Why do I lose focus halfway through, and what can I do?

Losing focus halfway through a meeting, a long drive or an exam revision session rarely has a single cause. It usually comes from short sleep, doing one thing for a long time without a break, and the slump after a meal, and phone notifications can be distracting too. What helps is sleeping enough, working in blocks with real breaks, and silencing notifications. If you are driving, take a break of at least 15 minutes every 2 hours, and pull over somewhere safe as soon as you feel sleepy.

Why do I lose focus halfway through things?

At the start of a meeting, a drive or a study session, most of us can concentrate well. After a while, attention starts to drift more easily. The most common reasons are below.

Not enough sleep, or short sleep that builds up

The US CDC recommends 7 hours or more for adults aged 18 to 60 and 8 to 10 hours for teenagers aged 13 to 17, and notes that enough sleep helps your attention and memory so you can get through daily activities. After several short nights in a row, you may manage at the start of a task, but the longer it goes on, the more the sleepiness shows and the more your focus slips.

Doing one thing for too long without a break

Back-to-back meetings that run for hours, an empty road with the same view mile after mile, or sitting with the same textbook without leaving your desk are all long stretches of one repetitive activity with no break. The longer you sit still, the more sluggish and distracted you tend to feel.

After lunch, and in the early morning

Many people feel sleepy in the early afternoon after lunch, especially after a big meal, so afternoon meetings and classes are a common time to lose focus. For driving, CDC's NIOSH notes that the urge to sleep is most intense in the early morning hours, which makes driving at that time especially risky.

Phones and notifications

Messages, emails and app alerts that pop up during a meeting or a study session can distract you from what you are doing.

Not drinking much

When you are absorbed in work, sitting in air conditioning or driving a long way, many people drink less than they realise. The UK's NHS suggests around 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day, and says water, lower-fat milk and lower-sugar drinks, including tea and coffee, all count. Aim for pale, clear yellow urine, and drink more in hot weather or when you are active for long periods.

I lose focus halfway through meetings. Why does it happen and what can I do?

Losing focus partway through a meeting usually comes from several things together: short sleep the night before, sitting and listening for a long time without moving, a meeting straight after lunch, and sometimes a phone that keeps lighting up can distract you too. You can act before the meeting, during it, and over the longer term.

Before the meeting

• Look at the agenda in advance and note two or three questions or points you want to raise. Having something to listen for makes it easier to follow.
• If you run the meeting, set a clear end time, and build short breaks into long meetings.
• If the meeting is in the afternoon, choose a lunch that is not too heavy.
• Keep water within reach.

During the meeting

• Silence notifications on your phone and computer, or turn your phone face down out of sight.
• Take notes by hand or jot short summaries as you go, so you stay engaged with the content.
• If you notice your mind wandering, stand up or stretch when you can, or ask for a short break in a long meeting.
• Sip water now and then.

Over the longer term

If you lose focus in almost every meeting, look at your sleep first. The CDC recommends going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, turning off screens at least 30 minutes before bed, avoiding large meals and alcohol before bed, avoiding caffeine in the afternoon and evening, and staying physically active. If work thoughts keep going round your head at night, see Can't sleep because your mind won't stop thinking?

How can I stay focused on a long drive?

Sleep enough before you leave, plan your stops in advance, and pull over somewhere safe as soon as you start to feel sleepy. Driving is where losing focus is most dangerous, because nodding off for just a few seconds is enough to drift out of your lane.

Before you set off

• Get enough sleep the night before. A CDC report advises drivers to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep and not to drink alcohol before driving.
• Plan your route and your stops. The UK Highway Code recommends a break of at least 15 minutes after every 2 hours of driving.
• Avoid setting off in the early morning hours after a short night, when sleepiness is at its strongest.
• On long trips with others, take turns at the wheel.
• If you take regular medicines, some can cause drowsiness, so ask your doctor or pharmacist before a long drive.

