I had first attack of epilepsy few days back. I am under medication. I am preparing for some competition and I need to study 13-16 hours daily. Prior to seizure I was able to concentrate properly. Now I feel difficult to concentrate. Please comment.

Dr. Saul PereiraPsychologist46yrs exp

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The effect of epilepsy and the medication you are on may have some effect. So you will need to accommodate that and do not raise your expectations of yourself and get disappointed because of the difficulty of concentration. Apart from this, there will be the effect of hormones due to your age. However, you may try some of the suggestions given below and see how it will all work out. I suspect that the adolescent issues with regard to hormones may be affecting your ability to concentrate and remember also. When the hormones play up, it lasts for a period of close to two years and during that time you could be influenced by three signs directly impacted by the chemical: you will tend to become aggressive and rebellious, you will become sexually active, and you will have acne and pimple problems. The hormonal imbalances may not only impact your memory because of the chemical but also bring some distractions that come with it. But you may work on the following even if the hormones kick in: Daily exercise of at least half an hour is a must. Even if you go to a gym, ask for aerobic and/or callisthenic exercises with whatever else you are doing. A healthy body harbors a healthy mind. With regard to memory, it is very important that your brain and body is ideally rested to be able to recall whatever is required, rather comfortably. Puzzles pose problems to the brain that help it to use new pathways and neurons, which give the brain considerable exercise. It taxes the left brain to use logic to solve the myriad possibilities which other activities do not stimulate. Crosswords are excellent for vocabulary learning and use. Jigsaws and Rubik cube stimulate different permutations to finally settle on the most likely one. Picture completion and anagrams help approach problem-solving from several angles. Do Sudoku, and memory co-relation activities and skills. Have a good night’s sleep, have a good breakfast of more proteins, meditate often, remain free of stress, eat a lot of fiber (whole grains, fruits and vegetables), nuts, avocado, eat dark chocolate, consume less of fat and use olive oil instead, do Yoga meditation exercises, etc. You need to check out if you are stronger visual or auditory. The visual is a better mode than the auditory. However, if you combine the two modes, you will get the best concentration. Have a special place of learning, which should be well lit, with soft painted walls, well-ventilated, with no distractions. When you get bored, study by writing. If you repeat learning, at least, five to seven times, you will apparently remember for a longer time. Sit comfortably but do not slouch. The reading material should be of a fairly large print. Study at small intervals of about 40 minutes and then take a break or change the subject. Short-term memory is a faculty of the left brain, and long-term memory is a feature of the right brain. When people are stressed, they tend to favor the right brain and abandon the left brain, where short-term memory resides. So, it is really very simple: deal with the stress and activate left brain functions. Here are a few suggestions to activate left brain function: shut your left nostril and breathe, move your eyes from right to left and vice versa for at least half a minute at a time, and do callisthenic exercises with some form of counting, regularly. There is a new exercise called Super Brain Yoga, which is done by holding the right earlobe with your left thumb and index finger, and the left earlobe with your right hand’s thumb and index finger. In this position, you must squat down and rise up and do this for five minutes every day. There is some memory enhancing techniques and study methods that your teacher will be able to guide you with. If your home life is full of distractions and stress, it is likely to affect your memory, adversely. In that case, I suggest that the family goes for counseling too. The following foods do help too: Blueberries, walnuts, turmeric, Spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, acorn squash, green tea, oily fish, boiled egg, turkey, apples, oatmeal, leafy greens, lentils, pumpkin seeds, avocado, cinnamon, thyme, sunflower seeds, and red wine. Avoid sugar and junk food. You may also include these noted foods that are good for your brain health: Brain-Friendly Foods MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. But the MIND approach “specifically includes foods and nutrients that medical literature and data show to be good for the brain, such as berries,” says Martha Clare Morris, ScD, director of nutrition and nutritional epidemiology at Rush University Medical Center. You eat things from these 10 food groups: Green leafy vegetables (like spinach and salad greens): At least six servings a week Other vegetables: At least one a day Nuts: Five servings a week Berries: Two or more servings a week Beans: At least three servings a week Whole grains: Three or more servings a day Fish: Once a week Poultry (like chicken or turkey): Two times a week Olive oil: Use it as your main cooking oil. Wine: One glass a day You avoid: Red meat: Less than four servings a week Butter and margarine: Less than a tablespoon daily Cheese: Less than one serving a week Pastries and sweets: Less than five servings a week Fried or fast food: Less than one serving a week. 

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