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The Mediterranean diet, DASH Immune system optimization techniques, and MIND diet have all shown a positive impact on cognition and healthy brain functioning. Poor sleep is one of the biggest causes of reduced concentration and memory functioning. Scientists believe that sleep helps clear abnormal proteins in your brain and consolidates memories, boosting your overall memory and brain health.
Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep nightly to benefit and perform at their cognitive peak each day. When possible, try to get consecutive hours of sleep per night, not fragmented sleep of two- or three-hour increments.
Getting consecutive hours gives your brain the time to consolidate and store your memories effectively. Read more on healthy sleep.
High blood pressure increases the risk of cognitive decline. Simple lifestyle modifications will help keep your blood pressure as low as possible and cholesterol at an appropriate level. Diet, exercise, weight control, limiting alcohol and avoiding tobacco will go a long way toward improving both.
If you need help making changes to support a healthier lifestyle, ask your doctor. Diabetes is a significant risk factor for dementia. Like lowering your blood pressure or controlling cholesterol, you can help prevent diabetes by eating right, exercising regularly, and staying lean.
Maintaining your blood sugar levels will also help with sugar crashes, which can cause brain fogginess. Stress can affect mood, memory and promote anxiety. Engaging in weekly stress reduction exercises will improve your overall sense of calm.
Intermittent and long-term stress impacts the brain negatively and has even been linked to inflammation and chronic illness. Learn how to stress less. Consider an appointment with a mental health provider if you need more support.
Positive relationships can be just as meaningful as nutrition and physical activity to our health and well-being. Maintaining a strong social network can contribute to a longer, healthier life.
Look for opportunities to connect with loved ones, friends and others, especially if you live alone. Research links solitary confinement to brain atrophy, so remaining socially active may have the opposite effect and strengthen the health of your brain.
Home Healthy You 8 Easy Ways To Boost Your Brain Health. Exercise regularly High-intensity and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise are not just good for your heart. Eat a healthy diet Eating healthy—lots of fruit, vegetables, healthy oils, fish and minimizing junk food and fatty meats—is critical for brain health.
Get plenty of sleep Poor sleep is one of the biggest causes of reduced concentration and memory functioning. Improve your blood pressure and cholesterol High blood pressure increases the risk of cognitive decline.
Maintain low blood sugar levels Diabetes is a significant risk factor for dementia. Care for your emotions Stress can affect mood, memory and promote anxiety. Build social networks Positive relationships can be just as meaningful as nutrition and physical activity to our health and well-being.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health. Find A Doctor Schedule An Appointment.
: Increase brain efficiency| Five Ways to Boost Your Brain Power | Vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, and some berries, improve memory and overall brain function. Join Our Newsletter. Research shows that using your muscles also helps your mind. Limit calories and saturated fat. Neurofeedback: A type of therapy that lets patients see their brain activity in real-time and use this to practice self-regulation. Your Guide to Mental Health and Wellness. |
| Start Now. | Raise the bar for an existing activity. For instance, if you are a casual golfer, commit to increasing your ability and aim to lower your handicap or shoot a specific score. A complex activity not only strikes a match of excitement, but forces your brain to work on specific thought processes like problem solving and creative thinking. A study in Psychological Science found that older adults ages 60 to 90 who did new and complex activities, such as digital photography or quilting, for an average of 16 hours per week for three months scored better on working and long-term memory tests than those who did more familiar activities like reading and doing crossword puzzles. Practice makes permanent, and that goes for brain function, too. Your activity should require some level of constant practice, but the goal is not to strive for vast improvements. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. The Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness , is yours absolutely FREE when you sign up to receive Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School. Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more. Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss from exercises to build a stronger core to advice on treating cataracts. PLUS, the latest news on medical advances and breakthroughs from Harvard Medical School experts. Sign up now and get a FREE copy of the Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness. Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. Recent Blog Articles. Flowers, chocolates, organ donation — are you in? What is a tongue-tie? What parents need to know. Which migraine medications are most helpful? After each workout, participants completed assessments of their mood and verbal skills. Exercise alone was enough to boost both, but verbal scores improved twice as much when the exercisers had tunes to listen to. Maybe you can get your insurance company to pay for a new iPod. And immune function. Studies of senior citizens have shown that as little as 20 minutes of walking a day can do the trick. METHOD 2: DIET The brain needs fuel just as the body does. So what will really boost your brainpower, and what will make you lose your mind? Saturated fat, that familiar culprit, is no better for the brain than it is for the body. Rats fed diets high in saturated fat underperformed on tests of learning and memory, and humans who live on such diets seem to be at increased risk for dementia. Not all fat is bad news, however. The brain is mostly fat—all those cell membranes and myelin coverings require fatty acids—so it is important to eat certain fats, particularly omega-3 fats, which are found in fish, nuts and seeds. Fruits and vegetables also appear to be brain superfoods. Produce is high in substances called antioxidants, which counteract atoms that can damage brain cells. Researchers have found that high-antioxidant diets keep learning and memory sharp in aging rats and even reduce the brain damage caused by strokes. Research has shown that laboratory animals fed calorie-restricted diets—anywhere from 25 to 50 percent less than normal—live longer than other animals do. And it turns out they also have improved brain function, performing better on tests of memory and coordination. Luckily for babies, breast milk is 50 percent fat. Caffeine is probably the most famous of the group. By activating the central nervous system, caffeine boosts arousal and alertness. In high doses, though, this stimulation can go too far, causing jitters, anxiety and insomnia. Cocaine and amphetamines are less benign. Although they work on the brain through different mechanisms, they have similar effects. They also increase alertness and energy. That all sounds pretty good, but cocaine and amphetamines are extremely addictive drugs and in high doses they can cause psychosis and withdrawal. The withdrawal symptoms are nasty and can lead to depression, the opposite of that euphoric feeling. And of course, an overdose can kill you. On the Frontier Although high doses of caffeine can undoubtedly have unpleasant effects ranging from irritability to the most unpleasant of all: death in rare cases , small to moderate amounts can boost our mental functioning in ways researchers are now measuring. One study showed that the equivalent of two cups of coffee can boost short-term memory and reaction time. Functional MRI scans taken during the study also revealed that volunteers who had been given caffeine had increased activity in the brain regions involving attention. In addition, research suggests caffeine can protect against age-related memory decline in older women. Try to limit yourself to fewer than cups a day. That much coffee contains about 10 grams of caffeine, enough to cause fatal complications. It must be tough to make sure justice is done. METHOD 4: VIDEO GAMES Video games could save your life. Surgeons who spend at least a few hours a week playing video games make one-third fewer errors in the operating room than nongaming doctors do. Do you ever get that breathless feeling when you're under pressure? Your heart's pounding and you can't sit still, let alone concentrate on your work. That's your "fight or flight" response to stress. When you perceive that you're in danger, an area of your brain called the amygdala sends out a distress signal, resulting in a powerful burst of hormones that spurs your body to take action. If you experience this response in situations that aren't life-threatening, though, you may produce high levels of cortisol, known as the "stress hormone. Worse, research shows that a prolonged excess of cortisol may "hardwire" your brain into a constant fight or flight state. One way to avoid this type of chronic stress may be to activate the body's antidote to stress — the "relaxation response" — using mindfulness. The aim of mindfulness is to help you to become more aware of your thoughts, emotions and sensations in the present moment, compassionately and without judgment, and to apply this mindset to your everyday life. Organizations as diverse as Google and the U. Army recognize its benefits, and there's growing evidence that as well as increasing your sense of well-being, mindfulness can have physical effects on your brain, too. For example, mindfulness has been shown to reduce gray matter in the amygdala, [5] which governs the stress response, and to increase gray matter in the hippocampus and other brain regions associated with memory, learning, and regulating the emotions. Numerous mindfulness courses are available online, and apps such as Headspace and Calm are useful for beginners. Not everyone is convinced about the effectiveness of mindfulness in the workplace, as we discuss in this blog post. Your brain has the ability to physically change, adapt and make new connections between cells in response to stimuli like your behavior, your thoughts, and your activities. This ability is called neuroplasticity. Challenging your brain by learning something new or by taking up a new activity is one of the best ways to encourage these new connections to form. Learning a new language is one proven way to do this. For example, researchers observed that English speakers who were asked to learn Mandarin Chinese showed an increase in their gray matter density, and stronger, better-integrated connections between different areas of their brains, which enhanced their ability to learn. New neural connections enable your brain to apply what it has learned to other areas or problems, too, not just the specific task or skill that you've just learned. Sleep matters. Adults generally need seven to eight hours' sleep to feel refreshed and to function well the next day. But the way you wake up is also important. Each morning, you receive a jolt of cortisol — an increase of 50 percent, on average — known as the "cortisol awakening response" CAR. It gives you a burst of energy and gets your brain functions into gear, and it reaches its peak around 30 minutes after you wake