VA Project

It’s a sad truth that most people go through life just moving from one day to the next. Most people only use a tiny sliver of the true potential of their brains. That leaves them unable to do problem-solving as quickly as others, nor do they speak as intelligently as they could. They’re also missing out on a lot of productivity, and perhaps even exercise and sports.

This underuse of possible mental performance is a result of multiple factors. Lifestyles play a big role in all of this, as do nutritional deficiencies to some degree. In many cases, it’s just a lack of use. One easy way to fight for better mental performance is by chewing gum, which can improve the flow of blood to your brain and enhance your memory. However, there are many other ways to have a positive impact on your mental performance. Keep reading to learn what they are.

Getting enough vitamin D is certainly one way to go about things. It does wonderful things for the human body, like engendering stronger bone health and improving hormone levels. Still, it has mental benefits too. Vitamin D protects neurons and regulates enzymes in both the brain and cerebrospinal fluid that are associated with nerve growth and neurotransmitter synthesis. Research has even indicated that those whose vitamin D levels are lower process information more slowly than others, particularly in seniors.

A second thing you can do to boost your mental performance is just to have a good cup of coffee. One normal cup of some black coffee usually has around 100mg of caffeine, and that’s an amount that’s been scientifically proven to improve the memory recall of the person drinking it. Caffeine has psychostimulatory effects because it blocks a central nervous system receptor that binds adenosine. When adenosine is inhibited, you can more glutamate and dopamine activity. These are two compounds that stimulate the brain and increase your alertness level. However, don’t go nuts with the caffeine. Higher doses can restrict blood flow to the brain. You can also build up a high tolerance to it over time.

Fish oils are something else to look into. The electrical signals that are used in the brain for thought, processing, and memory are things that move around the brain. They move from one neuron to the next through synapses, and the walls that the signals must move through are made of cell membranes which are roughly 20 percent essential fatty acids. These are like the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, so the more you have, the less resistance your synapses have to thoughts and signals moving around. Supplements are useful, but you can also eat cold-water species like sardines, anchovies, herring, and mackerel. You might also want to consider balancing all this with more intake of dark fruit and dark leafy greens for the antioxidants.

Music is something to consider, especially considering just how many songs and MP3 files are out there. Most people have smartphones these days, so you don’t even really need a dedicated MP3 player. You don’t even have to buy music if you sign up for a free streaming service or make a YouTube playlist, so long as you have Wi-Fi access or unlimited data. Music makes your physical exercise better if you’re like a lot of others, but it can also help make your mind better. Several studies have shown that music can help out with something called ‘dopaminergic neurotransmission’. Of course, now you’re probably wondering what in the world that is, and it’s just a huge release of dopamine in your brain. That makes you a lot more mentally responsive and it can even make you somewhat smarter. Don’t go nuts with the volume though; you don’t want to help your brain at the expense of your hearing. Fortunately, you can also have some fun doing this too, as playing Guitar Hero, learning an instrument, or just installing a miniature piano app on your smartphone can all count.

Speaking of having productive fun, why not play some puzzle games while you’re at it? Words With Friends can stimulate your brain and competitive fires at the same time.

The biggest reason most people begin addressing their mental performance is to improve their capacity for better cognitive function, enhanced memory, and improved processing power. But, it may maze you to know that some of the greatest benefits to investing in your brain’s health and function hold long term benefits to maintaining brain health for a lifetime

If you are interested in boosting your brainpower and seeing how much you can do with a cognitive processor in optimal functions, the following article is for you. Here we will cover some of the best tips and tricks for hacking your body positively and boosting mental performance.

1. Physical Exercise for Brain Plasticity

This is not just an activity for those who want to be healthy and in shape, as it turns out, getting regular exercise can improve the plasticity of your brain. What is brain plasticity you ask? That is your brain’s capacity to adapt its mental structures and processes to survive in an ever-changing life. Improved brain plasticity has been found to prevent the onset of degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and others.

2. Keep Busy

You just can’t teach an old dog a new trick. This adage holds for maintaining a healthy, youthful and vigorous mind. If you allow your mind to settle into inactivity it will degenerate faster as its mental performance is not being regularly tested and exercised. This can be avoided by always learning something new and challenging your mind to operate in ways it is not used to operating. Some of the greatest skills to learn that will keep the mind fresh and young are new languages, musical instruments and even games of all types.

3. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a simple function of the brain that is being studied for its tremendous capacity to promote mental health and open new opportunities for dealing with stress anxiety and other issues that can cloud mental clarity. Several moments of mindfulness strung together over the course time is called meditation. Meditation can serve a mental tonic which relaxes the mind and soothes the body. Those suffering emotional and mental upset have found great strength in meditative practices.

4. Brain Healthy Leisure Activities

Another good way to challenge the mind and maintain its mental acuity is to practice brain healthy leisure activities. Many people will often crash out and seek to distract or placate the mind in front of the TV or a social media channel at days end. But, if you want a formidable mind you better run it around the block a few times, figuratively speaking. One of humanity’s oldest pastimes has recently been found to be especially good for the brain and keeps you bouncing and bobbing.

Dancing increases awareness and this has special benefits to increasing the potential for brain activity. Studies have found that those who regularly cut the rug have the resilience to depression and mental fog, furthermore dancing is good exercise.

5. Eat Better

The adage says “you best medicine is the food you eat” and modern health experts support this assumption. Choosing healthy food sources is one of the most important ways to improve the capacity for cognitive performance and reduce the risk of cognitive failure. Did you know that most of the essential amino acids, proteins and vitamins your body needs to create top-quality brain pills are sourced from food products?

6. Improve Sleep Habits

Proper sleeping habits are also essential for the brain that will operate in optional conditions and for a long time. Sleeping is the time when the body resets itself and the brain does a lot of its subconscious activity during these resting hours. The brain also relaxes it synapses during the sleep cycle and this is essential for promoting brain health.

7. Fight Stress and Depression

Finally, some of the worst obstacles to a mind in good health re conditions many of us just take for granted nowadays. Stress and depression are seriously damaging to the brain structures and processes. One of the best things you can do for keeping the brain safe from cognitive decline, especially in later years is to practice activities that keep the mind calm and relaxed.