What Are Nootropics, and Can They Aid Concentration?

I spotted an ad for a pill that promised to aid with attention while skimming through tweets about Netflix episodes you can watch while looking at Instagram. I clicked, and was directed to a powder labeled as a “nootropic.” Then something else drew my attention away from the task at hand. But I’ve been inundated with commercials for similar items ever then — instant coffee sachets, ancient herbs, and $200 supplements, all promising “nootropic” benefits like improved attention and productivity. Obviously, I could use some assistance in those areas, but would these remedies be effective? And what exactly are they?

Dr. John Krystal, chair of the Yale University Department of Psychiatry, defines a nootropic as a drug that promises to increase cognitive performance. They’re dubbed “smart medications” because they’re designed to improve executive functions like memory, motivation, and creativity in otherwise healthy people. Despite sounding like a tanning oil brand, the term nootropic has been around for centuries and is derived from Ancient Greek: nóos, which means “thinking,” and trop, which means “turning.”

Dr. Krystal explains that when people are concentrated, “all of their cognitive functions tend to work a little bit better.” A “flow state” is the beautiful experience of losing yourself in an activity and being completely oblivious to all interruptions.

Given how exhausted many of us are these days, it’s not surprising to see an explosion of nootropic pills on the market. The issue is that the majority of them provide extremely modest — if any — benefits. Dr. Krystal says, “People are particularly interested in substances that might be able to lessen the impairment in attention and focus that comes with being tired.” “Caffeine might be classified as a nootropic in this regard. But, as everyone who has tried to wake up by drinking several cups of coffee knows, it doesn’t last long.”

Make your mind work as it’s never worked before!

Plus, as I am all too well, you might be well-rested and caffeinated and yet have difficulty concentrating. “The ability to focus is influenced by a number of factors, but the most important is arousal and engagement,” Dr. Krystal explains. To put it another way, you have to be interested in something to pay attention to it. “It needs constant work from our brains to maintain that knowledge online while we’re attempting to recollect a phone number or a PIN code,” he continues. “Those brain networks fade away as we become distracted. Then we can’t remember what we were thinking.”

Multitasking is the biggest adversary of focus, as it is an inescapable component of daily life that our brains aren’t very good at. “We’re far worse than we think at digesting many stimuli. “When we switch between tasks, our brains are simply playing catch-up, trying to fill in the blanks,” Dr. Krystal explains. While switching between stimuli fast is occasionally necessary, it can be detrimental to sustained focus and lead to that frantic, can’t-get-anything-done sensation that most of us are all too familiar with.

Make your mind work as it’s never worked before!

Is it possible for drugs to help? According to Dr. Krystal, there are “very few” medicines that assist our brains to work better than they do in a rested condition. Amphetamines, a type of stimulant used to treat ADD, ADHD, and sleep disorders, are technically nootropics, but only if you have a condition for which they are prescribed. (Even then, they aren’t always effective.) For the most part, they can help you stay awake, but they don’t improve your cognitive abilities — in fact, they may make it worse.

Modafinil, which is commonly thought to be the idea for the fictional ability-enhancing drugs that Bradley Cooper takes in Limitless, is another drug that is sometimes advertised for its (quite dubious) nootropic advantages. It’s also known as Provigil, and it’s used to help people with sleep disorders like narcolepsy stay awake. Some claim that it improves cognitive performance as well, but the jury is yet out.

Dr. Krystal notes, “No medicine has been demonstrated to increase cognitive function above baseline at a level that would be allowed by the FDA.”

What about the supplements I’ve been seeing? Because they are not regulated by the FDA, no one knows what’s in them — both the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission have issued multiple warning letters to supplement makers claiming nootropic benefits. “These over-the-counter choices are not held to the same level of efficacy as a prescription drug,” Dr. Krystal confirms. Ginkgo biloba, Lion’s Mane mushroom, and Panax ginseng are common constituents in so-called herbal nootropics, however, none of them have been shown helpful in clinical research.

Make your mind work as it’s never worked before!

Finally, the nootropics dream is a symptom of what Dr. Krystal refers to as “the modern pandemic” of stress. “We all want to be more successful, more efficient, to digest information more quickly, and to have better access to the information that we’ve acquired to be our most complete selves all of the time,” he says. “However, we also feel compelled to work excessively long shifts without taking a break, and we also want to have a life outside of work, so we stay up too late.”

To summarize, no drug can replace a good night’s sleep and a healthy lifestyle if you don’t have a diagnosed illness — or even if you do! Dr. Krystal points out that “a lot of what we think of as good for our bodies — such as exercise, a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and dealing with stress in a constructive way through counseling, meditation, therapy, and, if required, medication — is also beneficial for our minds.” “These items help us get close to optimal performance.”

Make your mind work as it’s never worked before!

Dr. Krystal advises discussing with your doctor if you’re concerned about your lack of attention span or recall abilities. These problems are frequently linked to hormonal or mental health problems. He says, “If you’re struggling in any way, that’s a sign you need support, whatever it is.” “We want to define things as mental or physical issues, but most of the time, it’s a combination of the two.”