The brain is the most important organ in the human body. It’s what allows everything else in your body to function, aside from the heart. But brain function can change with age.
Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your mind sharp and refrain from aging earlier than necessary. Here are 7 tips to help promote healthy brain function:
1. Play Word Games
Playing games on your phone can be more than just a way to pass the time. Playing word games, in particular, has been shown to improve many aspects of the brain. These types of activities can help improve both short and long-term memory.
Research has shown that regular brain stimulation through these types of games can enhance your cognitive thinking and delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by five years.
2. Change Your Diet
It’s no surprise that what you put into your body can affect how it functions. However, we don’t particularly consider how it affects our brain health. Plant-based foods, omega-3 fatty acids from fish, and whole grains can increase your ability to concentrate.
Eating an excess of foods like sugar and red meat can cause neurons to become inflamed. This stop new neurons from being able to develop, which is a large contributor to various mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
3. Meditate Regularly
Meditation isn’t about clearing your mind. It’s about learning how to find a sense of calm when you have racing thoughts. Regular meditation can stimulate the brain and improve the thickness of the pre-frontal cortex.
This area of the brain is linked to your cognitive thinking. It impacts your attention span, impulse control, and forward-thinking. As you’re able to slow down your mind, your brain will become more capable to make decisions and concentrate.
4. Limit Your Social Media Intake
Mindless scrolling has decreased people’s attention span over the years. Recent breakthroughs in brain health research have shown that a human’s attention span is now less than that of a goldfish. This is primarily due to the instant gratification we get from outside sources.
For instance, we’re able to obtain dopamine with one simple click on our phone when we receive a notification. Limiting the amount of time you spend on social media will allow your brain to change its neural pathways. Plus, it gives you more time to spend in the real world.
5. Exercise Daily
The brain requires an active flow of blood to perform at its highest level. But with so many people working behind a computer screen all day, more people are having a hard time getting their brains to function properly.
You don’t have to go to the gym if you want to get your daily exercise in. There are plenty of ways to incorporate movement into your day-to-day routine. Walking in the morning, yoga, hiking outdoors, or even house cleaning can all be positive ways to get your body moving and blood circulating.
6. Get Quality Sleep
You may be going to bed at nine every night, but that doesn’t mean you’re getting the quality sleep your brain needs. Abnormal proteins that are built up in the brain are cleared out when you’re in your REM cycle.
This helps to improve your memory and boost overall brain health. Lack of sleep can impact memory storage, decrease concentration, and impair your ability to control your moods. It’s always recommended to get undisturbed sleep for seven to eight hours of the day.
Limit light within the room and put your phone away at least thirty to sixty minutes before you plan to go to sleep. The blue light from your phone makes your brain more active, in turn, making it more difficult to fall asleep.
7. Be More Social
Social activity is incredibly stimulating for the brain. People thrive on human interaction and the ability to communicate well with others is important for brain health.
Having a good social life can improve your brain by fighting off mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, OCD, and memory loss.
Conclusion
Keeping your brain healthy is one of the most important parts of maintaining a good quality of life. Everything can impact how your brain functions, from the food you eat to the people you talk to regularly. Make sure you’re finding a way to balance out time to care for your brain as it’s a primary organ that keeps your body moving every single day.
