When it comes to our health and wellness, we always think about staying hydrated, visiting the doctor on time, eating healthy food and getting enough sleep. However, our brain and mental sharpness are also essential to stay healthy and maintain overall well-being. Our ability to stay focused, productive and remember lots of things lessens as we age. In addition, there are many things that affect how we operate and feel ourselves, so training your brain and keeping you mentally sharp is vital for overall wellness. Let’s explore the 6 most effective ways to boost your brain health for the long term.
Why Should You Keep Your Brain Sharp?
First things first, why should you keep your brain sharp? We all have experienced some problems, like poor memory, lack of concentration and productivity during the day. While health conditions might cause it, it is often related to stress, lack of sleep, lack of nutrients, and not keeping you mentally sharp. In addition, we can experience similar problems as we age since our brain loses its key functions. So starting to challenge your brain and taking supplements as soon as possible will provide long-term effects and help you stay mentally sharp while you age. Below you will see key reasons why it is vital:
Increased Memory Capacity
When you keep your brain sharp by constantly learning new things, it works much harder. As a result, the memory capacity will increase over time. For example, a 2006 study published by the Hippocampus journal found that London taxi drivers had a better memory capacity and a larger hippocampus (the area that keeps memories) than London bus drivers. That is because bus drivers always follow a set route, while taxi drivers always find new ways.
Enhanced Cognitive Capacity
By training your brain and memory, you’re improving and strengthening the connective tissue in the brain’s neurons which leads to better productivity and performance. This is scientifically known as neuroplasticity, representing how your brain expands its capacity.
Delayed Mental Decline that Occurs from Ageing
Even though the cognitive decline is a normal process that we will all experience when we age, it’s possible to maximise your brain efficiency and keep symptoms in check for more years. Just by regularly doing simple yet practice-proven exercises, you can improve neuroplasticity and delay mental decline.
How to Sharpen Your Brain
Challenge Your Brain with Exercises
One of the most effective methods to sharpen your brain is by challenging your brain with various mental exercises. This not only stimulates your brain and keeps you more productive but also lets you enjoy long-term effects and improve memory capacity. You can download apps or solve the Rubik’s cube as a great cognitive exercise.
Repeat Information
Repeating information is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to keep you mentally sharp. This can be done by recalling something you’ve just read or heard, repeating the information out loud, and you can also write it down. This has been shown to reinforce the new facts in your memory, improving its capacity.
However, just repeating the information you’ve learned once won’t work. It is recommended to repeat the same information the next day, after a week, a month and so on. You can also try to remember the previous day, what you ate, what tasks you did, what plans you had and so on. When you space out periods of recalling information, you’re improving your memory. Therefore, that works best when it’s timed accurately.
Manage Your Stress
Stress is the key factor for feeling unproductive and losing focus. In addition, stress has a great impact on our overall health and wellness. Chronic stress has been shown to interfere with attention, cognition and memory, while it may even cause long-term changes to the brain and the chemicals in it.
These changes in our bodies and mind can impact mood and increase the risk of anxiety and depression. Chronic stress also causes inflammation, which has been linked with multiple chronic diseases related to the heart and brain as well. Even though stress will be in your life anyways, you can still learn how to manage it.
Try to increase BDNF
BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is a protein which we produce in our brains which aids with neuroplasticity and stimulates the growth and survival of neurons. In other words, it’s essential for our brain’s health by keeping it sharp, able to store new information, master new abilities and adapt to change. This is why increasing BDNF is essential to staying mentally sharp and able to deal with everyday problems with ease. Fortunately, there are ways to increase BDNF naturally, which include eating superfoods, getting exposure to sunlight and intermittent fasting, so get researching and find out which is the best way for you to increase your BDNF
That could be yoga, walking in the forest, exercises in the gym, swimming or any other activity. You can also make sessions with psychologists to better understand your feelings, and you can try meditation as well, looking for the best way that fits you.
Try CBD Supplements
Whether it is CBD oil, CBD capsules, CBD gummies, CBD supplements are an excellent way to improve focus, productivity and energy. Aside from different formats, such products are available in many places, from dispensaries and health food stores to online stores like CBD shop Edinburgh.
CBD, scientifically called cannabidiol, is a chemical naturally present in cannabis. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is its chemical cousin known for its psychoactive and intoxicating properties. However, CBD doesn’t have any of these properties and is safe for human consumption. In addition, CBD has also been shown to promote concentration and keep you mentally sharp while also helping reduce stress.
Get Quality Sleep
Sleep is the only time our bodies have to recharge and refresh. Chronic lack of sleep can cause health diseases. Poor sleep also greatly affects how we feel, our mood, productivity, energy and mental sharpness. A quality night’s rest can help your brain recover after a long working day. According to the National Sleep Foundation, healthy adults need at least seven to nine hours of sleep, but some people may require more to feel good in the morning.
Make Schedules
Since the modern world is exceptionally competitive and busy, making accurate schedules can help you prioritise tasks and keep you focused during the day. Stress can also come from too much work or personal responsibilities that you can’t do because you forget about them or don’t have enough time. Time management is one of the easiest and most effective methods to boost personal and professional development.
