Can Supplements Negate The Stress Of Daily Life & Improve Brain Function?
The increasing demands of our daily lives have led to a growing number of people looking for ways to improve their cognitive skills.
One way is through the use of cognitive-enhancing supplements, which can be found in natural or synthetic forms, designed to help with concentration, memory, and focus. These supplements are increasingly popular among people, but there is, to a certain extent, a lack of scientific research to support the use of most cognitive-enhancing products.
Certainly, some of them work, but with a sea of misinformation and marketers trying to give you a “quick and easy solution,” it may be hard for consumers to know what they should get.
If you’re considering any supplements of this kind, keep reading as we reveal what science says about these products!
Ready? Steady? Focus.
Good Ol’ Coffee
The French writer Honore de Balzac believed that coffee was innately good at boosting cognitive performance. It is said that the famous writer drank 50 cups of coffee a day and wrote until the morning.
In fact, he supposedly used to eat ground coffee spoon by spoon, believing that it was more useful. (What?!)
We don’t know whether that’s true and if it’s what actually contributed to his success, but it is a fact that Balzac wrote more than 100 novels and plays.
For centuries, people have used caffeine for this purpose but due to the fact that it is quite easy to start abusing it for what it’s worth, people nowadays are looking into alternative means of cognitive enhancement.
Problem - Solution
Much like any other product on the market, cognitive enhancers/nootropics are a solution to a problem.
The problem at hand here?
Stress. Anxiety. Attention span.
Today, most students have difficulties in coping with the stress of exams, not to mention that their learning ability & memory has massively dropped.
To overcome the intense pressure and stress during exam periods, most students look for a little helping hand!
The terms “Nootropics” & “Cognitive enhancers” have been thrown around a lot lately, so let’s dive a bit deeper into the topic.
What Are Nootropics?
The term “nootropics” refers to a group of substances that have one sole purpose – To activate and boost the brain’s metabolism and thus, improve cognitive abilities.
Known as “smart drugs,” nootropics have a wide range of applications, both in people with certain medical conditions and for the everyday individual who’s just looking to be a bit more focused at work.
Mechanisms & Effects:
So how do nootropics work, actually? Well, it’s pretty simple – Most nootropics were designed to affect the primary neurotransmitters in the brain positively! Think serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, glutamate, GABA, norepinephrine, etc.
The effects? Well, if you read the label of any nootropic/smart drug, you’ll see a pattern emerging – most of them claim that as an end result of taking this, you will:
- Remember better
- Manage stress easier
- Learn quicker
- Think faster
- Be able to focus for longer
So in a sense, nootropics are really just legal steroids for the brain!
What About The Side Effects?
Now, a rule of thumb to remember here is that with nootropics, you are taking an exogenous substance to create an effect on the internal biochemistry of your body. This implies a couple of things.
For one, simply taking a ‘smart pill’ once won’t work because nootropics work with a ‘build-up effect’.
Secondly, because you are messing with your body’s internal chemistry, it is possible that for some of these pills, you will experience withdrawal symptoms after you stop taking them.
If the nootropic effect was to boost your cognitive abilities, well, what you will experience during the withdrawal is the exact opposite.
Does That Mean I Should Avoid Nootropics?
There is a lot of hype about nootropics and the benefits they provide. However, for the most part, there is not enough research to confirm these claims. There is also the risk of side effects which could be severe for some people.
If you want to try nootropics, speak with your doctor first and do thorough research on them before deciding whether or not it’s right for you.
Either way, remember – Your brain is smart as hell in the first place and likely, it just needs you to support (not boost) it through its natural sequences!
If you want to be able to focus, learn fast, sleep and remember well, you have to first establish solid foundations. That is an optimal inner environment for your body to thrive in!
How do you do that, you may ask? Eat well. Move well. Sleep well. Socialize.
And don’t forget that staying aware, because consciousness, awareness & intention are more powerful than any nootropic you can take.
Oh, but hey, have a cup of coffee every now and then!
Stay focused.