Here are 14 ways to extend brain power.Can’t locate your car within the parking lot? Or recall the movie you saw last Sunday? Having trouble remembering where you left your keys? Or the name of that new restaurant you went to? Feeling scatterbrained? You’re not alone. As we grow old , our brains become more “noisy”, and aren’t nearly as good at registering new information.For years, scientists believed that we were cursed with the brain we were born with. Enter: Neuroplasticity. A theory that proves our brains have the power to vary . The more you employ and test your brain, the higher it’ll perform. So stop employing a meager 5-10% of your brain and train it to capture information and remember it swiftly.Here are 14 alternative ways to extend your brainpower. So if you would like to seek out your car therein crowded parking zone or ace your next exam, scroll down.
1. Mind Games
Your brain may be a muscle. you would like to exercise it regularly. Norman Doidge, psychiatrist and author of The Brain’s Way of Healing, suggests playing scrabble and sudoku to sharpen your mind. consistent with Cynthia Green, PhD, Author of Brainpower Game Plan, you want to time yourself while working a crossword or Sudoku to spice up processing speed, attention and positive intellectual engagement. people that are cognitively active have better memory as they age. So quiz yourself, flex your brain and improve your memory power.
2. Ayurveda
Dr Ashutosh Gautam, Clinical Operations and Coordination Manager at Baidyanath says, “Ayurvedic herbs like Ashwagandha, Brahmi and Shankhapushpi help improve the brain’s memory functions like attention and concentration, and stop neuron damage”.
3. Aromatherapy
The next time you would like to coach your brain, think about using the practice of aromatherapy to extend your productivity. “Aromatherapy works wonders, and a few particular essential oils help sharpen the brain”, adds Dr. Ashutosh Gautam. you’ll try rosemary for mental clarity and application , or peppermint/ basil oil to scale back mental fatigue and enhance your mind’s innate ability to focus. you’ll use diffusers to aerate the oil or directly apply some essential oils to the skin to reap their benefits.
4. Exercise
Did you recognize that each time you exercise, you create new brain cells? Any sort of exercise increases your pulse , which gets blood flowing to your brain, thus keeping your memory sharp. For a minimum of 30-45 minutes each day , run, swim, dance or cycle because it benefits your brain health, cognition and even helps enlarge the hippocampus i.e. the catalyst for future memory within the brain. If that isn’t reason enough to urge you off the couch, who knows what is? Just take a 10-15 minute walk round the block or do a couple of jumping jacks to reboot your brain just in case you don’t have time to squeeze during a full workout.
5. Quit Multitasking
Can’t find your car keys? It’s probably because you weren’t listening once you put them down. because it seems , the brain doesn’t actually multitask. It switches focus from one thing to the opposite . So when you’re juggling too many things, you’re sure to forget. The brain needs about eight seconds to process a bit of data to your memory. So if you’re talking on the phone and carrying your groceries at an equivalent time, then you set down your keys, you’re unlikely to recollect where you left them. Make it some extent to consider the task at hand. It’s crucial. Studies suggest that saying “I left my keys on the cabinet” aloud actually helps the brain process it.
6. Meditate
According to a study published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, researchers measured the brains of 16 people that had never meditated before, then measured their brains again after the group had completed an eight-week meditation program. During that period, the group spent a mean of 27 minutes each day practising mindful meditation. Tests done on the group after the program found that there was an increased grey-matter density within the hippocampus, the world of the brain related to learning and memory, and even in other brain structures related to self-awareness, compassion and introspection. There was also a discount in size of the amygdala, the a part of the brain which controls anxiety and stress. So not only does meditation reduce your stress levels, it also can improve your brain power and memory. Mindful meditation delays cognitive decline and prevents neurodegenerative diseases like Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
7. Do Something New
When you challenge your brain and knowledge something ‘new’, it stimulates your brain. So don’t fall under a rut following your standard routine. Take a special route to figure , read a neighborhood of the newspaper you always skip, try a special recipe for dinner, learn a replacement language, and do things out of the standard . Restructuring your brain helps create new neural pathways which increases your brainpower.
