In this article we show 5 ways to increase your brain power. We liked number 4 the best!
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Sports
When we exercise, our brain is put under maximum strain and has to work at full speed. In this way, new nerve cells are formed when you train! In addition, new nerve connections are created in the brain and existing connections are protected from damage. In addition, the brain is better supplied with blood and substances are released that support neuronal health and thus the health of the brain. Exercise also stimulates mitochondrial production. Mitochondria are cell organelles that produce energy in our cells. This suggests that exercise makes our brain function faster and more efficiently. Sport is therefore ideal for increasing brain performance.
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Sleep
Who hasn't woken up with the solution to a problem from the day before? Many people believe that a sleeping brain is the equivalent of a computer in sleep mode - that it is not doing anything productive. But that is not correct. Sleep helps cleanse your brain. Garbage is cleared out and new things learned are processed. This then allows you to look at problems from a different perspective, which is important for creativity. According to a Harvard University study, sleep helps you make connections between ideas and problems that seem unrelated. The newly acquired knowledge and connections promote creativity and thus increase the likelihood that a creative solution or idea will emerge. Sleep promotes performance, learning ability and memory. In fact, just one night of four to six hours of sleep reduces your ability to think clearly the next day. If you get enough sleep, you can increase your brain performance.
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Brain food
Foods rich in certain vitamins and nutrients are particularly important for our brains. Vitamin C, such as that found in fruits and vegetables, is important for the production of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the messenger substances through which the 100 billion nerve cells in our brain communicate. Neurotransmitters, for example, determine our ability to concentrate and remember.
Vitamin B12 helps form myelin. Myelin sheaths surround the axons of nerve cells and protect them. With increasing age, the ability to absorb vitamin B12 sometimes decreases. If you don't feel clear in your head and have problems with your memory, this could be a sign of a vitamin B12 deficiency.
Vitamin D also has a positive influence on our brain. Studies suggest that it is not only necessary for brain development in infants and children, but also protects against degenerative diseases in old age and improves memory. Activated vitamin D receptors in the brain increase nerve growth, and scientists have also discovered metabolic pathways for vitamin D in parts of the brain that play a role in the planning process and processing information. Vitamin D is a hormone that the body produces when you are in the sun. It is almost impossible to find in food.
An incredible 8% of our brain weight comes from omega-3 fatty acids and they are a building block for an estimated 100 billion neurons. DHA and EPA take on many tasks in neuronal structure and function. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in salmon or avocado, for example. So if you want to increase your brain performance, you should definitely eat optimally.
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Listen to music
Maybe some of you have heard of the so-called “Mozart effect”. This suggests that listening to classical music makes you smarter. It has been scientifically proven that listening to music while exercising improves cognitive and verbal skills. In a study of people suffering from coronary artery disease, verbal skills improved by 100% after a music session. Listening to music has also been linked to improved mental focus.
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Challenge your brain
One of the easiest ways to improve your brain power is to learn new things. The size, function, and connection between nerve cells change and improve as you learn. It doesn't matter what you learn. Just learn things that interest you and are fun. A new language, a musical instrument, or programming. Become a graffiti artist or read about Genghis Khan's conquest. The main thing is to challenge your brain. Travel to a new, unknown city and find your way there. This also trains the brain. There are countless things you can do to challenge your brain.
Sources:
Soni, M. et al. (2012): Vitamin D and cognitive function.
Lucy K. Wasse et al. (2012): Influence of rest and exercise at a simulated altitude of 4,000 m on appetite, energy intake, and plasma concentrations of acylated ghrelin and peptide YY
http://www.dana.org/Cerebrum/2009/Vitamin_D_and_the_Brain__More_Good_News/