The human brain holds great potential for memory and recall, but few of us use it to its full potential.

We live in a fast-paced world where nearly everything is immediately available at our fingertips — information, entertainment, and more. Perhaps because of this, we have developed a habit of rapidly switching focus. The average human has an attention span of around 8 seconds. Yes, you read that correctly. Our attention span is around the same as a goldfish.

So, how do you tap into your brain’s true potential and harness all of that brain power to maximize your memory and focus? Many have looked to the world of nootropics to do so and no nootropic is as popular as Onnit’s Alpha Brain supplement.

Alpha Brain is a nootropic made with earth grown nutrients and other powerful ingredients to boost your memory, focus, and processing speed. It is completely free from stimulants (such as caffeine) and works by directly stimulating your neurotransmitters — essentially kicking your brain into high gear so you can achieve its full potential.

Here is a list of the ingredients you can find in Onnit’s Alpha Brain nootropic:

1. Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine HCl)
2. L-Tyrosine
3. L-Theanine
4. Oat Straw Extract
5. Phosphatidylserine (PS)
6. Cat’s Claw Extract
7. L-Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine (GPC)
8. Bacopa Extract
9. Huperzia serrata Extract
10. L-Leucine
11. Vinpocetine
12. Pterostilbene

Though many supplement manufacturers make lofty promises with their supplements, Onnit’s Alpha Brain nootropic is clinically demonstrated to provide the advertised benefits.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the 12 key ingredients in the Alpha Brain supplement as well as some of the scientific research that supports these benefits.

Overview of Onnit’s Alpha Brain Ingredients

Alpha Brain is designed to be taken once a day, preferably with a light meal, to maximize the benefits. In addition to several individual ingredients, this supplement also contains three proprietary blends – Onnit Flow Blend, Onnit Focus Blend, and Onnit Fuel Blend. Keep reading to learn more about these blends as well as the individual ingredients they contain.

Vitamin B6 as Pyridoxine HCl (10 mg)

Also known as pyridoxine, vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin and coenzyme that plays a role in supporting cognitive development and the biosynthesis of neurotransmitters. Vitamin B6 is an incredibly versatile nutrient, and the human body cannot synthesize it on its own, so it must come from food and/or supplements.

In terms of its cognitive benefits, vitamin B6 has been shown to improve mood regulation, primarily due to its role in creating mood-boosting neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This vitamin also helps decrease the damage caused by cellular toxicity which may help slow the progression of memory loss and cognitive decline, particularly related to Alzheimer’s.

Onnit Flow Blend (650 mg)

This proprietary blend contains four active ingredients: l-tyrosine, l-theanine, oat straw extract, and phosphatidylserine. These ingredients work together to boost memory and processing speed, enabling you to recall words and information more quickly while processing new information at a faster speed. Onnit’s Alpha Brain supplement contains a combined 650mg of these ingredients.

L-Tyrosine

An amino acid compound, l-tyrosine plays a role in the synthesis of catecholamine neurotransmitters like epinephrine and dopamine which are involved in memory, mood, and mental processing. By supporting neurotransmitter synthesis, l-tyrosine may slow or reverse the effects of cognitive stress.

The inclusion of l-tyrosine in Onnit’s Alpha Brain supplement is for the purpose of boosting attention and focus. This amino acid has been shown to promote working memory and to improve cognitive performance. Most notably, it provides these benefits in high-pressure thinking situations and in periods of fatigue, high stress, and sleep deprivation.

L-Theanine

This is an amino acid that has been shown to increase alpha brainwave activity which plays a role in boosting memory and information processing. L-theanine also helps settle excitable neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA to improve focus. This supplement has been shown to provide benefits for learning, creative problem solving and studying – any task that requires calm attention and focus. It may also reduce the stimulant effects of caffeine. In terms of its long-term effects, l-theanine protects neurons from oxidative damage, helping maintain healthy cognitive function during aging.

Oat Straw Extract

Oat straw is a type of grass that grows at the top of the oat plant (Avena sativa) before the oat grains form into a head. This plant has been a source of food for at least 3,000 years, but its cognitive benefits were only discovered within the last century. Oat straw exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and offers a wide range of benefits for mental health and cognitive function.

What makes oat straw extract unique is the fact that its nootropic benefits are almost immediate. This extract has been shown to produce an increase in brainwave activity, to regulate dopamine levels in the brain, and to improve attention. It also increases alertness and decreases inflammation in the brain.

Phosphatidylserine

This is a type of phospholipid (fat) that occurs naturally in every cell in the human body but is most highly concentrated in the brain. This supplement has been shown to enhance brain health and function by boosting memory, relieving cognitive stress, and slowing or reversing the effects of cognitive decline.

Though phosphatidylserine is produced naturally, the body requires high levels and, while it is found in most foods, it is only in very low levels. Supplemental phosphatidylserine can improve memory and learning, improve attention, and support the synthesis and action of major neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine. It also plays a key role in producing energy and supporting nerve cell function.

Cat’s Claw (Bark) Extract (350 mg)

Native to the Amazon rainforest, cat’s claw has a long history of use in traditional medicine. This ingredient offers powerful antioxidant and immune-boosting properties, which help to fight infection and relieve symptoms of arthritis.

Also called Uncaria tomentosa, cat’s claw is a tropical vine that grows up to 98 feet tall and is covered in hooked thorns that resemble a cat’s claw. The bark and root of the plant have long been used in traditional medicine, but modern research has resulted in the development of a unique method of extracting the active ingredients to create AC-11 the Rainforest Super Herb.

In terms of scientific support for the herb’s benefits, several small studies showed an increase in white blood cell count after taking cat’s claw extract for at least 6 weeks. Other studies showed the benefits of cat’s claw for boosting immunity and also calming an overactive immune system. Other studies show the anti-inflammatory benefits of cat’s claw in reducing osteoarthritis pain and stiffness.

Onnit Focus Blend (240 mg)

This proprietary blend contains three active ingredients: l-alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine, bacopa extract, and Huperzia serrata extract. These ingredients work together to improve executive function, or the ability to focus on a goal and to execute tasks as quickly as possible. These benefits are measured by improvements in peak alpha brain wave patterns. Onnit’s Alpha Brain supplement contains a combined 240mg of these ingredients.

L-Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine

This is a compound made up of glycerophosphate and choline that increases acetylcholine production in and improves delivery of choline to the brain. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that supports learning and memory while choline improves memory and focus. The primary benefit of l-alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine is to support other nootropic ingredients and to boost the production and function of neurotransmitters in the brain.

Bacopa Extract

This herbal extract has a long history of use in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, known for its antioxidant and adaptogenic properties. Bacopa extract has been shown to improve memory and longevity while reducing stress, mood disorders, and chronic pain.

In one study, Bacopa monniera extract was shown to guard against the effects of both acute and chronic stress. It has also been shown to enhance the activity of neurotransmitters like acetylcholine and serotonin to provide mood-regulating benefits. Other studies have shown the benefits of Bacopa extract for improving memory and higher cognitive processes.

Read more about Bacopa Extract here.

Huperzia serrata Extract

Commonly known as northern firmoss, Huperzia serrata is a plant extract and a natural acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholinesterase (AchE) is responsible for the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which plays a role in learning, memory, and attention. By inhibiting AchE activity, Huperzia serrata helps prevent cognitive decline and memory impairment. This herbal extract also supports mitochondrial energy production and boosts the activity of brain antioxidants to prevent free-radical damage in the brain cells.

Onnit Fuel Blend (65 mg)

This proprietary blend contains three active ingredients: l-leucine, vinpocetine, and pterostilbene. These three ingredients work together to boost ATP production in the brain, maximizing the production and use of energy in the brain to fuel peak performance and optimize memory and focus. Onnit’s Alpha Brain supplement contains a combined 65mg of these ingredients.

L-Leucine

An amino acid used for muscle and energy synthesis, l-leucine cannot be produced by the body and must be taken in food or supplement form. This amino acid increases energy production as well as cell longevity. L-leucine has been shown to significantly improve physical endurance and performance while also speeding muscle recovery and preventing muscle loss.

Vinpocetine

A synthetic compound derived from vincamine, vinpocetine boosts blood flow to the brain for improved cognitive performance – it also offers thermogenic benefits, burning fat and enhancing exercise performance. One study showed that the benefits of vinpocetine for enhancing cognitive function are similar to those of caffeine and other nootropics, but a 2014 study showed progressive improvements in cognitive performance among participants over a 12-week study period.

Pterostilbene

A naturally derived polyphenol antioxidant, pterostilbene is similar to resveratrol in terms of its brain-boosting benefits, but it offers 80% bioavailability compared to resveratrol’s 20%. Pterostilbene has been shown to increase neuroplasticity in the brain to improve learning and memory while also providing neuroprotectant benefits due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

How These Ingredients Work In Unison

Now that you know a little more about the benefits of the 12 ingredients included in the Alpha Brain supplement, you may be wondering how they work together.

Onnit has conducted numerous clinical trials of their own to verify the efficacy of their supplements. In one randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, Alpha Brain was found to produce significant improvement in verbal memory, logical memory, and executive functioning compared to placebo. These results were duplicated in a second study in which participants taking Alpha Brain experienced a 12% greater improvement in verbal recall and 21% faster completion time in executive function assessments compared to the placebo group.

In addition to measurable benefits for memory and recall, several clinical trials have proven the benefits of Alpha Brain for improving focus. One study used EEG recordings to measure the effects of Alpha Brain on peak alpha frequency, a measurable reflection of a state of focus. Other studies showed benefits for improved performance in college-aged men and powerlifters.

Not only does Onnit perform their own clinical research, but the data is subjected to a rigorous peer-review process to verify its accuracy.

Learn more about our experience using Alpha Brain here.

The post A Research-Backed Look at Alpha Brain’s Ingredients appeared first on Brain Wiz.

There is a common myth that we only use about 10% of our brains when, in fact, you use the entirety of your brain on a daily basis. Just because you are using all of the different parts of your brain throughout the day, however, doesn’t mean that you’re using them efficiently. If you could harness your brain power and maximize its efficiency, you could optimize your cognitive function to achieve a level of mental performance you never thought possible.

That’s the power of Mind Lab Pro.

As a nootropic, Mind Lab Pro features eleven research-backed key ingredients to boost all aspects of cognition including learning, memory, attention, recall, motivation, creativity, problem-solving, and more…

Here is a list of the ingredients found in Mind Lab Pro:

1. Citicoline as Cognizin (250mg)
2. Phosphatidylserine (PS) as Sharp-PS Green (100mg)
3. Bacopa Monnieri as Full-Spectrum Extract (150mg)
4. Lion’s Mane Mushroom as Full-Spectrum Extract (500mg)
5. Maritime Pine Bark Extract (75mg)
6. L-Tyrosine as N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine (175mg)
7. L-Theanine as Suntheanine (100mg)
8. Rhodiola Rosea (50mg)
9. Vitamin B6 as Pyridoxine (2.5mg)
10. Vitamin B9 as Folic Acid (100mcg)
11. Vitamin B12 as Cobalamin (7.5mcg)

While many nootropic supplements target just 2 or 3 brain pathways, Mind Lab Pro is the world’s first “universal” nootropic designed to function as a whole-brain optimizer to support peak overall mental performance in a variety of situations (e.g. students, athletes, competitors, professionals, and active seniors).

Now, let’s take a deeper look at the eleven key ingredients in Mind Lab Pro as well as some of the research-backed benefits associated with them.

1. Citicoline

Citicoline is a naturally occurring compound and essential building block of cell membranes. This compound energizes brain cells by optimizing neural electrical impulses and supports the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) which is the primary phospholipid found in brain cell membranes. These benefits combine to make citicoline a powerful supplement for brain cell regeneration and repair.

In terms of its nootropic benefits, citicoline promotes memory, attention, focus, and concentration, and balanced mood to enhance mental performance with the inevitable crash of stimulants. In the long term, it may help protect the brain against age-related structural change and cognitive decline.

Mind Lab Pro’s Cognizin is a patented form of citicoline which has been shown to boost brain cell membrane formation by 26%* and brain energy by nearly 14%*.

*These results are supported by research conducted at the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, California.

2. Phosphatidylserine (PS)

Phosphatidylserine or PS is a phospholipid that comprises about 15% of the brain’s fats. It is highly concentrated in brain cell membranes where it helps maintain fluidity, optimizes receptors, promotes neurotransmitters, supports energy production, and increases nerve growth factor. According to research published in the journals Neurology and Aging, this phospholipid also slows brain degeneration and memory loss in the elderly while improving mood regulation and mental clarity.

