5 Key Ways To Improve Brain Performance
It probably goes without saying that the most important organ in your body is your brain.
You absolutely cannot function without it and if your brain is running slow, so are you.
If there is one thing you should be primarily focusing on for living your best life is taking good care of your brain.
How then, can we make sure our brain keeps working for us as we age and help prevent diseases, such as dementia threaten our golden years.
The good news is that just like any part of your body, a care routine can be put in place for your brain.
This post looks at 5 key ways to improve brain performance for enabling optimum mental health.
Stimulate Your Mind
HealthHarvard.edu says “Through research with mice and humans, scientists have found that brain activities stimulate new connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate new cells. This develops neurological “plasticity” and builds up a functional reserve that provides a hedge against future cell loss.”
Basically, stimulating your mind is like working out your body. Challenge and flex your brain, and it will get stronger. Watch TV all the time and your brain will get weaker.
Challenging your mind can also boost your mental health and make you feel more in the moment. Following your old habits day in and day out will make you depressed and barely present at all.
Hit the Gym
You may think that exercise is for the rest of the body, but the brain benefits as well! Improved blood flow brings more oxygen to brain cells so that the brain can have more energy.
The oxygen-rich blood also spurs development of new nerve cells and increases the connection between brain cells. So no more excuses! Make time for the gym and you’ll be glad you did!
The Mediterranean Diet
For years now nutritionists have touted the benefits of The Mediterranean Diet. This diet refers to the food and lifestyle of people living in the Mediterranean.
The food of the diet emphasises fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and olive oil. The Mediterranean lifestyle promotes physical activities such as dancing and walking from place to place.
Your body is only as good as the fuel it gets. Your brain is part of your body and if you keep your body well fuelled, it will thank you with higher power performance.
You can still have French fries every now and then if you must, but think about what you’re missing out on.
Keep up with your Mental Health
Anxiety can increase blood pressure and hurt the immune system. It can also cause insomnia, as your brain is working overtime agonising over what you did or didn’t do during the day.
Depression can cause you to not even care what kind of performance your brain, or any other part of you gives at all.
These types of mental health issues and their hindrance to your overall performance are good reasons to take good care of yourself mentally.
Prioritise sleep and self-care, don’t ignore your emotions and reach out for help both professional and unprofessional if you need to.
Reach out
Strong social ties help you in every walk of life. There`s a chance you probably met your significant other through a friend, jobs are quite often secured due to who you know rather than what you know.
It has also shown that those with strong social ties have lower chances of developing dementia, lower blood pressure and higher life expectancy. So, reach out and make a friend!
These five pointers are just the beginning and like anything, increasing your brain performance takes practice. You have to commit to these lifestyle changes, but once you do you’ll find the benefits far outweigh the setbacks.
Increased brain performance means better focus, more positivity and less mental health risks.