The best way to keep your brain sharp is to work it. You can do this by exercising it and feeding it the right food. Scientists have recommended many ways to do this.
- Blueberries and almonds are great snacks. The blueberries are packed with antioxidants and the almonds contain omega-3, both are essential for proper brain function. They also help to lower blood sugar. Reach for these healthy snacks instead of a sugar-laden candy.
- Learn to dance. When you learn new dance moves, your brain is activated to produce new neurological connections. Dancing can also calm the brain and relieve stress.
- Replace salad croutons with walnuts. Like almonds, walnuts contain omega-3 which is good for the brain. It can reduce inflammation and improve the mood levels in the brain. Walnuts also help the brain function properly by replacing melatonin levels.
- Take a walk. Walk with a friend, by yourself, or with your dog. Research shows that blood sugar levels are lowered when you walk at least 20 minutes every day. You will think more coherently and also reduce your risk of stroke.
- Try adding Chinese club moss to your diet. Scientific evidence suggests that this herbal supplement can protect the neurotransmitters in the brain and maintain proper synapse function. Because Chinese club moss is so potent, a dose of less than 100 micrograms is needed. If you are taking any prescription medications, you should consult with your doctor in case of drug interactions.
- Become a tour guide. This is another way to create new neural connections in your brain. When you memorize new information and teach others, it is good for your brain. You can also release stress when you are working with other people, and that in turn helps your memory. Find a local place such as a museum, hospital, library, or other location to volunteer.
- Play a video game. Nintendo DS, Wii, and other video games task your brain as you learn how to play. Not only will you make new neural pathways, but you will increase your memory and response time.
- Try something new. Once you have mastered a puzzle such as Sudoku, your brain no longer creates those new neural pathways. Find something outside of your normal area of comfort. If you are a numbers person, try something artistic like drawing.
- Create a support system. When you face a stressful situation alone, it can cause the memory center in your brain to decrease. When you interact with other people, it stimulates other areas in your brain and opens up both increased coping mechanisms and neural pathways.
- See what’s really there. Work on your peripheral vision by staring straight ahead and trying to see peripherally without moving your eyes. You should do this on a regular basis to help strengthen both the spatial and neural areas in your brain.
- See all around you. When you are out walking, don’t focus on just is straight ahead. Be sure to look to the right and left to work additional areas of the brain. Again, this can stimulate the growth of brain cells and create neural pathways.
- Memorize details of your surroundings. Try to remember and then describe to others things such as how fresh the air smelled, or the spectrum of colors outside. When you note and then repeat details, this will increase brain cells in the areas of your brain responsible for memory, vision, and verbal actions.
- Live the story with the storyteller. When you listen to someone convey a story, listen intently and create an image in your head of what they are telling. Listen for changes in their voice inflection and other small details. This will help increase your memory and activate specific brain regions.
- Ingest the Indian tea, Gotu Kola. This has been used traditional ayurvedic medicine for hundreds of years. Recent studies show that drinking two cups of this tea every day helps increase memory and the ability to focus by regulating the brain chemical called dopamine. It an also provide protection from free radicals and elevate mood.
- Try some Tulsi tea. This is another Indian tea which comes from the herbs ginseng and holy basis. This tea is supposed to increase mental alertness and relieve stress by controlling the production of cortisol in the brain.
- Repeat a calming word. When you are stressed, repeat your calming word silently to yourself. This simple meditation technique can decrease the level of cortisol in the brain. Cortisol is known to increase stress levels and hamper memory.
- Focus on the date. If you keep a calendar in all rooms of your house, you are able to be more focused.
- Learn something new. Taking a class and learning something new can decrease your chance of dementia. If you aren’t able to take a class, read a book. You could also attend a conference or some other kind of educational seminar.
- Protect your brain. If you ride a bike, wear a helmet. Brain injuries such as concussions may result in early onset dementia. Protecting your brain physically is as important as working it mentally.
- Enjoy some red wine. Red wine contains the antioxidant resveratrol which aids in protecting the brain from free radical damage. Research shows the optimal amounts are two glasses of wine each week for women and three glasses for men. Drinking in excess of that may cause the brain to loose important nutrients.
- Proper thyroid function. Your thyroid plays a major role in the health of your brain. The thyroid hormones, T3 and T4, assist the nerve cells in making connections. When your thyroid is malfunctioning, you are lethargic and depressed.
- Skip the beef. Instead of eating a hamburger and French fries, ask for a pork loin that is encrusted in peanuts, with broccoli for a side dish. Peanuts and pork contain thiamin, which protects brain cells from inflammation. Broccoli contains folate, which is essential for proper brain synapse function.
- Snack on fruit. Many fruits have a sweet taste and they don’t raise your blood sugar level like candy does. When your blood sugar is too high, your brain cells cannot work properly. Fruit such as apples, pears, cantaloupe, or orange also contain high antioxidants and fiber that fight against free radical damage.
- Eat some oats. Oats are high in fiber and keep the arteries in your brain clear from plaque. A hearty breakfast of oats with cinnamon sprinkled on top is great to maintain your blood sugar levels. Healthy blood sugar aids in neurotransmission of brain messages.