Mind Lab Pro’s “Sharp PS” is an eco-friendly, non-GMO, soy-free form of phosphatidylserine derived from sunflower lecithin shown to offer efficient absorption by the human brain, helping to slow, halt, or reverse biochemical alterations and structural deterioration in nerve cells.

According to research published in the journal Nutrition, phosphatidylserine also supports cognitive functions such as learning and recall, memory, focus, attention and concentration, problem solving, language skills, and communication.

3. Bacopa Monnieri

Bacopa monnieri is an Ayurvedic herb containing beneficial compounds such as bacosides and bacopasides. These compounds offer antioxidant benefits, enhancing the activity of other brain antioxidants to protect brain cells from the age-accelerating effects of free radicals.

In addition to offering antioxidant protection, bacopa promotes the activity of acetylcholine, GABA, and serotonin to improve focus, memory, and mood. Research also suggests that this herb may also improve mental processing, promote relaxation, and boost cognitive performance under stress.

Mind Lab Pro’s Bacopa Monnieri is a full-spectrum extract that has been standardized for 24% bacosides and engineered to supply the herb’s 9 most active nootropic bacoside compounds. This supplement has been shown to improve both delayed and immediate memory recall and learning, according to a 12-week study published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

4. Lion’s Mane Mushroom

Also known as yamabushitake, lion’s mane mushroom has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine, but its brain-boosting benefits are also supported by science. The only mushroom known to support brain health, lion’s mane is rich in active nootropics such as hericenones and erinacines.

According to animal research, lion’s mane mushroom stimulates nerve growth factor (NGF) which may support neural regeneration and brain plasticity. It has also been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, speed recovery from nervous system injuries, and fight oxidative stress.

Mind Lab Pro’s full-spectrum Lion’s Mane Mushroom provides high levels of active hericenone and erinacines. One double-blind, placebo-controlled study, in particular, demonstrated the specific benefits of this supplement for improving cognitive performance and maintaining mood balance.

5. Maritime Pine Bark Extract

Maritime pine bark extract or pycnogenol is known for its high content of proanthocyanidin antioxidants which have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. This enables these antioxidants to neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals concentrated in the brain.

In addition to providing antioxidant benefits, the proanthocyanidins in pine bark extract increase the release of nitric oxide to relax blood vessels and boost blood flow to the brain. Combined with the enhanced delivery of oxygen and glucose, proanthocyanidin bioactivities support brain regeneration to help reverse age-related cognitive decline.

Mind Lab Pro uses the strongest pine bark extract on the market today. It is standardized for 95% proanthocyanidins to promote optimal antioxidant and nootropic activity.

6. L-Tyrosine

L-Tyrosine is an amino acid compound that plays a role in synthesizing catecholamine neurotransmitters like dopamine and epinephrine that are involved in mood, memory, and mental processing. Animal research suggests that this compound may reverse the effects of cognitive stress by supporting the synthesis of neurotransmitters that are depleted in high-pressure thinking.

In terms of its nootropic benefits, L-Tyrosine has been shown to promote working memory and optimize mental performance in cases of fatigue, high stress, and sleep deprivation. It is also being researched for its benefits in improving attention and focus.

Mind Lab Pro’s N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine offers optimal bioavailability and absorption, delivering more nootropic activity to the brain than Tyrosine alone.

7. L-Theanine

L-Theanine is an amino acid shown to boost alpha brainwave activity while settling excitable neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and GABA. In addition to modulating the brain’s attention circuitry, this amino acid protects neurons from damage to maintain cognitive function during aging.

This amino acid has been shown to sharpen attention, focus, and alertness all while maintaining a state of relaxed tranquility. It has benefits for studying, creative problem solving, learning, and any task that requires quiet contemplation. It may also reduce the jittery effects of caffeine.

Mind Lab Pro’s L-Theanine consists of 100% pure L-isomer-Theanine at a dosage of 100mg which has been shown to provide the optimal degree of enhancement for alpha brainwave activity in numerous human clinical trials.

8. Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola rosea is also known as “golden root”, and it contains over 140 active ingredients including rosavins and salidrosides. These components stimulate and sustain essential neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine and supports their transport across the blood-brain barrier.

Rhodiola is most known for its ability to strengthen mental resistance to stress by diminishing the release of the stress hormone cortisol. Research suggests that the nootropic benefits of this supplement begin within 30 minutes and last for up to 6 hours.

Mind Lab Pro’s Rhodiola is standardized for a minimum of 3% rosavins and 1% salidrosides to ensure optimal levels of active nootropics in each dose. Human clinical trials have proven these levels to be effective in improving mental energy.

9. Vitamins B6, B9, and B12

B vitamins have long been known to contribute to brain health, but vitamins B6, B9, and B12 are the most essential due to their role in homocysteine metabolism. Low levels of these vitamins in combination with high homocysteine levels have been linked to increased brain degeneration, mood imbalance, and cognitive decline. These effects are documented in numerous studies, including one published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2015.

• Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine is a water-soluble vitamin and coenzyme that supports a variety of bodily functions including the biosynthesis of neurotransmitters and support of cognitive development. Supplementation of this vitamin has been shown to boost mood, memory, performance, and mental effort in elderly test subjects.
• Vitamin B9 or folic acid plays a key role in the synthesis and repair of DNA and RNA in addition to supporting cell division and growth as well as brain health. The benefits of Vitamin B9 for improved cognitive function are supported by the results of a 2007 study published in the journal Lancet.
• Vitamin B12 or cobalamin plays an important role in maintaining nerve and blood cell health. Deficiency in this vitamin has been linked to problems with memory, mood balance, and mental illness. According to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this vitamin works in combination with other B vitamins to control homocysteine and improve neurocognitive function.

This combination of vitamins is designed to target homocysteine, helping address concerns related to cognitive decline, brain aging, and poor circulation to the brain while boosting mental energy, improving mood balance, and supporting long-range brain health.

The combination of these nootropic ingredients is what makes Mind Lab Pro an impressive stack. This supplement works in six different biopathways to optimize a wide array of cognitive functions to boost your whole-life mental performance.

Have a question about Mind Lab Pro? Leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

The post A Research-Backed Look at Mind Lab Pro’s Ingredients appeared first on Brain Wiz.

It only takes about 45 minutes for most of the caffeine you drink to be absorbed into your bloodstream, though its effects can last anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. The problem is that, if you want to keep enjoying the energy-boosting benefits of caffeine, you need to keep drinking it.

Unfortunately, not all of the effects caffeine has on your body and brain are helpful. In fact, some of them can be downright dangerous. Keep reading to learn more about the effects of caffeine on the body and mind and to receive some tips for beating your coffee addiction once and for all.

How Much Caffeine is Too Much?

Technically speaking, caffeine is a stimulant, and it is often described as the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world. While some people sip a small cup of coffee while reading the paper in the morning, others make multiple trips to the corner coffee shop throughout the day, consuming anywhere from 3 to 6 cups of coffee over the course of a single day.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers caffeine to be both a food additive and a drug, recommending a maximum intake of 400mg per day. With over 90% of American adults consuming caffeine on a daily basis, the average daily consumption is 200mg per day, about the amount of caffeine you’d get from a 14-ounce Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.

But how exactly does caffeine affect the body and mind, and is it dangerous?

Though the effects of caffeine can last up to 6 hours, it takes less than an hour for your body to absorb most of the caffeine you drink through your epithelial tissue. Caffeine passes easily into the bloodstream through the lining of your mouth, throat, and stomach. Depending on your genetic makeup, your body may metabolize caffeine at a certain rate depending on your level of caffeine sensitivity:

• Hyposensitive – People who are hyposensitive to caffeine can take large doses (greater than 500mg) without feeling much effect – they can also consume caffeine close to bedtime without it affecting their sleep. About 10% of people are hyposensitive to caffeine.
• Normal – Normal caffeine sensitivity means that you can consume 200mg to 400mg per day without adverse reactions. As long as you stop consuming caffeine in the early afternoon, it shouldn’t affect your ability to fall asleep at night.
• Hypersensitive – If you are hypersensitive to caffeine, even small doses under 100mg can cause overdose symptoms such as jitters, rapid heart rate, and insomnia. People who are hypersensitive to caffeine may take twice as long for the body to metabolize it.

Many people fall somewhere in between these three levels of caffeine sensitivity, and you may already have some idea where you fall based on reactions you have noticed in the past. What you may not realize is that many of your body’s reactions to caffeine are internal, so you are unlikely to even be aware that they are happening.

What Does Caffeine Do?

In order to understand the effects of caffeine on the body, you first need to understand the basics about a chemical called adenosine. A naturally-occurring nucleotide, adenosine plays a role in cellular energy transfer by forming ATP and ADP – it also plays a role in cell signaling.

In the brain, adenosine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Throughout the course of a normal day, your adenosine levels slowly climb. As a central nervous system depressant, increasing levels of adenosine in the body is what causes you to become tired. Caffeine is similar in size and shape to adenosine, so the adenosine receptors in your brain can’t tell the difference, so the caffeine molecules bind to those receptors, preventing adenosine from binding. As a result, the effects of adenosine are blocked, and the caffeine prevents you from getting tired.

The problem is that by blocking adenosine receptors, caffeine allows other neurotransmitters to keep producing. As your dopamine levels increase, you experience a mild jolt of energy. Caffeine can also trigger the pituitary gland, causing it to release hormones like adrenaline which are normally released during a stress response. As a result, your pupils dilate, your heart beats faster, your blood pressure rises, and your liver releases sugar into the bloodstream for energy.

This is why, when you drink coffee, your hands may get cold, your muscles grow tense, and you feel a rush of energy and excitement as your heart beats more quickly. These symptoms are more commonly referred to as the caffeine “jitters”.

How Does Caffeine Affect the Body and Mind?

The energy-boosting effects of caffeine may sound relatively harmless. On the surface it may seem like they do more good than harm. The problem is that the energy-boosting effects of caffeine can only last for so long. When your adenosine receptors are clogged, all of that adenosine has nowhere to go. So, once the caffeine wears off, all of the adenosine rushes in, and you get very tired all at once. After the energy rush wears off, you may find that you feel even more tired than you did before.

In small doses, caffeine has been scientifically proven to provide a wide array of health benefits. For example, a study published in Medical News Today revealed that drinking three cups of coffee per day was correlated with a 50% lower risk of liver cancer. Another study showed that drinking four cups of coffee per day halved the risk for throat and mouth cancers. Moderate caffeine intake has been shown to boost long-term memory and may even protect against certain chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and stroke.

Though there are some potential health benefits associated with caffeine, there are also negative effects – particularly if you consume more than 500mg to 600mg per day. Common side effects of excess caffeine consumption include nervousness, restlessness, upset stomach, insomnia, irritability, rapid heart rate, and muscle tremors. Not only can excessive caffeine consumption cause negative side effects, but its nature as a stimulant means that there is also a potential for addiction and withdrawal. These symptoms may include fatigue, headache, depression, irritability, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty concentrating.

Because the effects of excessive caffeine consumption and caffeine addiction can be severe, you may be thinking about kicking your caffeine habit. Keep reading to learn about natural alternatives to caffeine and to receive some tips for beating your caffeine addiction.

5 Ways to Beat Your Caffeine Addiction

Even if you don’t experience a negative reaction to caffeine, it could still be affecting your mind and body in ways you don’t realize. If you’re experience negative side effects, or if you simply want to find a healthier alternative, there are some simple things you can do to beat your caffeine addiction.

Here are 5 simple ways to beat your addiction to caffeine:

1. Take a closer look at your caffeine habits to determine just how much you’re drinking on a daily basis. Different drinks like coffee, soda, and tea contain different levels of caffeine – you may even find it in over-the-counter pain relievers.
2. Start cutting back gradually to reduce the risk of withdrawal. You could drink one fewer cup of coffee during the day or simply make your cups smaller.
3. Quit drinking caffeine earlier in the day. In addition to slowly cutting back on how much caffeine you drink, you should also make changes to when you drink it. Stop drinking caffeine after 2pm, so the effects don’t last long enough to interfere with sleep.
4. Switch to decaf or “half-caf”. If the main reason you drink coffee is because you like the taste, switch to decaf or to half-caf so you can still enjoy your favorite beverage.
5. Change how you brew your tea. If tea is your caffeinated beverage of choice, you can reduce your caffeine intake by brewing your tea for less time or by going herbal – most herbal teas don’t contain caffeine because they are made from herbs rather than tea leaves.

