Whether you have a traditional office job or work at home as a contractor, there’s a good chance that you spend long hours in front of a computer. That’s just the way things are these days; whether you’re working on documents and spreadsheets or are simply using videoconferencing software to collaborate with coworkers, there’s just no way to escape the fact that almost all tasks in the modern office center around computers in one way or another.
Computers make it possible for us to be more productive than we ever could have been in the days of pens, paper and typewriters. At the same time, though, it’s common for people to start to feel a bit like zombies after staring at their screens all day. Whether it’s because of the problems with looking at blue light or just mental burnout from performing repetitive tasks, spending all day looking at a computer screen is likely to leave you feeling fatigued and unable to concentrate. You can step away from the screen periodically to rest your eyes, of course, but that can only do so much to help. Sometimes, you need a little nutritional or herbal assistance – and that’s where this article is going to help. If you’re looking for a supplement that can help to improve your performance during computer work, one of the supplements on this list might be perfect for you.
CBD Oil
If you look online to see the most common reasons why people use CBD oil, you’ll probably find that conditions like chronic pain, anxiety and insomnia usually top the list. However, people also try CBD for a wide variety of other reasons because there’s no reason not to; CBD doesn’t have any known negative side effects. One of the interesting results found in a scientific review published by Current Neuropharmacology is that CBD could act as a wake-inducing agent. The review’s conclusion was based on studies in which CBD has been shown to improve sleep quality and increase alertness in rodents. Whether CBD may have the same benefit in humans is unclear, but it’s easy to try it for yourself. Convenient products like CBD capsules make it easy to add CBD oil to your normal supplement regimen.
Lutein
Lutein is a compound that’s synthesized by plants, and it’s thought to potentially improve eyesight and slow age-related macular degeneration. Although it hasn’t been definitively proven that increasing your dietary intake of lutein will improve your eyesight, doing so wouldn’t be very different from eating more carrots for your eye health. Carrots, after all, are rich in lutein and beta carotene. Lutein is also plentiful in hardy greens such as kale and spinach. Chances are, though, that you already know what vegetables are good for eye health, and you probably have difficulty eating those vegetables in the quantities you should. You may find that a supplement supporting ocular health – particularly one that includes lutein – may help to prevent squinting and eyestrain during computer work.
Caffeine
Caffeine is, of course, the classic supplement that never fails to keep the coders, writers and artists around the world feeling energized – at least, that’s how you feel when you begin a daily regimen of coffee or soda. After you’ve been a daily coffee drinker for a while, though, you’ll probably find that you no longer feel so energetic after you’ve had your morning cup. Instead, you start gulping down as much coffee as possible in the morning just to make yourself feel normal. That’s the problem with stimulants; they only work for a while. Their effectiveness begins to decrease with daily use. For many daily caffeine users, simply quitting is a bit of a tall order – or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a “grande” order. Instead, try switching to a different form of caffeine intake. Some people find that the caffeine in tea seems to absorb more slowly than the caffeine in coffee. Although tea has a lower caffeine content per serving, you may find that it helps you feel more energetic because you don’t feel a crash a while after consuming the beverage.
Ginseng
Ginseng is a plant root that’s been a mainstay of traditional herbal medicine for thousands of years even though there is no clinical evidence definitively proving its effectiveness for any purpose. Nevertheless, the fact that we’ve named the plant’s genus panax – derived from the Greek term meaning “all healing” – tells you what people think about ginseng in a nutshell. The general idea behind the use of ginseng as a supplement is that it’s thought to promote alertness and vitality while fighting fatigue. Although clinical evidence of ginseng’s effectiveness is mixed, a 2012 study by Mayo Clinic Cancer Center produced promising results. In the study, 340 cancer patients were given ginseng or a placebo and were asked to rate their fatigue levels over several weeks. After eight weeks, the patients who were given ginseng instead of the placebo showed a 20-point improvement in their energy levels based on a 100-point scale. That’s a significant difference, and it illustrates ginseng’s potential as a supplement for improving alertness and energy levels.
Gingko Biloba
There’s something about the beautiful gingko tree that’s made humans want to cultivate it for centuries. Perhaps it’s the unique shape of the leaf. Surely, something so beautiful must be useful to humans in some way? As it turns out, the answer to that question is “maybe.” There is a long-established tradition of using an extract of the gingko biloba leaf to improve cognition and to treat patients with mild dementia. Therefore, authorities like the European Medicines Agency support the use of gingko biloba for that purpose in patients who have no other medical conditions. However, it must be said that the only “evidence” supporting the use of gingko to improve mental acuity is the fact that it’s been used for that purpose for many centuries. The results in clinical trials have been mixed. Nevertheless, you may still find a gingko supplement helpful in a regimen designed to support maximum efficiency in your computer work.