up. You can harness CAR to optimize your performance during the day by waking early and at a regular time, usually between 6 a. and 8. Your morning routine should then synchronize with your body's circadian rhythms. These natural cycles are linked to sunlight, and waking gradually as daylight increases is the best way to boost your CAR. Light therapy devices, which produce the blue-tinted light that boosts CAR on dark mornings, can help, as can avoiding the use of tablets and smartphones before you go to bed. These devices also emit blue light, which can fool the body into thinking that it's morning, disrupting your circadian rhythms and leading to poor quality sleep. Our articles Getting a Good Night's Sleep and 10 Ways to Get a Better Night's Sleep offer tips and techniques to help you to drift off more easily. Although your brain accounts for just two percent of your body weight, it consumes 20 to 25 percent of your energy. No wonder thinking makes you tired! So, it's important to feed your brain well. Your gut has a nervous system of its own: the enteric nervous system which you might have heard referred to as a "second brain". This has a direct link to your brain, called the "gut-brain axis. Remarkably, they help govern your moods and behavior, including your ability to manage stress. To keep both "brains" in good health, you need to maintain a healthy gut. The best approach is to follow a varied, balanced diet that is rich in fresh foods, such as fruit and vegetables, and high in antioxidants. These may help to prevent damage and deterioration to your brain cells. Flavonoids , found in black and green teas, citrus fruits, and dark berries, help to keep your memory sharp. These are also found in cocoa, so a little bit of dark chocolate shouldn't do any harm! Essential fats are important, too: the monounsaturated fatty acids found in olive oil, nuts and avocados are linked to "general intelligence" and can help when tackling demanding mental tasks, and problem solving. The points made in this article are for information only. Always seek professional medical advice if you're thinking of making changes to your diet or exercise regime, or if you are suffering from stress, anxiety or other mental health problems. Neuroscience is a rapidly expanding field of research that uses imaging technology to track the physical changes that take place in our brains in response to different stimuli, and measures their impact. These physical changes are the result of a phenomenon called neuroplasticity: the ability to create new connections in our brains as a result of our thoughts, learning and behavior. There are five areas in which neuroscientific findings could aid your personal effectiveness and well-being:. |
| Five Ways to Boost Your Brain Power - How to Apply Neuroscience in the Workplace | Feel a need to always be in love? There was no such correlation in women. Gomes-Osman, J. Once you decide on four things to remember, make a mental note, and come back to it later in the day. Playing games. |
Increase brain efficiency -
The neurons are what allow information to be transmitted between areas of the brain and the rest of the body's nervous system. So if your neurons are healthy and operating at full capacity, information will be transmitted faster and more clearly, he says, meaning you will be more focused and be able to obtain and store information more easily, improving cognitive performance.
Other research from John Hopkins has also found that intermittent fasting may help your "brain ward off neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's while at the same improving memory and mood.
Jandial says an easy trick to help get 16 hours is to skip breakfast which he actually does every day. Though breakfast has been dubbed the most important meal of the day, he says there is no evidence to support that theory. He himself practices hour intermittent fasting on Mondays and Thursdays to do non-consecutive days , skipping both breakfast and lunch and eating all his daily calories for dinner.
He says while he sticks to the MIND diet which consists of whole foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts—as well as fish and some poultry for brain benefits, "it doesn't matter how much you eat or what you eat.
However, Jandial suggests individuals consult with their own doctor before trying any fast. Experts advise against some people, including the elderly, pregnant women and children, doing any type of fasting. And they caution there are risks with extreme fasts and fasting that lasts longer than 24 hours.
To calm the mind before heading into a stressful work or life situation, Jandial suggests doing five minutes of slow, deep breathing.
Doing this "meditative breathing" two times a day will help calm the neurons in your brain, he says, which will also help your thoughts be "faster, quicker, and more original," and he adds that this is typically when a person's peak performance comes in. Mindful breathing's brain-boosting powers are backed up by research: A study at the University of Oregon found that just 11 days of mindful breathing for an hour each day through a technique called integrative body-mind training IBMT "induces positive structural changes in brain connectivity by boosting efficiency in a part of the brain that helps a person regulate behavior in accordance with their goals.
BDNF is not a hormone like estrogen, it's a growth factor. It's like miracle grow for the flesh of the brain," he says. Research shows that many more regions of the brain are involved in vocabulary tasks, particularly in areas that are important for visual and auditory processing.
To test this theory, try this cognitive-boosting activity:. In other words, bust a move on the dance floor and your brain will thank you. A research report suggests that using all your senses may help strengthen your brain.
