Druggenius.com is reader-supported. We may earn a commission through products purchased using links on this page. Learn more about our editorial process here.

If you’re trying to improve your concentration, you might have turned to energy drinks and other potentially unhealthy ways to regain your focus. However, there are vitamins and supplements that can help you handle your lack of focus in a healthy way.

We compiled a list of the best supplements for focus and concentration. All of these options are great choices, and you might find that one suits your needs better than the others.

If you want to boost your focus and concentration, take a read.

What Are Nootropics?

Before we discuss the best supplements for focus and concentration, we need to understand what nootropics are.

Nootropics are supplements that can improve cognitive function, your cognitive flexibility and begin preventing cognitive decline by altering the neurotransmitters in your brain and promoting healthy memory and brain function from chemical reactions. This is why nootropics are often called cognitive enhancers, brain supplements, or “smart drugs.”

Depending on the particular brand or manufacturer, nootropics can differ with regards to exactly how they work to achieve their results for your brain function.

The List

1. Onnit – Alpha BRAIN®

Alpha Brain has seen much success in the market. This is mostly due to the supplement being a perfect blend of nootropic ingredients that serve to promote and improve brain health as well as give you the brain power you need for laser focus.

Onnit’s Alpha Brain is a nootropic that improves your focus, mental speed, and memory recall. In addition, it helps release your creativity when dealing with complicated tasks.

It also acts as a stress reliever. This is due to ingredients like L-theanine and Bacopa Monnieri. L-theanine releases dopamine and serotonin, which are responsible for combatting signs of depression, whereas Bacopa Monnieri works by reducing oxidative stress and anxiety.

To help you become alert and relaxed, the supplement stimulates your alpha waves – thus the name Alpha Brain. Alpha waves allow you to keep you from distractions so you can be productive and complete your work.

Alpha Brain is free from too much caffeine, gluten, and harmful chemicals, so it will support brain health and support improved brain function in a healthy way.

It’s created from herbal extracts and amino acids. The capsules are also vegan-friendly.

If you’re a busy person that’s looking for a way to start improving memory, overall brain health, and brain power, then you’ll benefit from this supplement. For this reason, you can enjoy the benefit from this supplement no matter what your dietary restriction is. 

You are advised to take a capsule after a light meal, though you might feel a bit nauseous after taking it.

If you take this supplement later in the day, then you might face sleeping problems. It’s best to take the brain supplement earlier in the day so that you get your brain boost right when you need it.

Alpha Brain is included in the Onnit Total Human supplement pack. This is an all-in-one day and night time packet of supplements that allow you to get all of your daily needs in one go.

→ Is Alpha Brain Safe?

Pros

• Helps with concentration and creativity
• Acts as a stress reliever 
• Formula is free from caffeine, gluten, and harmful chemicals
• Perfect for busy and/or elderly individuals
• One of Joe Rogan’s favorite supplements

Cons

• Some people get nauseous after digesting the capsule
• If you take it later in the day, you might experience sleeping problems

2. Opti-Nutra – Mind Lab Pro

Known for being a maker of premium-quality nutritional brain supplements, Opti-Nutra’s goal is to optimize its consumers’ health and biological function. Opti-Nutra ensures this by only using ingredients that are scientifically proven to make a difference to one’s brain health.

That is why we recommend Opti-Nutra’s nootropic, Mind Lab Pro. 

Mind Lab Pro aims to improve your cognitive performance by acting on your bio-pathways.

If you’re looking to enhance memory, concentration, and focus, then this supplement might be perfect for you.

The formula contains no animal ingredients, additives, or a natural supplements or stimulants (like caffeine), so it won’t interfere with your sleeping patterns. The supplement is also tested by a third party to ensure its integrity. Therefore, you are guaranteed that these pills are safe to use.

The dietary supplement contains 11 scientifically proven ingredients to improve your cognitive brain health. This includes citicoline, L-Tyrosine, and b vitamins like vitamins B6, B9, B12, and more. 

The compound citicoline assists in supercharging your thinking ability by providing more energy to your brain.

