The brain is an extremely complex, delicate, and mysterious organ that is intricately constructed. It takes trillions of cells to make the brain. Thousands of psychoactive chemicals combine together to make the brain react to exterior events. The brain performs over 100,000 chemical reactions in the space of a second. It can store 100 billion bits of data in its memory. Most of the brain's processes are still a mystery.
As we age our brain also ages. So as our bodies most important organ we must make sure it functions properly to have a better life.
Here are some things you can do to improve brain function:
1) Exercise. Aerobic exercises keep the body in great shape, make the blood flow smoother and keep diseases at bay. Walking, jogging, running, swimming, playing a sport (basketball, tennis, etc.), for 20-30 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week helps keep the brain in good health. When the blood flow improves, the oxygen and nutrients that are supplied to your brain by the blood stream improve as well.
Lift weights. Strength training develops muscles and also helps protect the brain cells from free radicals.
Exercise your eyes also to protect brain cells.
2) Go on a fast once in a month. When you fast, you give your body a caloric rest. As no food enters the stomach, no toxins are produced. The senses get heightened and when the fast is broken with healthy food, a new form of blood glucose is unlocked, resulting in brain development.
3) Solve brain teasers and logic puzzles. Solving these puzzles, or even learning a new language, will enhance your thinking capacity, help you develop new neural connections and keep your brain fit and healthy.
4) Meditation reduces stress and helps you face problems with a calm and cool mind. When you are stressed, your body over-produces the stress hormone cortisol. This makes you depressed, anxious and angry. If you do not calm down, the stress will continue to build, turning you and your brain into a wreck. You can learn yoga or some other simple form of meditation to help you stay cool.
5) Get your full 8 hours of sleep. Scientists say that sleeping is absolutely critical for brain development, and for consolidating the happenings and effects experienced when you were awake. Sleeping problems are a regular feature in people affected by mental diseases like Alzheimer's, depression, stroke, and schizophrenia.
6) Give up smoking and drinking alcohol. Alcohol dulls the senses and causes blackouts and memory lapses. Smoking is bad as we all know. Nicotine reaches the brain in seconds and hangs around for a long time. Once it gets inside, it adversely impacts the areas that are responsible for improving mood and remembering things. Regular smoking completely alters the brain's chemistry. This is why people get irritable and anxious when they face nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
7) Eat healthy foods. What you eat has the biggest single impact on how your body functions more than anything else. Eat organic, unprocessed foods, that are not genetically modified. Some great foods for the brain include salmon, eggs, blueberries, avocados, and black beans.
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