Signs you are too sleepy to keep driving

These signs come from NIOSH training material and a CDC report. NIOSH also notes that fatigue makes drivers react more slowly to changing road conditions, make poor decisions, develop tunnel vision and have microsleeps.

If you get sleepy on the way

A CDC report says the only safe thing to do if you start to feel tired while driving is to get off the road and rest until you are no longer drowsy. NIOSH advises pulling over and taking a short nap before you carry on. If you still feel sleepy, rest longer or let someone else drive.

What does not keep you awake

A CDC report says turning up the radio, opening the window and turning up the air conditioning have not been found to work. NIOSH training material adds that if you have put the window down, turned up the radio, pinched yourself or tried other tricks to stay awake, you are already impaired enough to cause a crash, and that using your phone while driving does not keep you alert and raises crash risk.

Numbers worth knowing

• NIOSH says being awake for 17 hours in a row affects driving about as much as a blood alcohol level of 0.05%, and 24 hours awake about as much as 0.10%.
• NIOSH says as many as one in five fatal crashes involve driver fatigue.
• A CDC report found that 4.2% of adults surveyed had fallen asleep while driving at least once in the previous 30 days.
• NIOSH training material notes that nearly 60% of drivers who fell asleep said it happened less than 1 hour into the drive, and 70% said they felt awake enough to drive at the start of the trip.

That last figure means that feeling fresh when you leave home does not guarantee a safe drive all the way. If you slept badly, plan more frequent stops.

My brain feels foggy when I revise for exams. How can I keep concentrating?

Do not cut sleep to gain study time. Study in blocks with a clear goal, take breaks by getting up and moving rather than scrolling, and keep your phone out of reach. A foggy feeling after long revision sessions usually comes from short sleep before exams, sitting with the same material in the same way for too long, and being pulled away by your phone.

Sleep enough, even close to exams

The CDC recommends 8 to 10 hours for teenagers aged 13 to 17 and 7 hours or more for adults. Studying through the night gives you more hours that evening, but the next day you are likely to be sleepier and less able to concentrate. For more on planning revision around sleep, see How do you build a study schedule that holds up?

Study in blocks and take real breaks

• Give each block a clear goal, such as finishing a chapter or a set of questions, rather than planning to sit for hours.
• Between blocks, get up, walk around, stretch or look into the distance. Breaks spent scrolling on your phone tend to make it harder to get back into studying.
• Mix up how you study: summarise in your own words, do past papers, or explain a topic to a friend, so you are not reading the same way until your mind drifts.
• Put the topics that need the most thinking into the time of day when you feel most alert.

Set up a study space with fewer distractions

• Leave your phone in another room or a drawer and switch off notifications while you study.
• Put everything you need on the desk before you start, so you are not getting up to look for things.
• Keep water within reach and sip it regularly.

Coffee and energy drinks

The CDC recommends avoiding caffeine in the afternoon and evening because it can make it harder to sleep that night. Drinking it to study late may leave you sleepier the next day.

What everyday habits help me focus for longer?

Whether it is a meeting, a drive or revision, the basics are much the same.

The NHS lists not getting enough sleep and an unhealthy lifestyle, such as an unhealthy diet and not much exercise, among the common causes of feeling tired all the time. It suggests eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and avoiding caffeine, alcohol and screens in the hour before bed.

When should I see a doctor?

Losing focus now and then after a short night or a long day happens to everyone. Talk to a doctor if:

• you have felt tired for a few weeks and do not know why, or tiredness is affecting your daily life (NHS)
• tiredness comes with other symptoms, such as weight loss or changes in mood (NHS)
• you still feel sleepy or tired even after enough sleep, which the CDC lists as a sign of poor sleep quality
• forgetfulness or trouble concentrating keeps affecting your work or studies
• you have nodded off or nearly nodded off while driving
• you take regular medicines and feel drowsy during the day. Do not stop or change them yourself; talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Before the appointment, try noting your sleep times, when you lose focus and what you were doing for a week or two. It makes the conversation with your doctor easier.