Depending how much caffeine you’re used to drinking on a daily basis, cutting back could lead to withdrawal symptoms. Cutting back slowly may help to reduce these symptoms, but you should be prepared for them all the same. Following a healthy diet of whole foods will help provide your body with natural energy and regular exercise will boost your endorphins to give you a similar effect to caffeine, albeit for a shorter period of time.

Try These Natural Alternatives to Coffee

As you work on beating your caffeine addiction, you may want to try some natural alternatives to coffee. Fortunately, there are a number of beverages that have the potential to give you a natural boost of energy without any of the nasty side effects associated with caffeine.

Here are 10 natural alternatives to coffee that you might try:

1. Matcha Tea – To make matcha tea, the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant are steamed, dried, and ground into a fine green powder. Matcha tea is more highly concentrated in antioxidants than regular green tea, and it has a fresh, earthy flavor. To prepare matcha tea, add hot water to 1 to 2 teaspoons of matcha powder and stir slowly until dissolved then serve when frothy.
2. Chicory Root – Chicory root, like coffee beans, can be roasted, ground, and brewed into a hot beverage that tastes similar to coffee. Brew 2 tablespoons for every 6 ounces of water or adjust the taste. You can sweeten chicory root just like coffee.
3. Lemon Water – Not only is fresh lemon water caffeine-free, but it is also calorie-free which means that you can enjoy it any time of day. The vitamin C in lemon juice supports your immune system as well as your skin health.
4. Golden Milk – A rich, warm beverage, golden milk is a healthy and caffeine-free coffee substitute. Golden milk consists of milk or non-dairy milk heated with turmeric, cinnamon, ground ginger, and black pepper. It is primarily known for its anti-inflammatory benefits.
5. Chai Tea – This beverage consists of a mix of black tea blended with herbs and spices. Though black tea does still contain caffeine, it has a different chemical makeup and the potential to provide numerous health benefits. To make chai tea, steep 4 cardamom seeds, 4 cloves, and 2 black peppercorns with a cinnamon stick and 1 inch of fresh sliced ginger in 2 cups of water or milk for 10 minutes before straining into a mug.
6. Yerba Mate – An herbal tea made from the dried leaves of the South American holly tree (Ilex paraguriensis), yerba mate is a natural coffee substitute. This beverage contains about 78mg of caffeine per cup, but it is loaded with beneficial plant compounds that coffee is lacking. Yerba mate is rich in antioxidants as well as essential nutrients like riboflavin, iron, and calcium.
7. Rooibos Tea – Also known as red tea, rooibos tea is a non-caffeinated beverage originally made in South Africa. This tea is rich in antioxidants which may protect against cancer and heart disease in addition to helping you feel a little more alert and energized. Prepare rooibos tea by steeping 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of loose rooibos in a cup of hot water for up to 10 minutes.
8. Apple Cider Vinegar – Made by fermenting crushed apples, apple cider vinegar is rich in acetic acid which provides myriad health benefits. Apple cider vinegar may help lower blood sugar and cholesterol while improving weight loss and heart health. Try drinking 1 to 2 tablespoons mixed with a cup of cold water once a day.
9. Kombucha – Made by fermenting black tea with bacteria, yeast, and sugar, kombucha is a probiotic beverage rich in antioxidants. In addition to providing a boost of energy, kombucha may provide similar benefits to green tea such as improved cholesterol levels, increased calorie burn, and blood sugar control.
10. Coconut Water – Derived from young coconuts, coconut water is naturally sweet, and it is loaded with electrolytes and naturally-occurring bioactive enzymes. Not only can coconut water give you a boost of natural energy, but it is a healthier alternative to sugary sports drinks as well.

We all have our vices and for some, drinking too much coffee is one of them. Excessive consumption of coffee can lead to some significant side effects, so it may be a good idea to start cutting back, even if you don’t feel like you need to.

Give some of the natural coffee alternatives listed above a try – you might just find that you like them better than coffee!

The post Quitting Caffeine: 5 Ways to Beat Your Coffee Addiction appeared first on Brain Wiz.

Procrastination is normal, and we all do it from time to time. What you may not realize is that procrastination is more than just avoiding or delaying a task – there is also a needless, irrational, or counterproductive aspect to it.

The effects of procrastination are obvious. By putting off an urgent task to do something less urgent, you put yourself in the position of having to rush later which may impact your ability to complete the task well or on-time.

Though it can seem difficult to train your brain to stop procrastinating it can be done, and, in this article, you’ll learn how.

Let’s get started…

What is Procrastination, Really?

People who procrastinate are often viewed as lazy or disorganized. The truth of the matter is, however, that most people who procrastinate are actually quite intelligent, hardworking people. Furthermore, procrastination is not the same as “laziness” – procrastinating is an action in which you choose to do something other than the thing you know you should be doing.

Let’s take a closer look at the definition of procrastination and review it in its many forms.

Merriam-Webster defines the word procrastinate as, “to put off intentionally and habitually” or “to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.” The Oxford English Dictionary may hit closest to the mark with its definition of procrastination as a means of postponement, “often with the sense of deferring through indecision, when early action would have been preferable.”

These definitions pinpoint what makes procrastination different from ordinary delay – the needlessness and counter-productivity of it. In most cases when you procrastinate, it is with the knowledge that doing so will have future consequences. In fact, procrastinating can cause severe anxiety in some individuals.

So, why do we procrastinate even when we know it will only make things more difficult later?

The above definitions are how most people understand the meaning of the word procrastinate, but psychologists suggest that there is something deeper and darker to it.

Why Do We Procrastinate and What Are the Effects?

According to Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago, procrastination is a lifestyle and, in some, an innate personality trait. About massive 20% of people self-identify as chronic procrastinators, and it ekes its ways into all aspects of their lives. From making late payments on bills to buying Christmas gifts at the last minute, some people seem to procrastinate on just about everything.

Dr. Ferrari suggests that there are three types of procrastinators:

1. People who wait until the last minute for the euphoric rush of having to complete the task at the very last moment.
2. People who avoid certain tasks out of a fear of failure or success as well as concern about how others will view them.
3. People who have trouble making decisions – by not making a decision, they absolve themselves of responsibility for the outcome.

Many people who procrastinate end up getting the delayed task done, but not always on time or to the best of their ability. In cases where your performance is evaluated by others, procrastination can lead to disapproval and a loss of respect – it could even cost you your job. On a more personal level, procrastination can result in physical symptoms such as stress, a sense of guilt, and even chronic anxiety.

When you procrastinate, you may find yourself justifying the action – you make an excuse about why you are putting off the more urgent task to complete something less urgent. Here are some of the ways you might actively delay completing a task or justify your procrastination:

• Avoidance: You avoid the location or situation where the delayed task takes place.
• Trivialization: You convince yourself that the task is not important, or that it is less important than another task.
• Distraction: You engage yourself in a behavior or activity that distracts you from the task.
• Humor: You make your procrastination itself a joke.
• Comparisons: You compare your situation to something that is worse.
• Blaming: You suggest that the cause of your procrastination is something beyond your control.
• Reframing: You suggest that getting an earlier start is actually harmful, that procrastination yields better results.
• Denial: You pretend that you are not procrastinating, that the chosen task is actually more important than the delayed task.
• Laziness: You avoid the urgent task simply because you do not want to or feel like doing it.

The more you procrastinate, the more things can seem to spiral out of control. By delaying an urgent task in favor of a less urgent task, you put yourself in a position of having to complete that task in a rush later which may also force you to delay other tasks that come up in the meantime.

Now that you have a deeper understanding of how procrastination rears its ugly head, let’s review how we can overcome it.

How to Train Your Brain to Stop Procrastinating

The most dangerous thing about procrastination is that you may not even realize you’re doing it.

According to psychologist Piers Steel, there are key personality traits of people who do not procrastinate. They are high in conscientiousness, persistence, self-discipline, and personal responsibility. Chronic procrastinators, on the other hand, are more concerned about social esteem – how others view them – than self-esteem or how they view themselves.

The first step in retraining your brain to stop procrastinating, then, is to become more aware of the fact that you are procrastinating and to ask yourself why. Here is a quick overview of the 6 steps you can take to train your brain to stop procrastinating:

1. Recognize that you are procrastinating.
2. Find out why you are procrastinating.
3. Reframe your thinking and move forward.
4. Break the task into smaller steps.
5. Find the right source of motivation.
6. Identify and account for distractions.

Now, let’s take a closer look at each of these six steps in greater detail.

Step 1: Recognize that you are procrastinating.

Recognizing that you are procrastinating can be difficult, especially if it is a habit you’ve adopted. Here are some of the signs that you might be procrastinating:

• You tend to fill your day with low-priority tasks.
• The same couple of items have been on your to-do list all week.
• You read emails several times without replying.
• You postpone calling people back.
• You start working on an urgent task then quickly switch to something else.
• You work on new tasks before tasks that have already been assigned.
• You wait until you are “in the right mood” to start a task.

Chronic procrastinators often have trouble with self-regulation, so you might not even be aware that you are putting off a more urgent task to complete a simpler one. The key to retraining your brain to stop procrastination is to know what procrastination looks like and to identify it in yourself. Review the delaying strategies from the previous section and keep them in your mind so you will learn to recognize procrastination behaviors sooner.

Step 2: Find out why you are procrastinating.

Once you realize that you are procrastinating, the next step is to find out why. Even if procrastination has become a habit or a lifestyle for you, there is probably some underlying reason why you tend to put things off. That reason might be different for each task, or it could all have a similar undercurrent. Here are some of the reasons you might be delaying a task:

• You find the task unpleasant or boring.
• You are afraid that you won’t do it correctly.
• You’re afraid that doing it well will lead to more work.
• You don’t feel like you have the skills to complete the task.
• You can’t make a decision about how to do it.
• You aren’t motivated or don’t feel like doing the task.
• You’re worried that someone else might do it better.
• You don’t like being told what to do.

Unfortunately, if procrastination has become a habit for you, it may take some time to dig deep enough to determine the true underlying reason for your behavior. Our minds are constantly running, often without our awareness, and it is only by focusing in on those unconscious thoughts that we can get to the true heart of our deepest fears and worries.

When you find yourself procrastinating, sit back and really think about the reason why. Ask yourself these questions:

• Is this task relevant to my position and do I enjoy the work?
• What worries me about this task in particular?
• Have I completed a similar task before? Did I do it well?
• What are the future implications of completing this task poorly/well?
• Do I have the skills and knowledge to complete this task properly?

By asking these questions, you can start to get a feel for why you are putting off a certain task. Realizing that you are procrastinating is the first step, identifying the underlying cause of your procrastination is the next step, and the third step is to reframe your thinking and move forward.

In some people, procrastination is more than just a bad habit. Certain mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are also associated with procrastination. If you find that you procrastinate frequently, but your reasons do not quite fit the list above, you may want to talk to your doctor about your concerns.

Step 3: Reframe your thinking and move forward.

Procrastination is a deeply ingrained pattern of thought and behavior, so you’ll need to work at changing your thinking if you want to change your behavior. Once you recognize that you are procrastinating, and you’ve determined the underlying reason why, your next step is to reframe your thoughts about the task and your completion of it, so you can move forward.

One place you might start is to forgive yourself for procrastinating in the past. Many chronic procrastinators are perfectionists – people who would prefer not to do something at all than to do it poorly. If you’re going to get over your habit of procrastination, however, you’re going to have to change your priorities and come to accept that your best, at the current point in time you choose to complete the task, is good enough.

It may also help for you to work on changing your internal monologue. If the thought that certain tasks are necessary makes you nervous and you start thinking of them with terms like “have to” or “need to,” it can make you feel disempowered. If you instead reframe your thinking with terms like “want to” and “choose to,” it might help you feel like you are in control. By choosing to complete a task, you are taking ownership of it, and that is a step in the right direction.

Whatever unhealthy patterns of thought are contributing to your procrastination, those are the thoughts you need to target and change if you want to move forward. Keep in mind that this will take time to do, and it’s okay if you don’t get it right each and every time. As you’re working on these first three steps to reframing your thoughts, putting the next three into action will help you start changing your behavior.

Step 4: Break the task into smaller steps.

Changing your behavior is not something that you can do overnight – at least not with lasting results. If you want to retrain your brain to stop procrastinating, it may help to break up larger tasks into smaller pieces. This is a process often referred to as “chunking“.