8. Amp Up Your Memory
How often can we curse our own memory, and yet do nothing about it? Start using mnemonic devices to assist you memorise in a neater format – words, lists, concepts, et al. Mnemonics include acronyms, for example: CART are often carrots, apples, raspberries and tomatoes, which may be wont to remember your grocery list or acrostics. for instance : How we remembered the nine planets during childhood, “My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets”. If you would like to recollect a reputation , use rhymes and obtain creative like: “Mary loves cherry” or “Simon may be a fireman”.
9. Affirm
I don’t remember the day I left my house for an exam without my grandmother saying to me: “Cool, calm and assured – repeat after me”. Being positive really goes an extended way, and practicing affirmations regularly helps boost your brainpower. For example, you’ll start your day by saying: “I awaken today with clarity in my mind. I even have an ideal memory. Focusing comes naturally to me. My mind is brilliant and that i can concentrate easily.” you’ll try any of those affirmations or create your own unique combination supported your needs. But to determine a profound communication with the universe, you would like to mention it with conviction, say it in your own unique voice and make it happen within the world .
10. De-Stress
Relax to recollect . Yes, the opposite way around. Your mind is usually racing, stealing your peaceful sleep nightly , making you so anxious that your brain simply can’t absorb new information (let alone remember it). “Stress contributes to amnesia and therefore the destruction of brain cells”, says Dr. Manoj K. Ahuja, Sukhda Hospital. to scale back stress, you’ll simply laugh aloud , vent on paper to declutter your mind, express gratitude for all the items in your life that are going right or visualise an ideal scenario of how you would like your life to be. That’s right, fake it till you create it.
11. Get Organized
If your home is during a mess, then you’re more likely to forget things. To declutter your mind, first declutter your home. jot tasks, write appointments, put aside a specific place to sink your keys, and limit distractions. Physically writing down new information actually helps reinforce it. I, myself, live by to-do lists. It’s important to see off the things once you’ve completed them to stay them up-to-date.
12. Sleep
“Poor sleep takes a toll on everything, especially your memory. Sleep helps your brain consolidate and organize information”, says Dr. Adarsh Kumar, general medicine, National Heart Institute. Got an exam within the morning? Don’t stay awake cramming until the sun comes up (like I used to), and hit the sheets. Sleep may be a key time for the brain to solidify the connection between neurons, thus helping us remember and learn better. what proportion or how little of sleep you would like is a private matter; pass what your body and mind tell you. Strive for quality sleep to truly recharge and rejuvenate the mind, improving both short-term and long-term mental prowess. If you’ve got trouble sleeping fast, click here.
13. Eat Well
Fact: The brain is an energy hungry organ, which comprises 2% of your body’s weight, but gobbles up quite 20% of your daily energy intake. So you would like to eat throughout the day to optimise brain power (not an excessive amount of , not too little) and drink a minimum of eight glasses of water since dehydration can cause amnesia and confusion. Choose green leafy vegetables, low-fat protein sources like fish, whole grains, mushrooms, magnesium-rich nuts, seeds, eggs, antioxidant-rich berries, avocados and tomatoes. A study within the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that blueberries’ wealth of anthocyanins (the antioxidants that make the blue hue) foster neuron-to-neuron communication within the brain. “Fish oil contains DHA, an omega-3 carboxylic acid , which helps improve your brain power by encouraging the expansion of neurons”, says Dr. Supriya Bali, general medicine , Max Hospitals.
14. Yoga
Yoga may be a holistic package that helps in clearing the mind and making you are feeling relaxed and peaceful. Yoga asanas like Sarvangasana and Bhujangasana boosts memory power by increasing blood supply to our brain, Paschimottanasana promotes brain activities significantly, Padmasana boosts brain power, Padahastasana sharpens your memory skills, and Halasana improves overall brain health.