1. Exercise
Our brain grows as we exercise. Exercise increases synapses, creating more connections in the brain and helping extra cells to form. That is to say: it has benefits for your body and your mind. The advice is to exercise while exploring a new environment, a new way of doing things or sharing ideas with other people; in this way the new cells form a circuit. The desire to share is what helps drive the effects of exercise and social interaction on the brain.
2. Memorize on the move
This is a widely recognized and research-backed technique: if you try to memorize words and try to learn something as you move, the information is more likely to stick with you. Tip: When you have a presentation or speech to learn, it’s best to walk around while you incorporate it.
3. Eat properly
Around 20% of your body’s sugar and energy intake goes directly to the brain, making brain function dependent on glucose levels. If these levels are not controlled, the mind can feel confused. A healthy belly means a healthy mind. There are over 100 trillion microbes in the human digestive system, interconnected with your brain through the so-called gut-brain axis, and the balance of those microbes is crucial to brain well-being. In fact, the belly is often called “the second brain.” A healthy and varied diet helps keep those microbes at an adequate level and the brain healthy.
4. Disconnect
Having some stress is always necessary because it helps us to respond quickly in an emergency: it helps to produce cortisol, a hormone that gives us energy in a short period of time and helps us focus. But prolonged anxiety and high levels of stress are toxic to the brain. That is why it is key that we learn to disconnect from time to time, to allow that part of the brain to rest. By unplugging, you are actually exercising a different part of the brain. Your mind needs to relax to carry out certain functions. We have a particular network in the brain that is the default neural network: it is the part that allows us to fantasize (or daydream) and is important for maintaining memory. By disconnecting from our world, we are activating that part of the brain and allowing it to do its job.
5. Look for challenges
A good way to boost your brain is to challenge yourself: learning something new helps your brain. Activities like participating in an art class or learning a new language increase the elasticity of your brain. You can try an online game: it will not only be a personal challenge, since competing against others means more social interaction and the stimulation of a new challenge.
6. The music
Music stimulates the brain in a unique way. When you look at the brain images of someone listening to music or playing an instrument, it is clear that all parts of the organ are active. Music stimulates the brain, since it can reinforce general cognition and musical memory, for example, is the last to disappear in cases of dementia.
7. Study (and sleep)
If something new is studied during the day, a connection is formed in the brain between one nerve cell and another. When you sleep, that connection is strengthened and what was learned becomes a memory. That is why sleep is a very important factor for memory. If you give someone a list to memorize before bed, they will remember it even more the next morning than if you give it to them first thing in the morning.
8. Get up good
We all know that sleep is important: if you sleep less than five hours, you are not so mentally alert, while if you add more than 10 hours you can feel a little jetlag. But the key to helping you be at your best mental level for the day is how you wake up. Ideally, you should sleep in a dark room and wake up to gradually dimming light, such as sunrise. Wake up to gradually more intense light and you will have a better brain response. This light penetrates through the closed eyelids and prepares the brain so that we have a better response to cortisol awakening.