Lack of Concentration

With a lack of concentration, it is no longer possible to focus one’s thoughts on one activity for a certain period of time. This symptom is often accompanied by a certain restlessness, hyperactivity and rapid fatigue.

Lack of concentration meaning

Concentration disorders can occur after strong affective experiences or they can also be an expression of a physical disorder, for example, a hormone disorder or iron deficiency. Concentration disorders can also occur in mental illness.

Lack of concentration and focus symptoms

Concentrating on something for longer means a mental peak performance for the brain, which demands additional energy from the body. It is therefore normal for the attention to decrease after a certain time.

How long you can concentrate varies from person to person and also depends to a large extent on age. For example, children of primary school age lose concentration after about 15 minutes on average, while teenagers manage about 30 minutes. For adults, the limit is about one hour.

So if the attention to concentrated work diminishes after a certain amount of time, it is not yet a concentration problem. Only when the ability to concentrate is clearly below the above-mentioned reference times, or when the condition persists for days or weeks, could it be a pathological concentration disorder or loss of concentration.

These are signs of lack of concentration and focus in adults or children:

• Increased distractibility;
• The frequent digression of thoughts
• Other activities are taken up spontaneously
• Tasks and activities are terminated prematurely
• Frequent change from one activity to another
• Interest in a task is quickly lost
• Reduced ability to concentrate (always related to age and intelligence level)

Possible accompanying lack of concentration symptoms: Tiredness, inner restlessness, irritability, memory disorders, loss of performance, sleep disorders.

Causes of poor concentration

Concentration disorders can have a variety of causes. Among children and young people, for example, long periods of television and computer games are among the main triggers of fatigue.

In general, an unhealthy lifestyle (lack of sleep, unbalanced diet, lack of fluids, lack of exercise, stress, alcohol, nicotine, drug abuse, etc.) can lead to poor concentration. In senior citizens, the age-related slowed metabolism and the generally worsened cerebral blood flow can also lead to poor concentration.