Tips to Improve Your Brain Power
The world is full of smart people. Maybe it’s your neighbor across the way who can speak five languages without batting an eye, or your cousin who likes to remind you about her perfect SAT score. Go to the Guinness Book of World Records, and you can read about other geniuses like Stephen Hawking, who solve cosmological puzzles that would melt the minds of lesser beings.
With all that brain power floating around, the world can seem a little overwhelming to us mere mortals. The good news is the even if you don’t have a stratospheric IQ, there are some ways you can improve your cognitive functioning.
EAT
It starts, not with your brain, but with your body. That’s right: healthy body equals healthy mind. Study after study has shown the parts of the brain responsible for thinking and memory work better in people who exercise versus people who don’t. It’s just one more reason to stay fit and healthy.
SLEEP
The next best thing you can do is just the opposite. Well, not quite. We don’t mean lounge in front of the TV, we mean sleep. Sleep is the brain’s way of housecleaning, sorting out the day’s events into neat categories so the information can be more easily accessed. Lack of sleep means you’re starting your day with a cluttered jumble inside your brain, which makes it a lot harder to recall the information you need and to process new information. So get plenty of sleep. Your brain will thank you for it.
PLAY
Your brain might not be a muscle in the same sense your heart or your biceps are, but like them it benefits from exercise. Playing simple games can help you stay sharper. One easy game is the dice game. Roll a few dice and then quickly cover them with your hand. What were the results? Can you remember? As you continue to play, you can add more dice to make it more of a challenge.
SHAKE IT UP
Another way to stimulate your brain is try something new. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut where your brain doesn’t have to do much work, because it’s seen it all before. Don’t let it. Shake things up by taking a different route to work, trying out a new restaurant or adjusting your morning routine— anything to get your brain off autopilot.
And while you’re trying something new, why not add in some foods known to boost your brain power? Snack on some nuts, which are full of magnesium, a mineral linked to improvements in short and long-term memory. Blueberries are another great food. They’re full of anthocyanins—the antioxidants that create the blue color— which foster neuron-to-neuron communication in the brain. Here’s a list of some other foods that can help your brain work better.
EXERCISE (YOUR BRAIN)
One of my favorite apps is Lumosity. It’s a series of timed brain-engaging activities designed to stimulate different parts of your brain. You compete against yourself and Lumosity tracks it then modifies the activities it shows you. Very entertaining way to re-train and challenge your brain!
Your brain is the best friend you’ll ever have, so treat it like one. And while none of these methods will turn your best friend into a powerhouse overnight, they can help the two of you have a great relationship for a long time to come.