Vitamins B6, B9, and B12 fight off free radicals to boost brain function while improving your immune system. A strong immunity can boost memory and encourage focus with a potent brain booster.

L-Tyrosine improves blood circulation in your brain to help you stay focused. This ingredient will also help you stay alert and remain logical in stressful situations, which could be just the thing you need to get you through the workday. In addition, L-Tyrosine enhances cognitive abilities and will improve cognitive performance which allows you to multitask effectively.

Although rare, there are some reported cases of stomach discomfort, particularly during the first few days of taking the supplement.

Pros

• Contains 11 scientifically proven ingredients to improve your cognitive brain health
• Vegan-friendly formula
• Fights off damaging free radicals
• Boosts your immune system

Cons

• Minor side effects during the first few days

3. Primal Harvest – Primal Mind Fuel

Primal Mind Fuel is another nootropic supplement sold online. Unlike other nootropics, this supplement contains a unique combination of amino acids, minerals, vitamins, herbal extracts, and plant extracts.

This brain-boosting supplement supports alertness, stress response, poor memory improvement, and more. 

The supplement is made from natural raw materials and avoids dangerous compounds that can harm your health. This ensures that it is completely safe to use.

Primal Mind Fuel has an interesting ingredient list that includes green tea, essiac tea, rare dark turmeric, and caffeine anhydrous.

Green tea has a calming effect on your mind. This can be especially helpful during stressful situations when your mental focus and mental performance can be impaired. Essiac Tea, on the other hand, has anti-cancer properties. It helps to boost your immunity, which indirectly aids in improving your concentration levels.

Rare dark turmeric reduces mental stress. This, in turn, provides enhanced memory and cognitive benefits, as well as overall cognitive functions with its brain-boosting benefits.

The dietary supplement contains caffeine anhydrous (caffeine without water). This compound will help you remain focused and balanced, as well as improve your energy levels throughout your brain development.

It may take a few weeks until the supplement starts to fully work.

Pros

• Supports memory formation, and alertness
• Helps reduce mental stress
• Boosts immune response
• Improves energy levels

Cons

• Takes a few weeks

4. Nuzena – Neuro Focus

Nuzena prides itself on providing fast, effective, and natural health solutions. This company offers top-quality products that are clinically proven to enhance all areas of health. That’s why Neuro Focus + is another great entry on our list of brain supplements for focus and concentration.

It contains several nootropic compounds, like magnesium, Dimethylethanolamine (DMAE), and glutamic acid. The efficacy of these ingredients is backed by clinical research.

If you’re on a budget, you’ll be glad to know that this brain-boosting supplement is fairly affordable.

Magnesium regulates your central nervous system, which has a calming effect on your brain and promotes healthy nerve function. It also maintains the functioning of your neurotransmitters which is crucial for attention and problem-solving.

DMAE blocks an enzyme in your brain that breaks down a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. By doing this, DMAE facilitates more acetylcholine which has a positive impact on your concentration and ability to retain information for longer.

Glutamic acid is an amino acid that optimizes your ability to focus as well as supports memory clarity.

It takes at least 90 days of use to feel the full effects.

Pros

• Affordable product
• Calms your mind
• Improves your attention span
• Supports mental clarity and mental skills

Cons

• Can take 90 days to feel the effect

5. Find My Formula – Your Starter Kit

Find My Formula believes that everyone’s mind is unique, so they have introduced personalized blends of nootropic supplements to cater to anyone’s cognitive needs.

Find My Formula, also called Formula, allows you to test different combinations and doses of brain-enhancing ingredients. The formulations include nootropic supplements which are distributed through capsules.

With Formula, you can easily tailor a box that suits your preferences. The shipping is fast, so you don’t have to wait weeks to get your concentration-saving capsules.

That being said, the pills are large and we have to criticize the box for feeling quite flimsy.

We’ll be referring to their three boxes: Energy box, Creativity box, and Clarity box.

Energy Box

This box is perfect if you need a mental and physical boost. It contains two powerful, energy-boosting ingredients: theacrine and zynamite.

