essential oils have been known to alleviate feelings of depression and improve mood to increase concentration ability:
- Sweet orange essential oil
- Jasmine essential oil
- Rosemary essential oil
Anxiety
One of the most common symptoms of anxiety is difficulty in concentration. According to research, anxiety can have a negative effect on spatial learning and working memory. Working memory is critical to the human brain, as it helps people solve problems effectively. When this part of the brain is affected by anxiety, it can lead to difficulty concentrating, multitasking, and completing routine tasks.
Anxiety can be managed with a variety of therapeutic interventions, including deep breathing and medication. The following essential oils have also been successful in treating anxiety through aromatherapy:
- Ylang-ylang essential oil
- Neroli essential oil
- Bergamot essential oil
Pain
Anyone who is suffering from illness or pain can have a hard time concentrating. Researchers confirm that chronic pain doesn’t just cause physical discomfort; it can impair memory and concentration. It can be seen as a condition that affects the mind, body, and spirit. Pain can cause a lack of focus and an inability to retain information. Pain also has the ability to impair and distort past memories.
There are many forms of pain management that use therapeutic interventions and medication. Many people rely on natural ways to treat different sources of pain. The following essential oils have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties to ease the pain that can break concentration:
- Peppermint essential oil
- Yarrow essential oil
- Eucalyptus essential oil
No matter what is causing your lack of concentration, essential oils can help. Simply put the recommended oils into your essential oil diffuser, use in an aromatherapy necklace, or inhale right out of the bottle to refine your senses and increase your focus.
I love lavender
I would love to try essential oils, I’ve heard so much about it.
cool I need to try this
Great article- I love essential oils!
Sounds like an impressive product.
Maybe it’s time to get a diffuser and some oils for work (I bet my office mate would appreciate it too)!
I would like to try the lemon
Essential Oils are trending these days. I love them so I use often. They are so beneficial for our good, happy health!
I have back pain and am going to try the oils to see if it helps
Thanks I have been looking for ways of dealing with the dreaded mid-afternoon slump. I switched to a much healthier diet which helps a lot but sometimes the slump returns.
I could really use this to help with my anxiety and hopefully help give me more energy .
Good information to have.
These sound quite helpful. I would definitely give it a try.
I love using lemon oil to perk me up. It really works!
Rosemary esential oils is the best for me. I have it in work and it really work.
I have depression and I want to believe this oil might work
Love this and would be so helpful!
Peppermint is the one that works best for me, for respiratory and attention focus 🙂
Got to try that lemon!
Sounds like these could be so helpful to so many! I’ll look into it more!
Great info! Will be trying more bergamot for my anxiety!
A natural mood elevator is valuable.
Anything that improves my sleep is worth a shot.
So interesting! I will take it into account in my private yoga classes.
As always a very informative, great
As always a very informative article,great tips for using essential oils.
Yarrow is also good as a tea. It is incredibly useful for migraines; as well it is helpful for PMS and other female issues.
Such a great article, soooo much great information….pinned it so I can follow all the amazing info! Thank you! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Grapefruit is great for focus, really clears the mind.
It’s an interesting idea and I’d like to read more about the research that explains it.
Good stuff
Wow! Such a great article! Thx for sharing! I have found for me, that peppermint is absolutely WONDERFUL at helping me stay alert and concentrate, especially in the afternoons when I start to drag! I also like lemon and other citrus essential oils, too, to help aid with concentration problems! Thx again for sharing and keep the tips coming please!
Thanks for the information. Very informative!!
Nice product
I wasn’t aware that they had such benefits. I just might be trying this, regardless of whether I win or not.
That is so cool that essential oils do all that!
Thanks for the great tip.
This article said everything I needed to hear to finally start using essential oils on a regular basis.
This was a helpful article with great suggestions! Thank you!
I would love the chance to try different oils
I heard that rosemary essential oil supports the learning process (because it increase concentration).
I really like learning information about essential herbs.
Grapefruit is great for weigh lose support too! Thanks!!
I would love to get this for my daughter, she has afternoon slumps, short term memory etc. Now is her crucial time in school.
I understand this article so much because i struggle with lot of it on adaily.
I have anxiety and ADD that leads to poor concentration. I’m going to add bergamot to my diffusing blend and hope that it helps!
Love this article! I myself experience The Mid Afternoon Slump, so good to know what can help with it! Thank you for this!
I have heard of what some of the oils do, but I never used it. I do have some memory loss and I definitely have pain! There’s times that I try just about anything to get rid of this terrible pain! I do want to learn more about these oils. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for the great tip.
Thanks for this information. It is really helpful. I will try the oils for the mid afternoon slump!