- Pump up the music. Instead of watching brain numbing television, listen to your favorite tunes. Music has been show to lower your stress levels. Stress can cause memory loss, so music improves your memory and keeps you feeling good.
- Spice it up. Add curry to your foods. Turmeric is a major component of curry and is rich in resveratrol. Remember resveratrol? The powerful antioxidant found in red wine? Try to add curry to your diet once a week to defend your brain from free radicals.
- Fast occasionally. It is recommended that people fast at least once a month to promote production of a blood glucose component that assists the brain. This blood glucose improves the way the brain transmits information. Be sure to end your fast with brain healthy foods.
- Add walnut oil. Walnut oil, like the walnuts themselves is rich in omega-3s. These important nutrients reduce brain inflammation which can cause memory loss. The oil also works to thin the blood so that the blood flows better to your brain.
- Feast on fish. Fish is rich in components that are great for your brain. Choose your fish wisely and stay away from farm raised fish that may be high in heavy metals. These metals can cause memory and brain impairments. The most brain friendly fish are sardines and salmon. They are also good for your heart.
- Update your surroundings. When you change your environment, your brain develops new cells and neural pathways. The changes can be as simple as planting new flowers or rearranging your closets. You can redecorate a room or reorganize your drawers.
- Engage in debate. Engage in a debate with someone, but don’t get mad. Anger will negate the good effects of taking side of an issue. When you are debating with someone, your brain has to work efficiently and help you articulate your thoughts. This can result in new neural connections in your brain.
- Get sufficient sleep. When you sleep, it gives your brain time to store and connect memories. When you suffer from insomnia or sleep deprivation, you don’t give your brain the time it needs. If you are having trouble sleeping because of stress, try to sleep with a relaxing scent in the room.
- Clear neck clots. Having a clot in your neck restricts the amount of oxygen and blood that reach the brain. When you don’t get enough oxygen to your brain, your memory suffers. Have your doctor make sure that there is not a clot in your carotid artery.
- Remember names. When you meet a new person, create a mental image that will trick your brain into remember their name. You could picture a curly haired man named Mr. Bender by creating an image of him bending over with his curly hair in front of you.
- Be a news junkie. If you keep up on current events, you will have something to talk about when you socialize. You build your memory by recalling these events and activate brain regions when discussing them with others.
- Play an instrument. Those who play an instrument have a lower chance of dementia. It can also help your memory and keep your brain from atrophy.
- Read a book. Read a good book and discuss it with others. People who are voracious readers have a decreased risk for dementia. You may want to join a book club. Meeting new people through a book club and discussing the book with them leads to new neural pathways in the brain.
- Play a game. There are many games that initiate specific parts of the brain. When you work your spatial, memory, or strategic brain regions, you diminish your chance of dementia. You may enjoy playing Boggle, Risk, Pictionary, or Yahtzee. Playing games with others is also good for your brain connections.
- Learn a language. Studying a new language stimulates the language, verbal and memory regions in the brain. You’ll also have the benefits of speaking another language.
- Indulge your senses. The best memories are created by using all your senses because multiple regions of your brain are involved. Increase your brain function by getting your sight, sound, taste, and smell sensations involved.
- Take a time out. If you are quick to anger, take a time out instead of lashing out. Anger causes certain brain regions to diminish. Recognize signs of anger in yourself and calm yourself before you reach your boiling point.
- Skip the salt. Salt can cause hypertension which can result in cardiovascular disease. Recent research indicates that if you reduce the amount of salt you intake, it will can also diminish dementia and increase the flow of oxygen and blood to your brain.
- Talk time to talk. It has been mentioned multiple times how socializing and talking with people increases the neural pathways in your brain. It can also reduce your lack of depression which can cause poor memory.
- Re-evaluate prescriptions. There are many medications that can cause memory loss by blocking certain brain chemicals. If you suspect this may be your problem, discuss your prescriptions and their side effects with your physician and ask for a replacement if needed.
- Weight training. You don’t even have to lift weights to do this. Just add some ankle or wrist weights as you do your daily walk. This will result in free radical protection and the development of new brain cells. You could also try yoga to achieve the same results.
- Sleep late. Forget the alarm and sleep in. If your body is sleep-deprived, you are unable to manufacture important brain proteins and other components.
- Catch a quick nap. Your brain boosts the memory and concentration regions during the first stage of sleep. A short 20-30 minute nap will benefit your brain.
- Work your non-dominant hand. If you are right handed, try writing or using your computer mouse with your left hand, and vice versa. Doing this will stimulate new regions in your brain that aren’t generally used. You’ll also promote new brain cells when you have to concentrate harder on a task.
- Shake it up. Near the beginning and end of each day, shake out your arms and legs to promote alertness and relaxation. This helps to rid your brain of cortisol which can stress and memory loss.
- Explore your surroundings. Walk your neighborhood and make a mental map. Create new routes as you tour. Doing this helps to create additional neural brain connections.
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