10 Best Drinks For Focus: Dosage, Side Effects (& Tips)

In today’s busy world, the ability to focus is crucial, but it isn’t always that easy. Whether you’re combating brain fog, stress-induced concentration issues, or something else that’s throwing you off your game, there are many natural options out there that may help to improve your focus. 

You can reach for supplements–like focus-enhancing nootropics–but a natural beverage to improve focus may work quickly and be easier to work into your daily routine. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a hot and steamy cup of coffee while they work on their morning to-do’s, or a thirst-quenching green tea to get them over the afternoon slump?

Coffee and tea aren’t the only options, though–let’s explore the best drinks for focus to help you find your focus-fix:

Your brain runs on water, but it can’t store it. Therefore, you have to offer your brain a constant flow of water to keep it going. If you’re dehydrated, it’s going to be harder to focus. Plus, dehydration decreases your body’s ability to metabolize foods properly and decreases the efficacy of supplements–so you may find yourself dealing with other focus diminishing issues, like mineral deficiencies and fatigue. 

According to one study, just 300 mL of water (10 fluid ounces) can boost concentration by 25%. Adding lemon to your water may give it an extra boost of magnesium and potassium, both of which may be beneficial to nerve and brain health and can help improve mental clarity. 

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed focus-enhancing beverages in the world. Most of the effects from coffee are linked to caffeine, but that’s not its only advantage. Caffeine from coffee may help to improve focus, reaction time, memory, and alertness. According to one study, these results are apparent with doses ranging from 40 to 300 milligrams per day, meaning one cup of coffee may be enough to provide significant cognitive effects. 

Coffee also improves brain choline levels. Choline is an essential nutrient that helps build acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter associated with focus and learning. 

Adding cinnamon to your coffee may help to boost the brain-supporting effects even more. According to research, cinnamon may help the brain process information better, probably by improving its ability to turn glucose to energy. 

Yerba mate, an herbal tea native to Latin and South America, is another caffeinated beverage that may offer focus-enhancing benefits. The caffeine content of yerba mate ranges from 25 to 175 milligrams per cup, heavily depending on how it’s brewed. This means that depending on the yerba mate formula (or recipe) you choose, you can easily control your caffeine dose. 

While some yerba mate formulas may have less caffeine than coffee, some reports suggest that it offers a more sustained period of energy and focus than coffee.

Unlike coffee, however, Yerba Mate contains theobromine and theophylline, two bioactive compounds that may also help to stimulate focus and improve overall cognition. Both of these compounds are also found in cocoa and have been said to contribute to the stimulating effects of chocolate. 

Ginkgo Biloba is an ancient remedy that’s often pinned as a remedy for dementia and other age-related conditions. Researchers have found that ginkgo can stimulate blood flow, which may have a series of positive effects on the body. By improving blood flow to the brain, Ginkgo Biloba tea, or tea made from the leaves of the ginkgo tree, may help to stimulate cognitive functions and improve memory. 

Some research even suggests that ginkgo may help to decrease anxiety. One study suggests that patients taking 480 milligrams of ginkgo daily experience a 45% greater decrease in anxiety than the placebo control group. Anxiety can limit concentration, so this may be a great benefit for those who find it difficult to focus due to anxiety-related symptoms. 

Matcha green tea is a special form of green tea that’s made by roasting and grinding the whole tea leaf and mixing it with hot water as opposed to steeping and removing the leaf material. This results in a rich, herbal beverage that contains a higher concentration of antioxidants and polyphenols, both of which may help to prevent age related tissue damage and lower inflammation to improve brain health. 

Matcha also contains two focus-boosting compounds with unique synergy–caffeine and L-theanine. We already mentioned that small to moderate amounts of caffeine can have a positive impact on concentration–but when paired with L-theanine, caffeine’s impact may be increased. L-theanine can reduce some of caffeine’s most common side effects, like jitters and increased blood pressure. 

The two compounds may also work together to improve reaction times and word recognition and increase attention. Another study shows that the two nootropics paired up to help people switch between tasks more easily, and another found that subjects completed tasks with more accuracy after taking a combination of the two.

Chai tea, a spicy beverage made by combining black tea with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves, is another focus-enhancing beverage worth noting. In addition to offering the synergistic benefits associated with the L-theanine and caffeine combination, it may have additional benefits linked to its spice profile. 

We mentioned earlier that cinnamon may have several focus-enhancing benefits. The same is true for many of the other spices found in chai. For instance, Nutmeg contains active compounds that may help to  boost mood, slow cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, promote brain recovery in stroke patients, and improve memory and concentration. 

Chamomile is most commonly associated with increased relaxation and immune boosting–but it may also help improve focus when used correctly. According to research, chamomile may have a positive impact on the production of some neurotransmitters, like dopamine and serotonin. While this can help a person feel more relaxed, feeling more at ease may help to improve focus. Plus, adequate dopamine is necessary for focus and motivation, and decreased dopamine levels have been associated with conditions like ADHD. 

Chamomile is not stimulating on its own, but it may be a useful piece of the puzzle when paired with one of the other best drinks for focus, like green tea or yerba mate. 

Beets, a fiber-rich root vegetable known for their deep red color, are high in nitrates, a precursor to nitric oxide, a chemical that improves blood flow and oxygenation. In fact, nitric oxide plays a key role in several cognitive functions, like learning and decision making. 

Beet root juice can be made by juicing beet roots, but you can also buy beet root powder that can be mixed with powder. The best thing about this is that it can be mixed in a high concentration and taken as a shot–a perfect focus drink for those who don’t have lots of time on their hands. Plus, because it isn’t caffeinated, it may pair well with other caffeinated beverages to enhance the overall effect on cognition and focus. 

Golden milk, a type of turmeric latte, takes full advantage of turmeric’s primary active compound–curcumin. This antioxidant may help to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps to promote neurogenesis, or the production of new neurons. 

Low levels of BDNF has been linked to neurological disorders and neural deficits and may negatively impact the ability to focus, though more research is needed to understand how turmeric-laden beverages may actually impact cognitive functions. 

Mushrooms have been used medicinally for thousands of years to improve brain health, circulation, focus, and much more. Now, mushroom coffee products aim at helping to improve focus, energy, and endurance on a level that blows traditional coffee beverages out of the water.

The actual effects you get from a mushroom coffee depends on the formula, but most combine several notable nootropic mushrooms. Lion’s Mane, for instance, may stimulate neurogenesis and has been linked to increased processing speeds as well as improved memory, focus, and mental endurance, and may even be in the running for new medications designed to treat dementia. 

Cordyceps, another infamous medicinal mushroom, has been linked to increased endurance. Research has also found that it may help to improve memory and learning in animal models thanks to extraordinary antioxidant properties. 

Now that you can see the clear benefits of a high-quality mushroom nootropic formula, we implore you to consider a step further–a mushroom coffee that also contains brain-boosting nootropics. 

Our Lucid stack contains all of this–four powerful mushrooms plus nootropics like BCAA’s, L-Theanine, L-Tyrosine, Ginkgo Biloba, and several other focus-boosting compounds. This functional formula can do even more than promote focus–it can also boost your performance, improve immunity, and support healing.

When it’s all said and done, this nootropic + mushroom super blend adds up to offer these benefits and more:

• Increases endurance
• Improves athletic performance
• Helps to manage fatigue
• Boosts immunity
• Improves neurogenesis
• Enhances focus, learning, and memory
• Supports a healthy stress response
• Promotes relaxation
• Supports a balanced mood

 Ready to become lucid? Check out our three flavor varieties: