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Sat 28 Jan, 2006 06:06 pm
Isn't it normal to be able to do work requiring average concentration for 8-12 hours a day? For some reason, for almost as long as I can remember, I've only been able to do 4-5 hours of mental work a day. I can usually do plenty of physical work, but I just can't concentrate for most of the day. Is this normal? Should have this checked out? I usually get my required school work done, but I feel like I could become so much more if I could just concentrate for 8 hours a day.
More info:
I usually get around 8 hours a sleep, though sometimes I go periods of around 6 hours a night. Even during the 8 hour periods I don't have energy the whole day, just a little more of it. Usually go to sleep around 11 or 12, and get up at 8. Even when I went to bed and got up earlier, I didn't have a day's worth of energy.
My diet doesn't change much, and is as following:
Daily: Eggs, Sausage, Oatmeal w' some apple, carrots English muffins, Multi-vitamin, some other meat (usually steak or turkey) with onions, jalepanos, flour tortilla or pita bread.
Often but not daily: Fruit smoothies, apples, beef jerkey, nuts (almonds)
Exercise: I get tons of walking every day (college campus no bike or car), I do a couple of cardio workout classes per week, as well as 1 or 2 yoga classes.
I have no caffeine, no alcohol, little sugar (except fruit).
Energy
You don't list much in the way of veggies. Those would supply you with a lot of vitamins and minerals which might help. Also, a multi-vitamin pill daily is a good idea.
Have you checked with your doctor for something like possible anemia?
I agree w/ Tomkitten, you need a LOT more veggies! You only mention carrots, onions, and jalapenos. Try to add a wide variety of colors to that, that'll help get you a variety of nutrients. I would start eating bell peppers (all colors); cruciferous veggies (those are in the mustard family and have tons of nutrients and antioxidants. Google it and you'll find a lot of things are in this family: broccoli, cabbage, kale, mustard greens, cauliflower); good lettuce (not iceberg) like redleaf for salads; spinach, etc. This is important, I know you use a multivitamin, but there are a lot of enzymes in fresh or frozen veggies that aren't in supplements.
Are you in a dorm that restricts you to eat the foods offered by the college or are you able to cook some. Even a microwave would allow you to zap a bag of frozen veggies. Add a couple tbs of salad dressing and some deli meat and you'll be surprised at how filling it is and how much more energy you'll have.
If you're only eating from the food service, try to hit the salad bar at least once/day. Be careful what you add to the salad beyond the vegies because its very easy to pile on extra calories without realizing it. Chopped egg, and turkey or ham cubes are a good protein addition to a salad to turn it into a meal. Choose your dressing carefully. The creamy dressings have way too much fat.
Good luck
Peas, carrots, asparagus, broccoli - all of these can be delicious, and are a cinch to fix in a microwave.
Yeah, more veggies.
Lots of other things could be going on too. Maybe you don't sleep properly at night (sleep apnea or some other thing).
A friend of mine suffered a long time with poor concentration. He got distracted very easily and his thinking was cloudy. It was a simple case of sleep apnea, and once he was treated he was like a new man.
Then again, maybe you need more exercise. Or a new schedule. Or maybe you are just one of those people who needs frequent mental breaks.
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