Here’s how to put it into practice… Take a minute to sit down and think about the task and all of the different pieces of the bigger picture that it will take to complete it. Write down each of those steps in a numbered list and then start at the top. Each time you complete one of the steps, cross it off the list and move on to the next.

If you are a person who is motivated by deadlines, you may also want to assign a time limit to each step on the list. The deadline for the completion of total task should be your final deadline, so work backward from there and assign a specific deadline or time limit for each of the individual tasks. Make sure you give yourself enough time to complete each step properly, but not so much time that you start to lose focus or start to procrastinate again. Knowing that each task has an assigned time limit should help you stay on track because if you fall behind on one step, it will affect all the steps thereafter.

The power of chunking comes from the same psychological influence behind the classic to do list. Your brain loves ordered tasks and is much more willing to cooperate with completing an unknown task if it is further broken down into actionable steps.

Step 5: Find the right source of motivation.

Often in life, we find ourselves forced to do things we don’t want to do. If this is the underlying cause for your procrastination, you may need to find something else to motivate yourself. Motivation can come from anywhere, and it can be either a small-scale or a large-scale thing.

For example, if you hate writing status reports at work, but you are required to for your position, you might procrastinate simply because you dislike the work. The completion of the task itself is not enough to motivate you, so you’ll need to find something else that will. As a small-scale motivation, you might choose a reward to give yourself when you finish writing the reports – maybe a candy bar from the vending machine or a trip to your favorite coffee shop during your lunch break. If large-scale motivations work better, maybe focus on the fact that completing the status reports will allow you to move on to work that you enjoy more.

Step 6: Identify and account for distractions.

As you work at training your brain to stop procrastinating, you’re going to encounter some stumbling blocks along the way. Chronic procrastinators are easily distracted by things like email, coffee breaks, even conversations happening in the office. If you really want to change your habits to become more productive, you’re going to need to learn how to work around distractions and keep your focus honed in.

The first step in learning how to work through distractions is to identify what those distractions might be. Take some time to think about your typical day and all of the things you do besides work – you might even want to make a list. Be sure to include things like checking email, checking social media, reading and replying to text messages, taking coffee and bathroom breaks, walking around the office, and more. Once you have those potential distractions in mind, you’ll be more conscious of them when they arise and, when they do, you can make the effort to refocus your mind on the task at hand.

For example, if you are distracted by your phone during work you might put in on airplane more and tuck it away in your desk until you’ve finished the task at hand.

You can also find productivity apps that will prevent you from opening certain websites or using your phone until a certain time period has passed. Freedom is a personal favorite of mine because it works on desktop and mobile devices (Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS).

Get Started with the Two-Minute Rule

The steps above will help you retrain your brain to bring your habit of procrastination to an end. Unfortunately, getting started is the hardest part for many procrastinators, and if you never get started, you’ll never make any progress.

That is where the two-minute rule comes into play.

The two-minute rule is based on the idea that most complex tasks can be scaled down into a quick, two-minute version. Smaller tasks are easier to handle and, once you’ve gotten started with the task, it is much easier to keep going and to make a lasting change to your habits. Here’s what that might look like:

• “Catch up on emails and clean out your inbox” becomes “read, reply to (if necessary), and delete three emails.”
• “Develop a plan for a complex presentation at the end of the week” becomes “gather the supplies and documentation you need to plan the presentation.”
• “Write performance reviews for the entire department” becomes “write down a list of staff members to be reviewed and gather their files.”
• “Plan the company’s anniversary party for the end of the month” becomes “write a list of tasks that need to be completed for the party to be a success.”

By breaking down complex tasks into smaller pieces, they suddenly seem more manageable. From there, simply choose a task to start with and follow the six steps from the previous section to stay focused. You may find that once you get past the hurdle of getting started that you gain momentum and it becomes easier to stay on task. Before you know it, you’ll be checking every box on your to-do list, and you’ll have to start a new one!

Final Thoughts

For many people, procrastination is a state of mind, and that’s what makes it so difficult to overcome. If you follow the advice in this article and put those six steps into play, however, you can actually train your brain to stop procrastinating, and you’ll be a happier, healthier, and more productive person for it.

Did you find this article helpful? I’d love to know! Leave a comment below…

The post 6 Step Plan to Train Your Brain to Stop Procrastinating appeared first on Brain Wiz.

Visit any college library and you’re bound to encounter students with their heads buried in textbooks or ferociously typing away on their laptops. What’s keeping them motivated and productive? There’s a chance it’s Adderall. In fact, accord to the Partnership For Drug-Free Kids, 60% of the students surveyed were abusing some type of stimulant (Adderall, Ritalin, or Vyvanse) to help them study.

I’m no stranger to Adderall. In college, I was prescribed it for an inability to focus. While it initially gave me a boost of energy and motivation to focus, the negative side effects were too big to ignore.

Because of my own personal experience with Adderall and my fascination with optimizing focus, productivity, and mental energy, I went searching for the perfect Adderall alternatives. What I found has changed my life for the better.

Note: I am not a doctor and this article is not meant to provide any medical diagnosis or suggestions. If you have ADHD or are prescribed Adderall, please talk to your doctor before taking any new supplement or increasing, decreasing, or stopping your regular dosage. Never take illegally obtained drugs. 

Okay, now that we have all the legal jargon out of the way. Let’s first start by digging into what Adderall is…

An Overview Of Adderall

Adderall is a stimulant known as an amphetamine. Amphetamines have been around for decades and are traditionally used and abused by “tweakers” or “meth heads”. Most notably, amphetamines were used on both the Axis and Allies sides during World War 2 in order to keep the troops awake and stimulated.

Amphetamines, like Adderall, work by causing the release of dopamine and norepinephrine. These chemicals react in your brain by making you feel more alert and awake. For some, it can make them feel a rush of power, like they can achieve anything. It’s no wonder why it has been abused for so long — it gets users high, regardless of whether they’re taking it legally or illegally. And for students looking to illegally obtain it to cram for midterms or finals, it seems like a miracle drug. But is it?

Adderall Side Effects

Like all drugs or supplements available, there can always be negative side effects. And usually, the stronger the drug or supplement, the riskier the side effects. Adderall is no different.

Many Adderall or amphetamine users are familiar with the short-term side effects associated with its use.

• Irritability
• Trouble sleeping
• Cardiac issues (such as a racing heartbeat)

However, the long-term effects of heavy Adderall use are a bit more scary.

• Heart disease
• Insomnia
• Heart palpitations
• Trouble breathing
• Tremors

These effects can have a domino effect by leading to even worse medical issues such as a weakened heart, changes in the brain, and seizures.

And we haven’t even touched the scariest part of Adderall abuse — addiction.

Adderall Addiction

Amphetamines are one of the top ten most addictive drugs in the world. This is because the body can build up a tolerance relatively quickly and need more of it just to feel the same. This leads to increasing dosages and building up even higher tolerances… A never ending cycle.

Beyond the physical addiction, there is also a very strong mental addiction that can occur. Many addicts believe that they cannot perform or function without the drug. This has led to a lot of students who abused Adderall in school graduating and continuing to abuse it in the workplace. And since Adderall works by pumping out dopamine (the body’s “happy” chemical) long-term users and addicts often feel a level of depression when they aren’t on it since their dopamine levels have been skewed for so long.

Nootropic Adderall Alternatives

Having given up Adderall years ago when I became tired of all the negative side effects, I began researching alternatives that could help me in the same way. This led me down the rabbit hole of nootropics. If you’re unfamiliar with nootropics, they are supplements that provide their users with various cognitive benefits. Some use nootropics to help them think clearer, others use nootropics to help them be more extroverted in social settings. The end goal is always the same, to optimize the users mental state.

Because we’re talking about alternatives to Adderall, I’ve narrowed down my favorite nootropics that have similar effects as Adderall (increase focus, enhance concentration, and higher levels of mental energy) without such nasty side effects.

The best part about nootropics is that they’re legal, affordable, effective, and many are backed by research.

Note: These supplements are not meant to treat any medical diagnosis. If you are legally prescribed Adderall, please talk to your doctor before trying anything mentioned in this article.

OptiMind

OptiMind is a nootropic made by Alternascript, a company that has a long history with making great supplements. Funny enough, OptiMind used to be called “Alleradd”, which sounds an awful lot like “Adderall”. It has a combination of nootropic ingredients in it that increase focus and mood. Because OptiMind has caffeine in it, it still has decent stimulant effects too (increasing overall energy, not just mental energy). Although I personally like OptiMind, my one gripe is that they don’t put exactly how much caffeine is in each dose. Based on my experience, it didn’t seem like more than 80mg (around a small cup of coffee’s worth). However, I’m just estimating. OptiMind currently has a promotion going on where they are giving away a free sample. This is a great way to try it out and see if it’s a good option for your needs.

View Price Read Review

Alpha Brain and Coffee

Possibly one of the most popular nootropics around, Alpha Brain is made by Onnit. If you listen to podcasts, there’s a chance you’ve heard an advertisement for Onnit before. Alpha Brain is one of the few nootropics that have paid for an unbiased clinical study. The results were positive — users had significantly improved recent verbal memory when compared with controls. When I’m looking for that Adderall “effect” to help my get through a long day at work or study, sometimes I will take Alpha Brain and have a small cup of coffee. Since Alpha Brain doesn’t have any stimulants in it, I find have a cup to a cup and a half of coffee throughout the day enhances its positive cognitive effects.

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Lumonol

Lumonol is one of the main nootropics I reach for in those semi-rare occasions where I need intense focus, mental clarity, and energy. Unlike the nootropics mentioned above, it has the added benefit of Noopept. In the world of mental optimization, Noopept may be one of the most talked about nootropics. Many users have incredible personal stories of reducing brain fog and increasing mental alertness. However, there isn’t a ton of research on how it works and truly how effective it is. I can say that it is very effective for helping me stay “in the zone” while working. After taking Lumonol, I often find myself working for hours on end and having to force myself to get up, eat, and drink water to stay hydrated.

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Mind Lab Pro and Coffee

Mind Lab Pro is a nootropic that I take more frequently because it is more “middle of the road” for me in terms of its nootropic effects. Like Alpha Brain, it has no caffeine or stimulants in it, which means I can have a cup of coffee or two and it will only enhance its effects. Based on my experience, Mind Lab Pro is probably one of the best nootropics for beginners.

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Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee

Mushroom coffee might sound crazy but, let me tell you, it works wonders. This is the first caffeinated drink I’ve ever had that had a lot of effects similar to Adderall (e.g. an increase in mental energy, focus, and concentration). One thing I really like about Four Sigmatic Mushroom coffee is that it has about half the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee. This makes it a good Adderall alternative for people who have a low tolerance for caffeine or those that get jittery from taking too much caffeine.

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Qualia

Qualia is a nootropic supplement stack from the folks over at Neurohacker Collective. To put it bluntly, Qualia is possibly the highest level of nootropic available. I would refer to it as the “Rolls Royce” of nootropics. If you’re new to the world of nootropics, you may not want to start with such a powerful one. That being said, I have found it to be incredibly effective in improving almost every aspect of my mental health. While it has a lot of ingredients, each and every one plays an important role in the cognitive benefit of its user.

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TruBrain

TruBrain is a nootropic that is a little unlike the ones mentioned above. It comes in a pouch and can be drank. It doesn’t particularly taste great but I found its effects to be very similar to Adderall. Like Lumonol, it puts me into a zone state for hours at a time. This is probably because it has Noopept and caffeine in it. One of the main benefits of TruBrain, beyond the fact that it helps increase focus/concentration, is that you can take it with you anywhere. For example, I throw a few pouches of TruBrain in my backpack, briefcase, and gym bag. That way, no matter where I am, if I need an extra brain boost, I can grab TruBrain and get to work.

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Final Thoughts on Nootropics as an Adderall Alternative

I’m a huge fan of nootropics in helping boost cognitive function, memory, focus, and energy. However, nootropics don’t work properly unless you already have a healthy lifestyle. That means you need to ensure that you’re giving your body the following:

• Enough Sleep: Regardless of your age or gender, you need to be getting at least seven hours of sleep each night. Sleep allows your body to flush out all of the waste and buildup in your brain that occurs throughout the day. Proper sleep also helps in forming long-term memories.
• Healthy Diet: You’ve heard it before but eating a healthy diet is key for helping your brain work as efficiently as possibly. While every diet differs, its important to eat food that isn’t processed and is as close to the “real thing” as possible. For example, chicken breasts instead of chicken nuggets.
• Exercise: One of the biggest ways I was able to improve my energy and focus throughout the day was by maintaining a regular exercise regime. Even if it’s only a fifteen minute run, getting your blood pumping and heart beating faster through exercise has a whole host of benefits (e.g. increasing dopamine to make you feel better and have more energy throughout the day).