To give your senses and your brain a workout, try doing activities that simultaneously engage all five of your senses. Learning a new skill is not only fun and interesting, but it may also help strengthen the connections in your brain.
Research from also shows that learning a new skill can help improve memory function in older adults. You now have one more good reason to learn that new skill. After you learn a new skill, you need to practice it. Teaching it to someone else requires you to explain the concept and correct any mistakes you make.
For example, learn to swing a golf club, then teach the steps to a friend. Do you want an easy way to increase your creative brain power? The answer may lie in turning on some music. According to a study , listening to happy tunes helps generate more innovative solutions compared to being in silence.
Which means, cranking up some feel-good music can help boost your creative thinking and brain power. And if you want to learn how to play music , now is a great time to start because your brain is capable of learning new skills at any point in your life.
Instead, be willing to try new ways to do the same things. Choose a different route to get to work each week or try a different mode of transport, like biking or using public transport instead of driving.
Your brain can benefit from this simple change, and you might be surprised by how easy it is to change your thinking. Daily meditation can calm your body, slow your breathing, and reduce stress and anxiety.
A review of research has overwhelmingly proven the many cognitive benefits of being able to speak more than one language. According to numerous studies, bilingualism can contribute to better memory, improved visual-spatial skills, and higher levels of creativity. Being fluent in more than one language may also help you switch more easily between different tasks, and delay the onset of age-related mental decline.
According to researchers, you can boost your memory and improve other mental functions by becoming a student of a new language at any time in your life. Plus, it can also help center you when life seems out of balance. Taking up a regular practice of tai chi can help reduce stress, enhance sleep quality, and improve memory.
A study found that long-term tai chi practice could induce structural changes in the brain, resulting in an increase in brain volume.
Beginners do best by taking a class to learn the different movements. But once you know the basics, you can practice tai chi anywhere, anytime. The next time you interact with someone, take note of four things about them. Maybe you observe the color of their shirt or pants.
Are they wearing glasses? Do they have a hat on, and if so, what kind of hat? What color is their hair? Once you decide on four things to remember, make a mental note, and come back to it later in the day. Write down what you remember about those four details.
What Is Brain Optimization? Knowing the Brain Type. The five basic brain types include: 1. The balanced brain. The spontaneous brain. The persistent brain. The sensitive brain. The cautious brain. What Is Brain Mapping?
Benefits of Brain Mapping. Brain optimization comes with a range of benefits that include:. Enhanced memory and focus. Decreased impulsivity and anxiety.
Better mental clarity. More restful sleep. Improved mood. Peak Performance. Other Conditions. What Is Peak Brain Performance? Ways to Peak Brain Performance. Be mindful: Meditation will increase your productivity, boost your creativity, and improve your relationships.
Meditation has been proven to increase your brainpower by improving concentration, memory, brainpower, and emotions. Optimize sleep: Sleep is crucial for peak performance. Being sleep-deprived reduces your analytical capacity, and you have a hard time regulating your emotions.
Eat well: Your brain needs the proper nutrition to perform at its best. Eating a wide variety of foods is one of the most important things you can do to optimize your brain. Consider adding some healthy foods into your diet like a piece of dark chocolate, fresh vegetables, lean meats, eggs, and healthy fats such as olive oil.
Play games: Games can engage your prefrontal cortex and help you build memory and self-awareness. Some of these training games include Lumosity, Elevate Brain Training, NeuroNation, Fit Brains Trainer, and Peak. Regulate negative emotions: Your brain has difficulty controlling your negative feelings if you are constantly feeding them with stressful thoughts and anxiety.
This thinking process can lead to you spending a lot of mental energy on your negative feelings and becoming too distracted to perform well. Learn how to be more aware of your emotional state and control it properly to regain cognitive control.
Be open to new mental and social experiences: You can slow down the process of cognitive decline by being open to new experiences beyond your comfort zone.
Neurofeedback: A type of therapy that lets patients see their brain activity in real-time and use this to practice self-regulation. What Is Brain Training? Cognitive flexibility. Working memory. What Is the Process for Neurofeedback?
How to Prepare for a Neurofeedback Session.
By Emily Anthes. Amputees sometimes experience efticiency limb sensations, feeling Immune system optimization techniques, itching or other impulses coming bbrain Increase brain efficiency that no Increse exist. Neuroscientist Vilayanur Hypertension risk factors. Ramachandran worked with patients who had so-called phantom limbs, including Tom, a man who had lost one of his arms. Each part of the body is represented by a different region of the somatosensory cortex, and, as it happens, the region for the hand is adjacent to the region for the face.
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