In today’s fast-paced world, where demands are higher than ever and the pressure to continually be engaged in some form of activity is intense, having a sharp and active brain is more important than ever. Boosting your brain power can offer a great way to remain at the top of your game, whether it’s for better productivity at work or keeping the brain ticking over in older age. Whilst there is a host of information out there that focuses on complex formulas, expensive aids and downright strange routines that apparently will help boost brain power, they aren’t entirely necessary. In fact, small, consistent lifestyle changes that create positive habits within your life can help improve both your mental health and your physical health whilst enhancing your brain power.
These five simple ways to boost your brain power are not rocket science and remain accessible to many. They are options available to most people and are sure to enhance memory, focus and clarity.
1. Challenges
Keeping your brain on its toes and challenging it is another great way to not only maintain your brain power but also to let it grow stronger. Stimulation is the best way to create new neural pathways and improve existing ones, which is perfect for improving brain performance.
Consistency of challenges is important and keeping your brain regularly active is key when challenging it. This could be in the form of puzzles, games, a new language or playing an instrument.
Contrary to popular belief, hobbies can be more than just distractions and a way of destressing or relaxing. They can also be really useful in improving your mental health and brain power. Gaming is a perfect example of this.
There is a growing pool of research that evidences benefits to brain function when gaming. All the best games require decision-making, quick reactions, pattern recognition, and short-term memory use. Even iGaming titles available on ValueWalk’s list of online casinos help to challenge the brain and keep cognitive functions optimum.
2. Sleep
Simple and free but often dismissed, sleep can be one of the best ways to boost your brain activity. Getting a good night’s rest doesn’t just revive the body, it is crucial for restoring and reinforcing neural pathways. Sleep sees the brain consolidate memories, remove unhealthy toxins and power up for the coming day. Without a consistent, healthy sleep pattern, you run the risk of impaired focus, loss of creativity and a lack of intuition and problem-solving skills.
Health professionals recommend between 7-9 hours of sleep per night for optimal performance. Without this, you run the risk of serious health implications through chronic diseases, metabolic slowing and impaired cognitive function. It has been proven that those who work shifts and don’t get enough sleep or disrupt their circadian rhythm through nightshift work can cause long-term damage, which brings a whole host of issues to the individual.
Sticking to a regular sleep schedule and prioritising sleep hygiene is a perfect, free way in which people can improve their brain power. Going to bed and waking up at the same time most days, avoiding screen time and keeping optimal condition in your sleeping space are all ways to improve sleep hygiene and boost that brain of yours.
3. Exercise
Whilst exercise is predominantly all about helping you improve your physical activity, it cannot be underestimated the power that exercise has on improving mental health and brain performance. Regular exercise improves blood flow and encourages the growth of new cells, including brain cells. Exercise results in neurogenesis, a process of new brain cells regenerating, which improves brain power exponentially.
Regular exercise for as little as 20 minutes a day, whether it be walking, swimming, running or cycling, has been proven by experts to improve physical and mental health. It improves mood and offers restorative values to cognitive function, which are key indicators of a more general brain power-up.
Like much of this list, the key to utilising exercise as a tool for increased brain power is consistency. Without consistency, you risk not reaping the full rewards of it on your brain power. By prioritizing exercise, amongst the other suggestions on this list, you are sure to both see and feel the benefits of it on your health.
4. Socializing and Human Connection
Despite what many might argue, especially in an increasingly disconnected real world, humans are inherently social. Engaging in meaningful social interactions and establishing connections with other people is another great way to improve brain power.
Conversations, arguments and sharing different ideas all allow humans to grow their brains and form connections that reduce the risks of mental health issues and cognitive complications. Feelings of loneliness have been proven to increase the chances of developing dementia and often come hand in hand with mental health dips.
By joining clubs or classes that allow you to be social whilst doing something you enjoy, or even just calling your family, you are remaining in touch with other humans, giving you the chance to communicate, improve memory and engage your brain in ways that would otherwise be absent.
5. Reduce Stress
Stress produces cortisol, excess cortisol can substantially affect brain capacity and functioning negatively. Whilst it can sometimes be really difficult for people to avoid stress at all in their life, particularly during specific stages of life, trying to manage stress and engage in mindfulness to combat stress during daily life, can give you a better chance of reducing the levels of cortisol in your body.
Reducing cortisol will protect your brain from the detrimental impacts it could potentially have on you, in turn enhancing your cognitive function and improving brain power.
There are quick and easy ways to reduce stress that can be easily adopted into anyone’s and everyone’s daily life, which allow for much more effective management of stress. Taking a walk in nature, implementing deep breathing exercises into your routine, or journaling are all great ways of grounding yourself, living in the now and practicing mindfulness. This notion of mindfulness is extremely powerful in giving you extra brain power.
Also Read: How Brain Science Influences Leadership Behaviors