Natural Alternatives to Adderall

If you’re looking to steer clear of drugs and supplements completely in an effort to find the right natural Adderall alternative, there are still many options. I have incorporated the following four strategies into my daily routine with much success, even when not combined with nootropics.

The Wim Hof Method

If you aren’t already familiar with Wim Hof, he is a man who has baffled scientists by his ability to resist cold and literally control his immune system. Thus, almost never getting sick.  His ability to perform these modern day miracles can be boiled down to a set of three steps:

1. He performs a breathing exercise to expel as much carbon dioxide from the body as possible and replace it with as much oxygen as possible.
2. He performs a light exercise routine, such as push ups, to get his blood pumping and move the new oxygen around his body and into red blood cells.
3. He takes a cold shower to help release adrenaline, dopamine, and reduce inflammation in the body.

Doing all three of these things in succession may seem crazy to someone who is new to the Wim Hof Method. I certainly thought it was crazy the first time I heard of it. But then I tried it. Within ten to fifteen minutes after finishing the last step, I could feel the effects literally change how I felt both mentally and physically.

How does it work? It’s pretty simple, actually. Because we sit for the majority of our days, our body isn’t taking in as much oxygen as is needed to function optimally. When we don’t get enough oxygen, we start to feel fatigued. This can lead to not being able to focus properly, exhaustion, and brain fog.

If one of the reasons you’re looking for an Adderall alternative is because you’re having trouble with mental fatigue, I definitely recommend trying the Wim Hof Method. Read my full review here.

Eat Anti-Inflammation Foods

One of the leading causes of mental fatigue and the dreaded “brain fog” is inflammation. We are fed so much processed food, sugar, and gluten in our day-to-day diets that causes our body and mind to become inflamed. What’s scary is that I estimate upwards of 70% of the food in a grocery store causes inflammation (e.g. most cereals, breads, pastas, candy, and frozen foods).

I have battled with brain fog my entire life. Only recently have I been able to identify one of the main culprits being my diet. Once I stopped eating foods that caused inflammation and added in foods to my diet that were anti-inflammatories, I was finally able to reclaim my brain.

Here are ten great anti-inflammatory foods you can start incorporating into your diet:

1. Green Leafy Vegetables
2. Celery
3. Beets
4. Broccoli
5. Blueberries
6. Salmon
7. Turmeric
8. Flax Seeds
9. Ginger
10. Bone Broth

Meditation

Most people hear the word “meditation” and instantly think of hippies crossing their legs, closing their eyes, and saying “ohm” over and over. Most people think meditating is nonsense but research says otherwise.

I practice Transcendental Meditation to calm and focus my mind during the day in order to get me over the mid-day hump. I believe this type of meditation is one of the easiest to learn and perform on a consistent basis. However, there are plenty of meditation apps out there.

For those looking for an Adderall alternative that will calm and focus their mind while also giving them natural energy, meditation is one of the best options. Just look at how much it helped when applied in a classroom setting…

Hydrate

The last natural Adderall alternative I have for you might be the simplest — keep yourself hydrated. Way too often when we’re overcome with fatigue, irritability, or mental exhaustion, its simply because we’re a bit dehydrated. Regardless of wether you’re at work, school, or out and about, you should always be carrying water around.

I suggest investing in a reusable water bottle that is easy to carry with you or fit in a bag and won’t break if dropped. Here are some favorites of mine:

• Brita 20 Ounce Sport Water Bottle
• Premium Sports Water Bottle
• CamelBak eddy .75L Water Bottle

Final Thoughts

Adderall is a powerful drug. It’s one that has a lot of positives for those who are prescribed it and truly need it. But it also has a lot of negatives for those who take it illegally. Finding an Adderall alternative doesn’t have to be hard. Whether you’re looking for a safer OTC alternative such as a nootropic or a natural strategy such as the Wim Hof Method, you have a lot of options.

If you have tried any of the above alternatives to Adderall or you you have suggestions of your own based on personal experience, please leave a comment below!

The post Adderall Alternatives: Legal OTC & Natural Substitutes appeared first on Brain Wiz.

Check Noocube Price

About Noocube

Noocube is one of the various supplements designed and manufactured by Wolfson Berg Limited. I’m always a little skeptical of nootropic companies that are actually just broad supplement companies. They sometimes tend to throw together random cheap ingredients (including tons of caffeine) and call it a “nootropic” to capitalize on the biohacking boom that’s occurring right now. I see so many of these types of supplements that I don’t even review most of them. However, Noocube is different. This little brain boosting supplement isn’t loaded with stimulants. It actually has a blend of ingredients that are very beneficial to brain health, overall focus, and learning capabilities.

Noocube Ingredients

Ingredients

To properly analyze Noocube, I’m going to break down the ingredients. We’ll be looking at the research-backed benefits of each to see if this nootropic actually does what it claims to.

• Alpha GPC (50mg):Also known as L-Alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine or choline alfoscerate, Alpha GPC is used in almost all of the highly rated nootropics on Brain Wiz. It not only works on its own as potent nootropic but it also works in conjunction with a variety of other nootropics to help potentiate their effects. Some benefits of Alpha GPC include being able to enhance and restore memory, improve mood, boost energy, and increase strength.
• AC-11 (175mg): AC-11 (also called Cat’s Claw) is derived from the inner bark of the Uncaria tomentosa vine. One of its biggest and most incredible benefits is its ability to repair DNA. As we age, DNA has a much harder time repairing itself. If a damaged DNA strand replicates without properly repairing itself, it can lead to negative effects such as memory loss and other cognitive issues (to only name a few).
• Oat Straw (150mg): Oat Straw is derived from the same plant that oatmeal and plain oats are derived from (avena sativa). In addition to its ability to improve attention span and increase cognitive performance, it is also used as a natural anti-stress supplement.
• Huperzine A (20mg): Huperzine A has been used successfully to help those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. It works by improving memory by increasing levels of acetycholine (a chemical that nerves use to communicate with each other in the brain, muscles, and a variety of other areas in the body.
• Bacopa (250mg): Bacopa has been used to help those suffering from a wide range of different cognetive issues, including attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. In addition to its brain boosting abilities, it also has been shown to improve users adaptability to stress (up to 90%).
• L-Theanine (100mg): Commonly found in green tea, research has shown that L-Theanine has the ability to improve mental alertness and improve attention.
• L-Tyrosine (250mg): Studies have shown that when people are given L-Tyrosine during high-stress times, it was able to improve various aspects of their cognitive function (when compared with a placebo).
• Vinpocetine (2.5mg): Vinpocetine is found in the Perriwinkle plant. It has a variety of effects that can help improve the mental state of its users. It acts as a neuroprotectant, acts as an anti-aging agent, and may improve blood flow (helping oxygen and the other nutrients get to the body more efficiently).
• Pterostilbene (14mcg): Not too much research has been conducted on Pterostilbene. However, early research has concluded that pterostilbene is “effective in reversing cognitive behavioral deficits, as well as dopamine release, and working memory was correlated with pterostilbene levels in the hippocampus”.

My Experience Using Noocube

To properly review Noocube, I spent seven consecutive days taking it. Below you will find my notes and experiences of each day.

Day One

As with all supplements I first receive, I chose to take a half dose of Noocube in the morning the first day. This is a precautionary measure to make sure my body doesn’t react negatively.

Since I only took half a dose, I wasn’t expecting much. Other than experiencing slightly less fatigue in the morning, there wasn’t any other effects.

Day Two

Because I was going to be traveling today, I chose to wake up early, have a small breakfast (two eggs and half an avocado) and go to the gym. As I was warming up on the treadmill at around 6am, I noticed my fatigue start to clear almost immediately. Surprisingly, I felt awake even though I had only slept for a maximum of around five and a half hours the night before. My workout went smoothly — not any better or any worse compared to previous sessions.

Later in the day, I did start to feel a euphoric motivation to work. I believe that this was the result of combining an early morning exercise routine with Noocube. I was mentally energized. Not like one would feel after drinking coffee but rather how you feel after waking up after a nap — content, not fatigued, and ready to get things done.

Day Three

Although I didn’t workout today, I did still feel motivated after taking Noocube. Much like Alpha Brain, this nootropic gives me a clearer mind, which helps me stay on task for longer periods of time.

I had a few calls today and noticed I was able to speak without tripping over my words as much. This is a big plus for me as I usually catch myself saying “um” a little too much when speaking.

One thing I noticed is that there is no energizing effect. That is because there are no stimulants in Noocube. I like this because it allows me to drink coffee or tea without having to worry about intaking too much caffeine.

Day Four

Day four was a Saturday so I didn’t have a demanding schedule to stick to as I did the previous three days. However, I found that I was still able to benefit from Noocube’s effects.

First, I went on a mid-morning run. Whereas I usually stop after 5k (3.2 miles) I decided to make it a nice round 4 miles. My breathing stay consistent and I was able to keep up a strong 7:40 mile pace.

Second, I was able to breeze through a writing assignment I had been procrastinating for a few weeks. Usually it takes me a while to sit down and churn out 2,000 or more words. Today it was like the words rolled off my fingers and into the Word document.

Lastly, I found myself to be a bit more social than I normally am at a big dinner that I was at later in the day. I’m not an introvert by any means but I certainly don’t talk and tell as many stories as I did on day four of using Noocube.

Day Five

One thing I’ve started to notice is that my dreams are really vivid and once I’m in bed, I’m usually out like a light within 15 minutes. The added benefit of helping me sleep better is definitely a big plus for Noocube in my book.

Day Six

Today I felt the effects of Noocube start to wane a bit in the morning. I was tired well into the morning, had brain fog, and even had a slight headache. This could be because I hadn’t slept well the night before (allergies kept me up).

Mid-afternoon I decided to take a quick nap to see if I could wake up feeling refreshed. This “quick nap” turned into an hour and a half nap. I did end up feeling refreshed after the nap and the effects of Noocube did kick in a bit more too. However, I wasn’t able to get much done today due to feeling mentally and physically tired for most of the day.

Day Seven

After six consecutive days of taking Noocube, I have to say that its effects on my cognitive state are very similar to Alpha Brain. One of the most similar effects that Noocube has when compared to Alpha Brain is its ability to create a calming and euphoric focus. Its unlike other nootropics which sometimes give me energy but with the negative effects of anxiety or jitters.

Noocube & Alpha Brain

Alpha BRAIN

When first opening up my bottle of Noocube and reading over the ingredients, I remember saying to myself, “This looks familiar”. Then I took out my bottle of Alpha Brain, placed the bottles next to each other, and read over both ingredients. They were almost exactly the same.

Normally I would complain but Noocube did something smart, they priced it lower than Alpha Brain. At first glance, one bottle of Noocube doesn’t look less expensive than Alpha Brain but when you add in taxes and shipping (which is free with Noocube) Alpha Brain becomes more expensive. Also, when you purchase the 3-bottle Noocube bundle, they give you 3 additional bottles. I’ve never seen a deal better than that for a supplement that is comparable to Onnit’s Alpha Brain.

Final Thoughts

Noocube is a great nootropic. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there that will say it is just a copy of Alpha Brain and that they should have come up with a unique blend. To be honest, I did think that but at the same time, Alpha Brain has a great product too. Noocube is taking something that is proven to work and selling at a lower price. There’s pros and cons to that business model but at the end of the day, the consumer is the winner.

Aside from having a positive experience reviewing Noocube, I also like the fact that they offer a 60-day money back guarantee. This isn’t as good as Alpha Brain’s “Keep It” policy but it’s better than nothing.

I think Noocube makes a great starter nootropic. If I was a student who needed a nootropic to help me study and was looking to save money, Noocube would be a great option. It’s also one of those nootropics I leave in my desk drawer for when I have long and tedious projects to complete.

If you’re interested in Noocube, check out the best price here. Or, if you’ve tried Noocube, let me know what you thought in the comments below!

The post Noocube Review: The Ultimate Alpha Brain Alternative? appeared first on Brain Wiz.

While it seems too simple to work—caffeine, l-theanine, and b-vitamins packed into a piece of gum—it’s actually quite innovative and useful. In my review, I found it to be a really great alternative to my daily 3 cups of coffee and it even improved one really important aspect of my life (keep reading to find out what).

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About Neurogum

Neurogum came to life in October of 2015 by founders, Kent Yoshimura and Ryan Chen.