Theacrine is a natural stimulant, like caffeine, but without the negative side effects like chest pain, jitters, and the tendency to be addictive. It gives you energy without interfering with your sleep.

Zynamite will increase your physical and mental energy.

Creativity Box

If you struggle to access your creative side, you’ll benefit from Formula’s Creativity product. The Creativity Box contains an adaptogenic herb called Ashwagandha.

Ashwagandha is proven to facilitate your body’s stress response, calm your mind, and boost focus.

The product will help you with ideation, effective communication, and conceptualization.

Clarity Box

Formula’s Clarity product is perfect for anyone struggling with brain fog. It stimulates alpha brain waves that are associated with the ability to narrow one’s focus on important tasks.

It will make you feel calm, but give you the mental alertness to work on your task at hand.

Pros

• The formulations are made from top-quality nootropic supplements and specific to you.
• You can choose a box that suits your needs
• The ingredients are distributed through capsules
• Fast shipping

Cons

• The brain supplement is large
• The box feels flimsy

Why Do You Struggle To Focus And Concentrate?

There are a handful of factors that can lead to difficulty in focusing. You might not be getting enough sleep in the evening. Maybe you’re constantly getting distracted by notifications from your social media or emails. 

You might be so overwhelmed by life’s stresses that you aren’t able to focus on one task at a time. It can also be difficult to focus on a task that you do not enjoy due to limited brain functions.

Monitoring your sleep health is crucial to maintaining a good level of concentration in order to improve focus and thinking skills. Make sure to turn off your TV and avoid screens for half an hour before you go to bed to promote healthy brain functions. This will help you unwind before you go to sleep and the effect on your mood and overall concentration will be almost immediately noticeable.

How Can You Improve Your Focus and Concentration With The Help of Supplements?

There are a couple of things you can do to stay alert and focused.

You can improve focus, thinking skills, and concentration through eating nutritious food, such as fruit and vegetables. You also need to exercise regularly to get your blood flow pumping through your brain and balance your hormones. 

Most importantly, you need to get enough sleep. Try to get 7 hours or more a day to ensure you feel restored the next day.

Brain supplements are only there to act as fillers for nutritional gaps. They are not dietary supplements that substitute for a healthy diet and lifestyle and no amount of a brain supplement or spray will make up for a dysfunctional lifestyle or poor diet.

How Many Servings of Capsules Are Required?

You will usually take 2 to 4 capsules per day.

This may vary according to the supplement’s ingredients. You should check the supplement’s label to get the right dosage.

What Are the Best Nutrients In Nootropics That Boosts Your Focus and Concentration? 

Bacopa Monnieri

This ingredient will enhance your memory by boosting the neuroprotectors that balance your neurotransmitters while improving cerebral blood flow.

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba has seen a huge rise in popularity over the last decade. Ginkgo Biloba promotes healthy brain function and cognitive function while promoting excellent memory recall. Ginkgo biloba also contains powerful antioxidants that help fight inflammation, reduce anxiety, treat depression, as well as other factors, which is why many love Ginkgo Biloba.

DMAE Bitartrate

This synthetic component will boost your brain’s ability to learn and regulate memory and age-related memory loss from diseases like Alzheimer’s disease while boosting cognitive function.

Acetyl L Carnitine

Acetyl L Carnitine is a powerful ingredient that improves memory and cognitive performance.

L-Glutamine

This is a natural ingredient that gives your cognitive function a boost. This includes expanding learning capacity, improved brain memory, improved thinking skills, memory, and improving brain function, making it great for students.

Rhodiola Rosea

This natural adaptogen increases your body’s resistance to stress while improving your mood and decreasing mental fatigue.

The Takeaway

Life can be overwhelming and full of distractions. That’s why many can benefit from brain-boosting brain supplements.

The improved brain health supplements on this list improve and protect your overall cognitive health. Take note of what causes your focus, thinking skills, and concentration to wither, and then choose a supplement that will suit your needs.

Further Reading

Best Berberine Supplement

Onnit New Mood Supplement Review

Best Lion’s Mane Supplement

Primal Mind Fuel Review

Alpha Brain Instant Review