SOUND ADVICE IS YOUR WORK PLAYLIST HELPING OR HURTING YOUR FOCUS?
The hum of a busy coffee shop, traffic outside, your favorite song through your headphones as you work — we live in a noisy world with constant background noise. But is that ambient buzz boosting your brainpower or creating static in the system? While some swear a little noise helps them focus, for others, every passing siren or side conversation is a distraction. Let’s tune in and find out if that background noise could be a productivity playlist or sound sabotage. BRAIN BEATS Your brain is always busy trying to filter out distractions, and how background noise impacts your noggin depends on what it is. Steady or low-level sounds, like raindrops or white noise, can help hide other
intrusive interruptions, making it easier to focus on the task you’re working on. Irregular, sudden, surprise, or meaningful sounds, like a direct conversation, notifications on your phone, or lyrics to a beloved song, activate your brain, pulling you out of the concentration zone. SOUND SUPPORT If you are working on something that requires light focus, like answering emails, then the right kind of background noise, something like instrumental music, can help you stay on track. Other beneficial times for background noise include working in a loud environment or letting low-level sounds shift your brain into creative or problem- solving mode. The key is choosing something that won’t distract your mind from what you’re trying to focus on. CUE THE QUIET Noise most often gets in the way of more complex or challenging work, such as reading, writing, meetings, learning new skills, or finding solutions to issues. Deeper tasks require more brainpower, like using memory or vocabulary skills. When your brain engages in more concentrated tasks, it is more sensitive to interruptions, so a song lyric or burst of action on the TV can win out against the quieter goal you’re trying to accomplish. Background noise can be a sound decision or just more racket. The trick is tuning into what helps your mind focus without being carried away by the clatter.
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with cannabis) was banned as part of the federal Controlled Substances Act. Thirty-eight years later, hemp made an unexpected return to the medical world when the ban was lifted via the 2018 Federal Farm Bill. Although I’m about seven years late in embracing CBD as a possible treatment for my patients, I’m hoping to make up for lost time. I’m researching how CBD positively affects dopamine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters that help us feel better and think more positively. Documented benefits of CBD include a 71% improvement in anxiety, a 37% improvement in depression, a 65% improvement in sleep, a 66% improvement in fibromyalgia, and a 66% improvement in migraine headaches.
After all these years in practice, I’m still excited to learn new things, and I look forward to seeing where my current studies take me. After all, curiosity always leads to better care. As this newsletter aims to inform readers of the best treatments possible, I wanted to update you on my recent learning. I will continue investigating the resources currently available on CBD, and I’m definitely going to try it myself (and perhaps treat family and friends with it first) before offering it to my patients. I can’t wait to share my progress with you all! –Dr. Tom Sladic To order supplements or blood work, call 248-912-2962
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