Kent has a background in Cognitive Neuroscience, art, and film. Ryan has a background in Chemistry and Management Economics. As friends and business partners, they wanted to solve the age-old problem of giving people a quick-fix for energy and motivation during the day. While many other businesses were creating either supplements in pill/capsule form or energy drinks, Kent and Ryan decided to try something unique (and a little risky).

They spent a year working with chemists, brain surgeons, and athletes to develop the first iteration of Neurogum. While most nootropics are packed to the brim with ingredients, Neurogum isn’t and that’s for a reason. Narrowing it down to caffeine, l-theanine, and b-vitamins, they found the perfect combination of ingredients that gave results without the negative side-effects.

After raising over $20,000 during a round of crowdfunding on Indiegogo, they had secured the funds and the positive public backing needed to create and ship Neurogum.

Years later, Neurogum still has a strong user-base. From entrepreneurs and athletes to regular 9-to-5 office workers, people from all backgrounds are giving it a thumbs up.

Neurogum Ingredients

Neurogum Ingredients

While Neurogum doesn’t pack as many ingredients as some of the other nootropics out there (I’m looking at you, Qualia) it does have the right ones to help optimize the brain for focus and sustained energy without crashing. Below is an in-depth look at each ingredient, along with links to studies that back-up its effectiveness…

Nootropic Ingredients

• Caffeine: Caffeine is one of the most used drugs in the world and for good reason — it helps people get things done! This popular little drug works by blocking adenosine in your brain (a neurochemical that tells your brain it’s time to get some rest). By blocking it, your brain thinks it’s okay to stay awake. While all of this is occurring, caffeine also helps release dopamine, which makes you feel happy, and adrenaline, which gives you energy. Too much caffeine and your brain becomes depleted of dopamine and adrenaline, leading to feelings of irritability and tiredness (also known as a caffeine crash). Neurogum only has 40mg of caffeine per piece. To give you something to compare it to, a cup of coffee has 100mg of caffeine.
• L-Theanine: Look at all of the most popular nootropics on the market and you’re very likely to see l-theanine. This amino acid has been used for hundreds of years for its potent brain boosting properties. The Chinese were first to realize its benefits, as it is one of the many ingredients in green tea. L-theanine is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, which allows it to reach the brain directly and quickly. It helps increase dopamine and serotonin levels, which can lead to a feeling of euphoria. When combined with caffeine, it can lessen the effects of a caffeine crash.
• Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6): This form of vitamin B6 is often used in foods. If you’ve ever seen cereal with vitamin B6 in it, there’s a strong chance that Pyridoxine was used. The benefits of vitamin B6 are abundant. It helps in the production of neurotransmitters (chemicals that allow brain cells and nerves to talk to each other). A B6 deficiency can lead to depression, insomnia, mental fatigue, and more.
• Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12): Cyanocobalamin is the synthetic form of vitamin B12. Studies have found that it can help boost the mood of those with depression (when combined with folic acid). It also helps maintain energy levels by giving a nice boost to the users metabolism.

Other Ingredients

1. Sorbitol: Since Neurogum doesn’t have added sugar, it needs something to keep it from tasting horrible. Sorbitol is that thing. It’s a sugar substitute that is often found in sugar free gum, diet foods, and mints.
2. Gum Base: This ingredient is pretty self-explanatory. If you want to make gum, you have to use a gum base.
3. Natural Flavors: If you’ve ever had candy, juice, or about 75% of the food/drinks in a regular supermarket, you may have seen “natural flavors” on the ingredients list. This is a pretty broad term that encapsulates any type of plant or animal byproduct that has been processed so much it can no longer be added to the ingredient label. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. In this case, it is likely used to give the gum a nicer flavor.
4. Calcium Stearate: The addition of this salt is mostly to help stabilize the overall composition of ingredients. It may also have been added to give the gum a better consistency when chewing.
5. Steviol Glycosides: Also referred to as “stevia”, this ingredient was added to give Neurogum a sweeter taste without using sugar.
6. Acesulfame K: Often called “Acesulfame potassium”, this ingredient also acts as a sweetener.

Why Caffeine and L-Theanine Might Be The Best Brain Booster

Neurogum Packaging

People new to the world of nootropics are usually turned off by the vast amount of supplements that are out there. Not only that, but people almost always have their own opinions on what works best and why.

I know when I first started to get interested in nootropics, I could barely keep up with all the different “stacks” available. It was overwhelming and one of the reasons why I started this site. I wanted to review all of the major nootropics out there to give people a regular guys view of what the nootropic does and find out which are the best.

The first nootropic stack I ever stumbled upon was caffeine and l-theanine (2 of the 3 main ingredients in Neurogum). It was simple and gave me the mental boost I was looking for. Of course, I’ve experimented with a ton of other nootropics since then but I almost always go back to caffeine and l-theanine on a regular basis (usually in the form of green tea).

It’s not only my personal opinion that caffeine and l-theanine work for giving its users better cognitive performance, research backs me up. A study in 2008 looked at the effects of 50mg caffeine, with and without 100mg l-theanine on healthy volunteers. The results were not surprising:

“Caffeine improved subjective alertness at 60 min and accuracy on the attention-switching task at 90 min. The L-theanine and caffeine combination improved both speed and accuracy of performance of the attention-switching task at 60 min, and reduced susceptibility to distracting information in the memory task at both 60 min and 90 min.”

Beyond my own personal opinion and the scientific research, one of the biggest nootropic forums on the web (/r/nootropics) recommends caffeine and l-theanine on their FAQ page.

Already being a big fan of caffeine and l-theanine, I was really excited to give Neurogum a try…

My Neurogum Experience

Inside The Packaging

To properly test the effects of Neurogum in my regular life, I spent seven days using it. I am an avid coffee drinker but to make sure that I didn’t interfere with the results of my review by having too much caffeine (mixing coffee with Neurogum) I decided to sustain from any food or drink that had caffeine in it.

The first day I tried Neurogum was a Saturday. I had been up late the night before celebrating a friends birthday so I woke up a bit groggy. Even though I didn’t feel like it, I knew I had to get some work done. After a small breakfast of 2 scrambled eggs and a vegetable/fruit juice, I popped Neurogum in my mouth and started chewing.

Let me start by saying, this gum does not taste like Juicy Fruit or any other gum that is packed with sugar. If you’re familiar with how caffeine tastes in supplement form, it has that same slight bitterness. I’m not saying it tastes bad though, the mint and sweeteners definitely give it some nice flavor. To be honest, I like that it doesn’t taste “great”. If it did, I might be tempted to have more than a few pieces throughout the day, which could lead to a lot of caffeine coursing through my veins.

About 10 minutes after my initial chew, the minty flavor started to die down a bit and the nootropic cocktail of caffeine, l-theanine, and b vitamins started to kick in. It felt similar to drinking green tea. I was out of my initial morning “brain fog” and off to work at a relatively nice pace.

I wouldn’t say that I necessarily got more done while chewing Neurogum but it definitely gave me a mental boost. I wasn’t drilled into my work like I would be on Lumonol or Optimind but that isn’t a bad thing. Since it was the weekend, I wanted to be free to bounce around from project to project, grab lunch with friends, and enjoy myself.

Around day four of using Neurogum I discovered one of its biggest benefits—it’s a great pre-workout supplement. In the early years of working out I had been taking normal pre-workout supplements that were loaded with nasty ingredients and fillers. I’d drink a cup, head off to the gym, and hope that it wouldn’t make me feel nauseous or jittery from all the caffeine. As I grew up, I slowly started to wean myself off of pre-workout supplements but my workouts definitely suffered because of it. I just wasn’t able to push myself as hard.

When I popped in a piece of Neurogum and headed to the gym for the first time, I didn’t think much until I started to warm up. I felt the nootropics kicking in and noticed my energy levels pick up. It was about mid-workout when I really started to notice how my mood changed. It must have been the release of the dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline from the workout and Neurogum combining. The extra energy that Neurogum gave me helped push me through a serious workout that day. It was probably one of the best gym sessions I’ve had in a year. What’s more is that chewing the gum actually helped me focus on my breathing as I was lifting weights.

Note: I don’t recommend chewing gum and working out or running. It’s a very big choking hazard. If you choose to use Neurogum as a pre-workout like I did, try it before hitting the weights or doing anything strenuous. Maybe start chewing on your car ride or walk to the gym and spit it out before starting your lift.

On my last day of using Neurogum (day seven) I was only up to using two pieces per day. I’d start chewing one after breakfast and one mid-day. Whereas I usually drink around three cups of coffee per day (300mg of caffeine) I was only taking in 80mg of caffeine using Neurogum. This made me think that Neurogum would be a great way for someone to wean themselves off of a caffeine addiction, kind of like Nicotine gum for smokers. Instead of going cold turkey, which can lead to some negative side-effects like brutal headaches, Neurogum could be used and slowly decreased over time. It definitely helped me kick my caffeine addition. By the end of the review period, I wasn’t craving coffee or tea as I normally do.

Final Thoughts

Neurogum is a really interesting nootropic. For those that are new to the world of nootropics, I would say that Neurogum is a great way to get started. It’s much more “user friendly” than downing a bunch of supplements and the main two ingredients are almost the same as what’s in green tea (caffeine and l-theanine).

While I didn’t experience incredible focus, motivation, or productivity while using it, there was definitely an uptick in my energy levels, mood, and ability to get things done. The best part was I didn’t experience any weird or negative side effects—no crashing, no jitters, and no nauseousness.

Overall, I give Neurogum a big thumbs up and recommend it to people new to nootropics or those who want to try something simple and easy to use.

The post Neurogum Review: Does This Chewable Nootropic Actually Work? appeared first on Brain Wiz.

Like you, I was researching the best nootropics when I stumbled upon Qualia for the first time. It peaked my interest but the price tag initially scared me away so I moved on. My gut reaction was, “This is way too expensive for me?”

A few months passed and I got a call from Matthew Stein over at Neurohacker Collective. At first I thought he was going to try to sell me on why I should try Qualia and why he thought was the best nootropic on the market, but he didn’t. Instead, we ended up having a long, thought-provoking conversation about nootropics in general, biohacking, and even our favorite podcasts (we both agreed on the Tim Ferriss Show). He also told me about all of the cool things that Neurohacker Collective was doing as a company to push the world of nootropics forward. It was much more of an actual insightful conversation rather than a sales call — something that you don’t often see when talking with people who work for supplement companies.

While still a little skeptical (as I am with any new supplement) I was very intrigued by amount of time, energy, and research that went into creating Qualia so I decided to give it a try.

This ended up becoming one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in regards to nootropics. Here’s why…

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What Qualia Does Differently

The gripe that many nootropic enthusiasts have with pre-packaged nootropic blends is that they usually…

• Don’t contain high enough levels of the ingredients that are actually meaningful
• Hide what they really contain under “proprietary blends”
• Include tons of caffeine in an effort to trick the user into thinking it’s working (until they crash later in the day)

Qualia bottles and packaging.

Many nootropic blends on the market are also shady. The companies behind them do everything they can to maximize profits, rather than invest back into their products. I know it’s important to build a profitable company but it’s also important to be ethical about it at the same time.

That’s why Qualia stuck out to me. On my call with Matthew over at Neurohacker Collective, I heard the passion in his voice when he talked about nootropics. This wasn’t a salesperson I was talking to, this was a guy who really cared about working on putting out the best nootropic on the market.

So, how is Qualia different than every other nootropic out there? Well, I wouldn’t say it’s just different. It’s not even in the same league as most nootropics.

Qualia is lightyears ahead of most cognitive enhancing supplements out there, mainly because of these three things…

1. It’s the most in-depth nootropic blend around. They have included every ingredient one could possibly include in a nootropic blend to make it as effective as possible in all facets of optimizing the brain (both long and short-term). This includes increasing focus, building/sustaining memory, lowering stress/anxiety, and increasing the immune system (which helps lower inflammation and brain fog). All of these ingredients aren’t just randomly thrown together but rather carefully calculated in an effort to complement each other and provide the best experience for the user, which is why Qualia comes in two steps.
2. They invested a lot of time and energy into creating their product. A lot of nootropics on the market are just carbon copies of other successful nootropics, with minor differences. These copycat companies then slap a new label on their bottle and start marketing it like crazy. It seems that Neurohacker Collective did the exact opposite when creating Qualia. Not only have I never seen another nootropic with the same ingredients, I can tell that they invested in the actual product rather than the marketing “hype”.
3. Qualia is built around actual science, not pseudo-science. One thing that really annoys me about the world of nootropics is how many companies bend the truth in order to sell their products. Some like to insinuate that certain ingredients are going to make you a genius or some kind of super human. Qualia doesn’t do that. Yes, this nootropic is packed to the brim with ingredients but all of the ingredients are actually backed by research (which I go into below).

