The brain is one of the most mysterious and intriguing organs in our body. Thanks to many years of studies, researchers can uncover some things about the brain. For many years, we believed that the brain is unable to repair its self after damage, may it be caused by disease or injury. Scientists have recently disproved this. They found out that when one area of the brain is damaged, it can rewire its self and use other regions to carry out its functions. This phenomenon is called neuroplasticity.
Support your Brain Development
The brain goes through rapid development during fetal and younger years. This is to prepare the brain to handle complex problems later in life. A mature human being can process information and handle daily problems with ease. However, this does not mean that development stops here. Continuously stimulating the brain allows it to form new neural pathways, and enhances the use of different regions of the brain. Helpguide.org enumerates the activities that support the brain’s continuous development. The activities include new things that challenge the mind. Any activity that provides new knowledge teaches the new skill, and rewarding are great for the brain.
Sleep
Sleep is important for our overall health. During sleep, the body can repair its self. Based on an article written on Harvard page, sleep helps in retention and facilitating newly learned skills. On the other hand, lack of it affects judgment, motivation, and perception of events. Ample amount of sleep allows full concentration during waking hours. It is suggested to have at least 7.5 hours of sleep in a day.
Exercise
There are numerous benefits of exercise to our body. What most people don’t know is that exercise also helps boost brain power. Exercise forces the body to pump more blood and more oxygen to the brain. An article in Harvard publication stated that exercise supports the release of growth hormones in the brain. These hormones assist in the development of new blood vessels and survival of new brain cells. Exercise also helps stimulates the production of endorphins, a happy hormone, that could help keep depression at bay.
Eat Right
Eating food that is rich in vitamins B, C, D, and E, omega-3 fatty acids, curcumin (found in turmeric), and choline provide the brain its much-needed nutrients. These nutrients maintain brain health and help combat degeneration. Brain-boosting food includes salmon, flax seed, cocoa, green tea, red meat, asparagus, avocado, eggs, and citrus fruits. If you feel that you are not getting enough vitamins for your brain, there are brain supplements that are very helpful in getting all the brain-boosting nutrients you need. Consulting your family doctor is important before taking these brain supplements.
Meditate
Meditation has been known for hundreds of years to be beneficial for one’s physical, mental, and spiritual health. In an interview that was published in The Washington Post with a neuroscientist from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Sara Lazar, she enumerated ways that meditation can be helpful for the brain. She stated that studies found that certain regions of the brain, (posterior cingulate, left hippocampus, temporal and parietal junction, and the pins) that are involved in learning, cognition, memory, perspective taking, empathy, and neurotransmitter production were thickened. On the other hand, the amygdala, which is the center for anxiety, fear and stress were shrunken.
Stress Management
Stress does a lot of things to our body. Science still has to uncover the exact role of stress in different disease conditions. One thing is for sure, stress is not good for our health and most especially to our brain. A healthy amount of stress stimulates the brain, but too much of it blocks thought process completely, for instance in shock. Being too stressed out decreases concentration and people are found to function less efficiently during an extremely stressful situation.
Meet New People
In a study, it has been found that the brain forms a protective barrier against harmful changes such as in dementia. This phenomenon is also called the scaffolding effect. Meeting new people, socializing, and engaging in brain stimulating activities help the brain in this process.
Laugh
“Laughter is the best medicine,” the old saying goes. Scientists have proven this right in their studies. They found that laughter does not only reduce stress, but it also gives the brain a workout it needs, as laughter involves complex brain activities. Scientists found that when people laugh, it puts different areas of the brain to work; unlike with emotions that only works a particular area.
Try Supplements
There is no harm in trying new things. There are brain supplements that are out in the market that contain ingredients that are backed-up with years of research and are proven to enhance brain functions. One of them is Genuix. Just like most food supplement, this FDA approved food supplement has no research proof to support its claims.
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