50 million people suffer from dementia with millions of new cases appearing annually. If brain issues run in your family or if you're simply cognizant of the fact that cognitive decline is inevitable, you may want to start being proactive when it comes to preserving and even improving your brain power.
But how can one keep their brain healthy? Are there limits to how "in shape" a brain can be?
If there are limits to mental strength, we can just about guarantee you haven't maxed out your potential yet. Because of that, we implore you to keep reading to take in strategies that can help you increase brain power, improve memory, and live a fuller life!
1. Eat Often and Eat Right
Three meals a day has long been the standard for human nutrition. Unfortunately, not everyone takes the time to get in all of those meals which can put them in a mental fog.
To start getting your diet right, commit to eating breakfast. Studies have shown increased mental clarity in those that take the time to get that first meal of the day tackled consistently.
Once you're on track eating the number of times you should start paying attention to what you're eating. Ample fruit and vegetable servings are helpful to proper brain function as are supplements so don't hesitate to buy Bulletproof Instamix products or other popular brain-focused enhancers if you can.
2. Exercise
When you work out, you improve blood flow in your body. That increased blood flow helps you feel more physically active and alert. A big reason why is that when blood is flowing better in your body, it's flowing better in your brain.
Better access to blood allows your brain to move more nimbly and tackle problems better which enables it to flex more and will aid in it building long-term neural connections.
You don't have to be a gym rat to get your brain working either! Taking 30 minutes to tackle simple physical activities can be more than enough to power up your cognitive abilities.
3. Don't Lose Out on Sleep
Like any muscle in your body, your brain needs to switch to low-power mode to recover from the day. That recovery period allows your brain to strengthen and even creates pathways that will help it operate better in the morning.
If you run your brain ragged and then deprive it of sleep, disabling it from recovering, you'll notice a cognitive decline. That decline can usually be remedied at a young age by catching up on sleep. Habitual sleeplessness, however, may cause permanent damage.
4. Challenge Your Brain
Teaching your brain new tricks is a great way to get it to look at life in different ways. The more diversity of thought you expose it to, the stronger it's going to get!
Eat new foods. Tackle sudoku puzzles. Explore interesting career paths.
In our experience, stimulating your brain in unique ways can do wonders in helping you meet your memory improvement goals especially. So, if your aim is to enhance your recall abilities, focus on brain challenges to see for yourself the impact it can have.
5. Keep Alcohol in Check
Most things in moderation aren't likely to wreak havoc on your brain power. Unfortunately, when it comes to alcohol, moderation is difficult for certain people.
Over 6% of adults in the United States engage in binge drinking at least once per month. That's nearly 20 million people.
Alcohol dehydrates your brain, puts pressure on certain areas of it, and ultimately can cause lifelong damage that even extensive rehabilitation can't repair. Bottom line, if you care about your brain, be mindful of the amount of alcohol you consume.
6. Be Proactive in Reducing Stress
A clear brain is one that's ready to tackle problems in innovative ways that can aid in its long-term growth. If your brain is clouded with bad experiences you ruminate on or problems you're facing, you're hampering your cognitive potential.
To help bring clarity to your thoughts, reduce your stress, and crush your anxiety, we recommend looking into mindfulness meditation.
Diving deep into that practice goes beyond the scope of this post. You can discover guided practices via this great, collegiate resource though if you're interested.
7. Protect Your Brain From Impact
The simplest means of preserving brain power and your memory can often be the most effective ones. People that experience trauma to their brain are far more likely to have cognitive issues versus those that don't.
While most brain trauma incidents are incurred by accident, you can be proactive in safeguarding yourself against them by taking simple steps.
For example, avoid high-risk activities like motorcycle riding or contact sports. If you do partake in high-risk activities, ensure you're using proper head protection at all times.
When you do experience a head impact, even if you feel fine, get assessed by a physician.
Your Brain Power Is Worth Taking Care Of
Our brain power fuels our whole lives. It makes us who we are and enable us to contribute the incredible things we'll bring to the world around us over our lifetimes.
We're heartened to know that you've read this post because that tells us you're serious about keeping your brain healthy. We now implore you to put into action one or many of the tips you've read to start taking steps towards a healthier tomorrow.
For more guidance on brain health and other lifestyle questions, explore additional content on our blog!