The Masterminds Behind Qualia

I don’t often include my research on the people behind a nootropic. It’s not because I don’t want to but it’s usually because the founders aren’t experts in the field of biohacking or even experienced in nootropics.

In the case of Qualia and Neurohacker Collective, the people behind the company are what make this product so special. Here’s a brief look at each of the founders…

• Jordan Greenhall: He previously co-founded DivX, one of the most popular video players in the world. After being introduced to one of the early versions of Qualia, he saw its potential and joined the team.
• Daniel Schmachtenberger: As the founder of The Emergence Project, Daniel has worked to upgrade the human race on a micro and macro scale. Over his time in this role, he saw the massive amount of suffering that people are going through all around the world. Because of this, he and his brother James decided to start the Neurohacker Collective in an effort to bring an end to it.
• James Schmachtenberger: James is one of the leaders in promoting medical cannabis use. His documentaries and advocacy has pushed legislation and helped patients relieve their suffering in a way that wasn’t dependent on man-made chemicals (e.g. pain killers).

The founders then put together an advisory board of neuroscientists, ivy league professors, philosophers, entrepreneurs, and even athletes to create what we know as the Neurohacker Collective.

Qualia Ingredients

Qualia has the most ingredients I’ve ever seen in a supplement. I’m honestly surprised they could fit it all on the label.

To make this the most comprehensive review I’m going to be going ingredient-by-ingredient to help you understand why each one was included in Qualia and the research behind it. This section is going to be a bit long so if you want to just read what my personal experience was using Qualia, feel free to skip to the next section.

Step One

• Vitamin B6 (1,000 mcg): Research has shown the entire family of B vitamins help in overall brain function. Vitamin B6, in particular, helps the body make a variety of of different neurotransmitters (chemicals that transmit signals from one nerve cell to the other).
• Artichoke Leaf Extract (5% Cynarin, 500 mg): By itself, Artichoke Leaf Extract may not have any nootropic-like effect. However, when mixed with Forskolin it has an effect that some say is similar to Modafinil. If you’ve ever taken CILTEP, you may already be familiar with the cognetive benefits of Artichoke Extract and Forskolin.
• Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract (3% Rosavins & 1% Salidrosides, 300 mg): Rhodiola rosea has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for hundreds of years. It has a wide variety of physical and mental benefits, including the ability to reduce fatigue, improve cognitive functions, and protect against toxins in the brain. There is even some evidence that it may promote longevity.
• DL-Phenylalanine (300 mg): Also referred to as DLPA, DL-Phenylalanine is an amino acid that has a wide range of benefits. Some people take it for its ability to increase their mood, focus, and energy, while others take it to help ease chronic pain.
• Centrophenoxine (250 mg): Research has shown that Centrophenoxine is effective in reversing waste buildup in the brain and acting as a neuro-protector.
• N-Acetyl Tyrosine (250 mg): Being one of the most popular nootropic ingredients around, this amino acid is used to help the body in a variety of different ways. It has been shown to help build muscles, increase cell growth/recovery, and improve cognitive processes.
• Purenergy (Caffeine and pTeroPure pterostilbene co-crystal, 209 mg): Purenergy was created by Chromadex, Inc. Its formulation allows for a few very unique things to occur. First, it allows 30% more caffeine into the bloodstream than ordinary caffeine. Second, 6 hours after taking it there is 51% more caffeine from Purenergy when compared to taking ordinary caffeine. Lastly, the half-life of caffeine in Purenergy is extended by about 25%. All of this allows for a stronger, more sustained energy from Purenergy caffeine (when compared to regular caffeine).
• L-Theanine (200 mg): L-Theanine is another widely used nootropic. It is most commonly found in green tea. When combined with caffeine, it can vastly improve the cognitive state of its users by providing focus and energy without the crash that caffeine usually gives.
• Noopept (30 mg): Noopept is one of my favorite nootropics. While research on it is still in the early stages, it has been shown to increase alpha/beta 1 activity in all brain areas. Its cognitive benefits include helping its users form memories/learn easier as well as prevent oxidative damage and apoptosis. Because of this, people dealing with cognitive impairment could possibly benefit from a regular dosage of Noopept.
• Coleus Forskohlii (20% Forskolin, 10 mg): Coleus forskohlii has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine. As mentioned above, when combined with Artichoke Leaf Extract, this duo can have some powerful cognitive enhancing effects.
• BioPQQ (10 mg): PQQ is one of the most recently discovered vitamins. It has been shown to slow the aging process, increase overall energy levels, improve cognitive function, and alleviate stress and sleeplessness. In 2013, BioPQQ won the Engredea Editors’ Choice Award for Ingredient with the Best Science.

Step Two

• Vitamin B5 (as Calcium Pantothenate, 850 mg): Calcium Pantothenate is the synthetic form of vitamin B5. It helps synthesize acetycholine, which can increase focus, memory, and learning while reducing brain fog.
• Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxal 5 Phosphate, 20 mg): Vitamin B6 has been shown (with mixed results) to help support brain function. What is known is that it plays an important role in making the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine — responsible for making people feel happy.
• Vitamin D3 (as Cholecalciferol, 2000 IU): Vitamin D is often referred to as the “sun vitamin”. It has a variety of antioxidant and neuroprotective benefits associated with its use.
• Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid, 250 mg): Vitamin C is a highly potent antioxidant, which is the reason it is given to those that are sick or have a cold. In addition to having the ability to decrease fatigue and improve mood, it also increases blood flow by reducing NO oxidation.
• Benfotiamine (100 mg): Benfotiamine is converted into vitamin B1 after ingestion. It has been shown to increase mood, energy, and alertness in its users.
• Niacinamide (50 mg): Another B Vitamin (B3), Niacinamide has anti-inflammatory properties and anxiolytic effects.
• Zinc (as Zinc Picolonate, 15 mg): Zinc is a type of metal. Many people around the world are deficient in it. People that have a zinc deficiency often have limited concentration, chronic fatigue, and nerve dysfunction. As you could probably tell, it is incredibly important to incorporate zinc into your everyday diet.
• Magnesium (as Magnesium Threonate, 75 mg): Magnesium is another ingredient that is found in a variety of popular nootropics. It helps improve both short and long term memory, treat depression by increasing users moods, and helps improve glucose metabolism and energy production.
• Bacopa Leaf Extract Monnieri (45% Bacosides, 300 mg): One of my personal favorite nootropic ingredients, Bacopa helps in memory formation and recall.
• Citicoline (CDP Choline, 75 mg): Another popular nootropic ingredient, Citicoline (CDP Choline) is used to enhance the effects of other nootropics. It has a whole host of cognitive benefits: the ability to enhance memory, decrease mental fatigue, and increase focus are just a few.
• Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract (24% Glycosides, 50 mg): Ginkgo has been used for hundreds of years in traditional Chinese medicine. It has been studied for being an effective anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. In addition, it also helps increase concentration, fight anxiety, and improve memory.
• Hordenine HCL (20 mg): Hordenine HCL acts as an MAO (monoamine oxidase) inhibitor. MAO’s can destroy monomamines (amino acids and hormones) which play an important role in the function of our brain.
• Huperzine A 1% (5 mg): Another popular nootropic supplement, Huperzine A is both neuroprotective and helps support memory consolidation as well as neuroplasticity.
• Mucuna Pruiens Seed Extract (98% L-Dopa, 100 mg): Mucuna Pruiens is both neuroprotective and adaptogenic. One of its main benefits is that it helps regulate dopamine adrenaline, serotonin, and noradrenaline in the brain. This helps reduce anxiety and stress.
• Phenylethylamine HCL (500 mg):Phenylethylamine (PEA) is often referred to as the “love drug” because it stimulate dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine in the brain. This can make users feel happy, aroused, and focused.
• Bioperine (10 mg): Sourced from black pepper, Bioperine has a wide variety of benefits. It helps with the absorption of some nutrients, synergizes with curcumin (enhancing its anti-inflammatory effects), has some anti-depressant effects, and increases productivity.
• Theobromine (150 mg): Extracted from cacao, Theobromine’s effects are related to caffeine in that it increases alertness and the overall attention of its users. It has a longer duration than caffeine does.
• Vinpocetine (30 mg): One of Vinpocetine’s biggest benefits is that it is a vasodilator and increases blood flow to the brain. This allows oxygen, nutrients, etc. to get to the brain in a much more efficient manner.
• Alpha GPC (100 mg): Alpha GPC is another very popular nootropic due to its ability to deliver choline to the brain very quickly.
• Phosphatidylserine (200 mg): Phosphatidylserine (PS) is an amino acid that contributes to cognitive function. Studies have found that it may improve memory in the elderly.
• Curcumin Root Extract 95% (500 mg): Curcumin is one of the most interesting nootropics around. This is because it has been findings suggest that it is not only neuroprotective, has anti-inflammatory properties, and has anti-depressant properties, it could also boost the regeneration of brain stem cells. This has the ability to help those who have Alzheimer’s or have had a stroke.
• Green Tea Leaf Extract (98% Polyphenol & 45 EGCG, 500 mg): Long used in Chinese medicine, Green Tea has a whole host of cognitive benefits that have been well-studied. It can help improve everything from cardiovascular disease to inflammation.
• Lithium (as Lithium Orotate, 3 mg): Lithium has the ability to remove harmful metals from the brain, anti-depressant properties, and it may even increase gray matter in the brain.
• Quercetin (200 mg): Quercetin has been shown to reduce inflammation, chronic fatigue, and cognitive impairment.
• Algal DHA (200 mg): Algal DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid. Omega-3’s have neuroprotective
• Taurine (500 mg): Often found in energy drinks, Taurine has high neuroprotective abilities, and has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-depressant properties.
• Uridine Monophosphate (500 mg): In a study of gerbils who were given uridine monophosphate, choline, and DHA, the gerbils were able to complete their maze at a much more efficient rate (implying increased cognitive performance).
• Lion’s Mane Extract (30% Polysaccharide, 500 mg): A study in Japan found that when people (ages 50 to 80) that had a mild cognitive decline were given Lion’s Mane extract for an extended period of time, a significant increase in their mental performance was recorded without adverse effects.
• Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Herb extract (150 mg): Gynostemma is a strong anti-oxidant and adaptogen. This allows it to improve users resistance to stress.

As you can probably tell, the inclusion of these different ingredients are not random. They work together in a way that not only optimizes mental performance but the body on a whole. This means an improved mood, immune system, physical performance, and more. Only when the whole body is taken care of will the mind be able to function at its peak.

Making vs Buying Qualia

When I first looking at the price tag of Qualia and then the ingredients list, the first though that went through my head was, “I could just make this supplement myself.” So I spent a long time researching how much it would cost to buy a months worth of all of the ingredients, capsules, and a machine to package the capsules. It turns out that not only would it cost me more money to make Qualia myself but it would take hours (possibly even a full day) to purchase the ingredients, properly measure them out, capsule, and package them. Oh, and I risk accidentally miscalculating the dosing, which would not be fun.

My Personal Qualia Experience

Below I go in-depth on my personal experience with Qualia. While I tried my best to record how it made me feel, please remember that this is my personal experience and it may not apply to everyone that take Qualia.

Day One

My order of Qualia showed up on my doorstep the evening before the day I first took it. Having researched this nootropic and its ingredients for days, I was ready to get started. In fact, I ended up waking up around 6am on the first day because I so excited to try it out.

Upon reading the directions, I learned that the capsules in the first step needed to be taken without food. This posed a problem for me. I have a sensitive stomach so when it comes to taking any supplement without food, it can usually lead to me feeling nauseous for hours. I decided to compromise and have a vegetable and fruit juice so that there was at least something small in my stomach before taking step one of Qualia.

As with all new nootropics I take on the first day, I took less than the recommended dose of step one of Qualia to see how I reacted (2 capsules instead of 3).

Having taken noopept, CILTEP, and almost all of the other ingredients included in step one of Qualia, I was fairly familiar with the effects I felt within the first hour. There was a clearing of brain fog and a slight increase in motivation at first. As the morning progressed, I felt the Purenergy start to kick in and interact with the other ingredients. This led to a much more energized focused.

In the afternoon, around 1pm, I took half a dose of step two (3 capsules). The step two capsules are about 20% bigger than the step one capsules. They weren’t hard to swallow for me since I took them individually but I could see how some people could have a problem gulping them down.

