The human brain is a 3 kg computer – it is the command and control center that runs our lives and is involved in everything we do, so there is no shadow of a doubt that it is very important to protect and upkeep. Our brain determines the way we think, feel, act, and how well we get along with other people, our brain also determines what kind of person we are – are we considerate or polite, or otherwise rude? Optimizing your brain function is necessary for maximizing your abilities, whether at work, leisure or in relationships with the people closest to you. Therefore, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the following tips to improve your brain’s performance.
1. Exercise for your brain cells
Many studies have shown that when people engage in physical activity, the level of brain function improves. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., Found adult mice on the wheel had twice as many new hippocampal cells as mice who did not want to use the wheel. Researchers are unsure why the rodent’s brain responded to physical activity in this way, but they hypothesized that exercise reduced stress and caused the rest of the body’s functions, including those in the brain, to work more efficiently.
2. Train your mind
Just like exercising, activating different parts of the brain also trains them. Professor Lawrence Katz, a neurobiologist at Duke University, argues that finding simple ways to activate different parts of the brain that are not normally used is beneficial in keeping neurons and dendrites, which are short extensions protruding from nerve cells that are their input devices. Just as a new weight-building exercise builds muscles we rarely use, so a new worldview or recreational activity can improve the function of parts that are less used in the brain. Try new flavors and smells, do things with your weaker hand, take a different route to work, or travel to new places. In short, try to do new things that will take you out of your comfort zone, and your brain will enjoy and grow stronger.
3. Ask ‘Why?’
Our minds are very curious, but as we grow older, many of us ignore or deny our natural curiosity. Let yourself be curious and wonder why things happen the way they do and ask someone who knows. The best way to exercise our curiosity is to ask “Why?” At least 10 times a day. Your brain will be more active and you will be amazed at the number of opportunities and solutions that will appear in your life and at work.
4. Laugh
Scientists say laughter is good for health because it releases endorphins and other positive chemicals to our systems. While we don’t really need scientists to tell us that laughter makes us feel good … laughter is just like the quick claim of energy to our brain.
5. Eat fish
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in walnuts, flax seeds, and fatty fish, have long been known to be beneficial to heart activity. A recent study found that omega-3 fatty acids are also very healthy for the brain, not only because they improve the functioning of the circulatory system that supplies oxygen to the brain. It turns out that these beneficial compounds can also improve the functioning of the membranes that surround brain cells and thus improve overall functioning.
6. Remember
Take an old photo album or even your high school yearbook and give it a few minutes of in-depth examination. Our brain is a memory machine, so give it a chance to work a bit and spend some time with your memories. Browse the photos and try to remember the names of the people, the experiences you shared with them, and the feelings you felt toward them. After a while, you’ll discover that the process of recalling memories happens much faster even when you look at an old album or at all when you try to recall something you were sure you had already forgotten.
7. Reduce your intake of bad fat
Can “bad” fats adversely affect our brain function? When researchers at the University of Toronto provided rats with a 40% fat diet, their mental functioning decreased, including memory, spatial orientation, and learning ability. The problems worsened with a diet rich in saturated fat, found mainly in dairy products and meat. It is hypothesized that fat may reduce blood flow to the brain, which damages the supply of oxygen and glucose to the nerves. This does not mean that you should stop consuming fats, you just need to know what type of fats to consume, and how much. Monounsaturated fat, which is mainly plant-based, is very healthy for the body and linked to health and longevity, you can get it from fish, olive oil, nuts, avocados, and seeds.
8. Work the brain
Some of us like puzzles, some the daily crossword, and some of us prefer riddles – the kind does not matter. The main thing is to solve difficult and challenging things. Solving problems in your free time is a great way to activate your brain and keep it in excellent condition.
9. Listen to music
A decade ago, Frances Rauscher, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin in the United States, and her colleagues published an amazing discovery and found that listening to Mozart improved mathematical and spatial thinking of the listeners, and even rats ran better and more accurately through a maze after hearing Mozart. It seems that listening to Mozart stimulates activity in three genes involved in transmitting signals in the brain. And it isn’t just Mozart, music, in general, is good for our health. Listen to the music you love when you can, it’s much more important than you thought until now!
10. Improve your skills in the things you already know how to do
Repeating routine actions that your mind is used to doing doesn’t strain your mind. At the same time, there is no reason why you shouldn’t upgrade or change how you do things to create new connections between nerves in your brain and improve your abilities.
11. Reduce your alcohol intake
Some say that alcohol kills brain cells, but the reality is a bit more complicated. A study of 3,500 Japanese men found that men who drank moderately (in this case, one drink per day) had better cognitive function than those who did not drink at all. Predictably, the worst performance was observed among those who drank more. The results of another study that examined the association between alcohol and brain function revealed that rats receiving a large amount of alcohol had fewer new cells in the hippocampus immediately after drinking and even a month later. This indicated that the alcohol not only damaged the rat’s brain but also prevented it from correcting itself at a later stage. Therefore, it is definitely worth reducing your alcohol consumption and consuming it in moderate amounts.
12. Play
Find time to play, and even make time to play. Play cards, video games, board games or any game you love – the main thing is to play. It is good for the general feeling and good for the brain because it is an action that encourages thinking strategically and puts us in the face of problems we wouldn’t normally encounter in our daily lives.
13. Sleep on it
The recommended sleep time for an adult is 7-8 hours. Sleep is vital to our health and even to the proper functioning of the brain. During sleep, neurotransmitters in the brain reduce their activity, and their threshold is reset to normal and regular levels. In addition, during sleep, free radicals that accumulate in the brain during the day are cleaned by special enzymes, and nerve cells regroup.
14. Focus
Concentration can improve brain power. Learn to focus when distracted, and try to get rid of the disturbance. For example, if you need to make an important phone call, thinking about it can take your mind off the task at hand and make you not think clearly. Try to make the phone call as soon as possible so that you can concentrate again. Stop the flow of life from time to time to ask yourself “what’s on my mind?” and identify the factors that interfere with your concentration and deal with them.
15. Learn a new word every day
There is a strong connection between vocabulary and intelligence. When we add new words to our vocabulary, our brain can think in new ways with more nuances between different ideas. This is a particularly powerful way to stimulate and improve our brain activity.
