Health habits to be more productive

What can a devotee then do to improve his concentration and thinking power, to become more productive in his services and work, etc?

How to improve our cognitive function and become more productive, especially in creative tasks? Most people in the world use caffeine, but devotees are not supposed to use it, as well as other types of psychotropic-altering substances, except in case of medical necessity. In a previous article, we discussed that this is not a very good idea, anyway.

What can a devotee then do to improve his concentration and thinking power, to become more productive in his services and work, etc? I don't think there is a silver bullet that will solve all the problems form all people, but I can share what works for me. You can try and see what works for you.

Although intelligence is actually part of the subtle body, it is expressed through the brain. This means that if the brain is not working well, the intelligence will also not work very well. Just like all organs of the body, the workings of the brain are a lot connected with our general health, so it's important to start from there. I wrote a whole book about improving our health "How to have a better health to better serve Krsna", you can find in the "My books" section.

My practical experience, which I share in the book is that good health is mainly connected with what we eat and how we eat. Many other things like exercise also play a role, but their importance is secondary. As long as one is on the SAD diet, nothing else will work very well. That's the basic decision every human being of our times has to make, to enjoy all kinds of processed food or to have good health. Unfortunately, we can't have both. Nowadays, what we call prasada is also mainly based on the SAD diet, so that's also something to consider.

After working out the basic things connected with diet and lifestyle, as I describe in the book, what are the next things to consider?

In my experience, sleep is the next important thing. In the Srimad Bhagavatam is mentioned that sleep is necessary for the function of intelligence, just like food is necessary for the function of the body. Without adequate sleep, it is just possible to keep the intelligence in good order. The thing about good sleep is that it is not just about how many hours we sleep. Quality is important, and digestion has a very detrimental impact on the quality of sleep. We all hear that we should not eat heavy food before sleeping, and that's not just folklore. Digestive work disturbs deep sleep, reducing the frequency and duration of the sleep cycles. As a result, one has to sleep more hours and still doesn't wake up refreshed the next day. The general recommendation would be to reduce eating, and not eat in the afternoon. For improving brain power, the ideal, at least in my experience is to have just one meal per day around midday. This takes care of both eating less and not eating close to sleep time. In many passages of the Puranas and Upanisads is mentioned that all kinds of sages and Brahmanas were following this general principle since the beginning of the universe. Eating less, and especially eating once per day is something that takes time to get used to. If you decide to try, it is important to go gradually, for several months. One can also try to have one main meal around midday and some very light snack with some protein-rich foods in the morning. According to some nutritionists, this is better for the muscles.

Once we start eating less and far from sleeping time, the quality of sleep improves, and we can do much more with fewer hours of sleep. Many who do that can be perfectly fine with just 4 or 5 hours per day. Once we can sleep less during the night, we can use part of the extra time to take one or two short naps during the day. Naps are not only very effective in refreshing the brain but also healthy. Several studies are showing that they have a protective effect, reducing degeneration of neurons and so on.

Eating little and only once per day, maintaining a diet moderated in carbs makes our body produce ketones, which is a very powerful fuel for the brain. Ketones allow the brain to do about 40% more work using the same amount of oxygen, therefore it improves thinking power a lot. It seems the best for the brain in to have stable levels of both ketones and glucose. Eating once per day makes the body start producing ketones (which don't happens when we eat three times per day), and eating the right foods prevent big spikes of glucose, maintaining also the levels of glucose stable. That's apparently the way the brain it is supposed to work, it is just that our gluttony deprives us of it, making most of us operate in a level much lower than our full potential.

Eating once per day, however, is not a magic bullet. It creates periods of low energy when we just can't think very well. In the beginning, we just need to go through it until the body adapts, which can take a few months. However, once the body gets adapted, it can be minimized by using MCT oil. This is a type of oil made from coconut or palm oil that serves as a good fuel for the brain. When the body is already adapted to work using low glucose and complementing the energy needs of the brain with ketones, it will tend to quickly transform MCT oil into ketones, which will power the brain. This is a really interesting source of energy that goes a long way. You shouldn't take much MCT however. The dose starts with 5 ml once a day and goes up to a maximum of 15 ml two times per day. You need to see yourself what works for you.

When we feel we need energy, frequently we think we need some stimulant, but generally it is the precise opposite: apart from nutrient deficiencies, lack of energy means we need better sleep. The solution is therefore not is psychotropics such as caffeine, but in adaptogens such as ashwagandha, rhodiola or reishi, which can help to blunt the peaks of stress and help to relax and get a good night of sleep. There are also other supplements, like L-theanine, which can help to improve focus and concentration. Again, it goes on the opposite direction of caffeine, reducing the stimulation of the neurons, making the brain less excited, which can help to focus on what we are doing.

In conclusion, while we are not the body, it's important to understand how it works, since it is the tool we have to perform devotional service, cultivate transcendental knowledge and purify our consciousness. We should not let the animalistic propensity of eating all kinds of inappropriate ingredients ruin it. Once we start understanding something, the next step is to put it into practice, which in turn demands certain discipline. However, everything depends on it, that's what human life is all about.

What are your impressions on this topic? Write in the comments, we would like to hear from you.