Since I wasn’t too familiar with taking the majority of the ingredients in step two of Qualia, I wasn’t sure what I would be feeling. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel too much the first day. There was a slight overall calming effect and a slight increase in productivity.

I chalked the moderate success of the first day up to the fact that I ate some food in the morning before taking step one and only took half doses of both steps.

Day Two

This is the day where things started to get interesting.

While I didn’t take step one on an entirely empty stomach this day, I did decide to take the recommended dose of both step one and two. I also took step two mid-morning, rather than in the afternoon as I did the previous day.

About twenty minutes after taking step two I had to jump on a conference call to present a project I proposing for a client. In situations like this, where I have to give impromptu presentations, my adrenaline usually kicks in and leads to me feeling slightly nervous. What I found interesting is that while I was waiting for the conference call to start, I didn’t feel any adrenaline or “fight or flight” symptoms (e.g. shortness of breath). In fact, I felt calm and was able to organize my thoughts prior to even presenting.

My presentation went much better than I could have hoped. In fact, I was remembering to say things without even having to look down once at my notes. The words seemed to effortlessly jump from my thoughts into well-formed sentences. Needless to say, I was very happy with how Qualia helped me perform on the second day.

Day Four

As the days progressed, I started to feel the effects of Qualia more and more. While the first day didn’t do much for me, day four really showed me what Qualia could do.

It was a Sunday so I was debating whether I should take it or not because I wasn’t going to be working a full day. However, I decided to take it and spend the first half of my day working and the second part of my day at the gym.

One of the big benefits of Qualia is the fact that I don’t get distracted as easily. Because of this I was able to breeze through my to do list without a hitch. This makes even the most monotonous tasks easy to finish.

After getting some work done, I went to the gym. During my warm up on the treadmill I noticed I wasn’t getting as tired as I usually do and my breathing was staying consistent. This led to me actually wanting to run more than I usually do. Since I’m not a huge fan of running, this was a big surprise for me. I’m pretty sure that Qualia actually helped improve my cardiovascular performance.

The rest of my workout was spectacular. While Qualia didn’t magically allow me to lift heavier weights, I was able to workout more without feeling as fatigued. My usual grueling 45 minute workout turned into an enjoyable hour and a half workout.

Day Eight

Since I only take Qualia for five consecutive days at a time (and take two days off) this was my first day back from cycling off the previous two days.

I was starting to get used to the increase in focus, the mental edge, and the overall feeling of optimization. This led me to a big mistake — I mixed Qualia with three cups of coffee.

My caffeine tolerance is high so I can normally drink a lot of coffee without feeling much of a stimulant effect. For some reason I forgot to not drink coffee during this review and I ended up feeling pretty anxious and irritable the rest of the day. Luckily I realized my mistake and drank a lot of water in the afternoon to try and flush out my system but it was still a lost day.

My recommendation: Don’t mix Qualia with caffeine. 

Final Thoughts

Qualia is a pretty incredible nootropic. In fact, it’s hard for me to even call it a nootropic because the benefits I felt from it were more than just mental. Qualia helped to optimize a lot of different facets of my body. Beyond the mental edge of being able to focus and retain information at a higher level, I was sleeping better, less fatigued when waking up, and I could even perform better physically. The day-to-day feeling that Qualia gave me was unlike other supplements. I didn’t feel like I needed to get things done (as some nootropics make me feel) and I didn’t feel jittery.

An interesting video on how Qualia works, its benefits, and more.

To be honest, I was really surprised after reviewing Qualia. Many nootropics that I have tried in the past have slightly different variations of effects on me. Some give me more energy, some make me calmer, but they all basically do pretty much the same thing. Qualia was the first one that seemed to do it all and do it well.

I give Qualia a big thumbs up. Yes, the price is high but the benefits, in my mind, are worth it. It is truly unlike any other nootropic on the market. To me, it is the Rolls Royce of cognitive enhancing supplements.

The post Qualia Review: The Rolls Royce of Nootropics? appeared first on Brain Wiz.

In my initial review, I tested OptiMind for a full month (30 days). I do this to get an in-depth and personal account of what each nootropic is like in my daily routine. While I believe 30 days is enough to initially test the effects of a nootropic, I often like to expand my review by testing it even further.

Because I’m a fan of OptiMind and I tend to reach for it in certain cases when I need an extra “brain boost”, I decided to take OptiMind for 90 full days and record the results.

Here’s what I found…

OptiMind 90 Days Later — Pros

The recommended dosage is 2 capsules

A big weakness of mine is being able to wake my brain up in the morning. It’s why I’ve relied so heavily on caffeine in the past (which has been both a blessing and a curse). Many nootropics that I’ve tried over the years didn’t have the ability to give me the morning boost I needed to really get myself going in the morning. Why? They lacked caffeine.

I have a love/hate relationship with caffeine. It is arguably one of the most popular drugs on the planet but it has a lot of drawbacks, such as crashing mid-day and building up a tolerance. I try my best to keep my caffeine consumption at a minimum and counter the negative effects with nootropics such as L-Theanine, which helps to ease the “crash” that caffeine has on many people.

Fun fact: the L-Theanine in tea is the reason why tea drinkers don’t usually crash as bad as coffee drinkers.

The reason I’m going on a caffeine rant is because OptiMind is one of the few nootropics I really enjoy using that has caffeine in it. That caffeine is mixed with a variety of other ingredients to make it a powerful way for me to wake up in the morning.

Since I had OptiMind to kick me into gear in the morning, I was less likely to mope around in the morning, slowly waking myself up and much more likely to begin working. By month two I had already seen a noticeable uptick in the amount of work I was outputting in the morning and my efficiency.

As I mentioned in my initial review, I found myself in an energy/focus flow state through most of the day. This was incredibly helpful in zipping through work. There were a lot of days I found myself at the end of my to do list mid-afternoon.

One added (and surprising) benefit that OptiMind had was on my fitness ability. Since I was able to wake up a lot easier while taking OptiMind, I began to wake up earlier. This eventually led me to move my schedule around so that I could workout or run in the morning, rather than in the evening. My initial concern was that I was going to be exhausted after my workout and not be able to work as effectively during the day, even after taking OptiMind. However, that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, working out in the morning after taking OptiMind was one of the best things I could have done. The combination of OptiMind plus endorphins and adrenaline from my workouts put me in a heightened mental state for nearly the whole day. My brain felt like it was firing on all cylinders.

OptiMind 90 Days Later — Cons

While I’d love to say that OptiMind is the next “Limitless Pill” and everything was fine and dandy for me while taking it, that wasn’t the case. There were some minor negatives I experienced but nothing that really surprised me.

First, I made the mistake of taking OptiMind on an empty stomach one day upon waking up. I usually always take any supplement with food but it slipped my mind this time. As someone who has a sensitive stomach, this was an issue for me. I’m not sure if it was the caffeine or one of the other ingredients but I had a bad stomach ache for about an hour. I remember getting the same stomach ache when taking multivitamins on an empty stomach.

Second, near day 75 I started to notice myself getting more irritable during the evening. This was most likely the effect of me crashing from the constant caffeine in my system. The crash wasn’t as bad for me as it would have been from drinking a lot of coffee or an energy drink but I still felt it.

Lastly, I did start to see the effects wear off after the first month. I don’t think it’s possible to take any supplement for a full 90 days without building up some sort of tolerance to it. Because I began building up a tolerance there were days near the end of the 90 days where I felt like I needed to take more than the recommended dose.

Final Thoughts: Is OptiMind Still One Of My Favorites?

Assessing the pros and cons over this longer review, I would still say that OptiMind is one of my favorite nootropic blends. In terms of ingredients, it has some of my favorites — Bacopa Monnieri, Vinpocetine, Huperzine A, and of course caffeine.

Moving forward, if I were to take OptiMind for extended periods of time again, I would do a few things differently…

• Drink a lot of water: I would often get so “in the zone” that I would forget to stay hydrated. This ended up making me crash a lot quicker and harder near the end of the day. When I would drink water regularly, I didn’t crash as hard.
• Remember to eat healthy: I found that OptiMind curbs my appetite. While this might be great for someone who is looking to lose weight, I found that not eating led to late-day periods of brain fog and lethargy. Of course, when I ate (and ate healthy) I was able to regain my focus.
• Get in a good workout: There are no miracle pills or supplements. Your body needs a good combination of exercise, healthy foods, and sleep to function properly. If you’re getting all of those things, a nootropic will be able to really help.
• Don’t skip on sleep: A big problem I had when using OptiMind for an extended period of time was that I started to rely on it in the morning. This meant I would work late, get up early, and rely on OptiMind to get my through the day. This might be okay once or twice but not regularly. I ended up messing up my sleep schedule big time during the second month. Of course, this was my own fault and not really OptiMind’s. Again, your body needs a good combination of exercise, healthy foods, and sleep to function properly.

Overall I am happy I was able to perform this extended review. It shed a light on the pros and cons of this OptiMind as well as gave me a better insight into my own work habits (and what I could improve upon).

If you have a question about OptiMind, feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll respond as quickly as possible!

The post OptiMind 90 Day Review — Pros, Cons, and My Final Thoughts appeared first on Brain Wiz.

Remaining focused throughout the day can be extremely difficult when living in a world with so many distractions. Here are 5 simple hacks so you can pay more attention to the important things that you face on a daily basis.

1) Keep Your Phone Turned Off While Conducting Important Tasks

In today’s day and age phone’s are the number one, most distracting things in each of our lives. Nearly everything from sending emails, to checking Facebook, to controlling the heating in your house can be done via mobile device.

It’s no wonder that these little things have become a major distraction.

I know it may sound uncanny to not have your phone on for an hour or two during the day; However, if you’re looking to get tasks done this is an extremely beneficial technique.

Every time we look at our phones, we not only waste the time that we spend looking at either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even replying to that text from an old friend; We also lose so much time in the process of returning to the task at hand. It may take several minutes to get back into the flow of whatever it was you were doing. Times this by 10 or even 20 and hours can be wasted!

2) Take A Break And Exercise For One Hour During The Day

Exercise along with a good night’s sleep is one of the number one hacks for remaining focused throughout the day. Doing just an hours exercise during the day can be extremely rewarding.

If exercise is done in the middle of the day it is a fantastic way to break up the day and the many daily tasks you plan to complete. Having a bit of ’time out’ encourages reflection and better thinking patterns; it allows you to take a step back and formulate strategic plans rather than being in the midst of mountains of work.

It has been found that doing an hours exercise a day has an extremely positive effect on brain function. Not only is exercise great for your heart but regularly exercising has been found to improve memory, learning and thinking skills.

Time to get those running shoes out!

3) Break Large Tasks Down Into Smaller Singular Tasks

Most of us struggle to stay focused due to the daunting nature of the tasks we face on a day to day basis. One extremely simple technique is to simply break these tasks down into miniature tasks themselves.

For example when having a big project at work, simply make a list of each individual task that makes up the project. By making these into similar smaller size tasks and ticking them off your list as they are done it’s much easier to gain momentum and immediately becomes far less daunting.

The main reason our brain gets distracted during big tasks is simply because…  they’re too big!

Let’s make them smaller… easy! 

4) Use Clever Software To Avoid Distractions.

Nowadays we are subject to an unbelievable amount of information online. This is a huge advantage but can also be a rather large hinderance. For those of you that work on a laptop, websites can be an extreme distraction. We’ve all got to admit a sneaky look at Facebook at work when the boss isn’t looking.

Well now there are a few invaluable free apps online that can really minimize these distractions when willpower just simply isn’t enough.

The first is a chrome extension called StayFocusd. This fantastic little tool allows you to select websites to block and time periods in which you wish them to be blocked. Give it a go – It can hugely improve productivity.

Another, even more effective tool is ColdTurkey. This literally allows you to block anything and everything. If you have a piece of writing that needs to be done it can even lock you into the document. 

5) Use A Form Of Nootropic To Aid Your Focus.

Finally the use of Nootropics can be a fantastic way to aid your Focus. Nutrients are essential for proper functioning of the brain, without them we would be unable to stay focused on anything.

Choline Supplements such as Alpha GPC and CDP Choline are known to specifically help with both memory and focus by conferring dietary choline to the body upon consumption. Choline is found in many foods such as eggs and red meat and it is a vital part of our diet in order to improve cognitive function.

If you’re interested in exploring Choline Supplements further; Improving your memory, focus, concentration and learning skills then take a look here for more information about The Science Behind Choline.

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