Wellbeing tips to boost your brain power
Support your brain’s plasticity and flexibility with these wellbeing tips
In our fast-paced, always-on and demanding world, it’s easy for your brain to begin to feel a bit sluggish. It takes in vast amounts of information every day while also governing your energy, sleep, focus, immune system and so much more. No wonder it’s exhausted!
The good news is, according to Neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart, there are plenty of simple tweaks you can make to your everyday routine that will help get your brain back online and boost its plasticity (the ability to adapt, rewire and grow).
Here are 5 ways to boost your brain today:
1) Be strategic about your caffeine intake
Getting enough quality sleep is essential for optimal brain function. But sadly, most of us aren’t getting what we need and have to rely on a caffeine hit (or 2) to give us a burst of mental sharpness throughout the day.
However, what many don’t realise is that caffeine has a ‘quarter-life’ of up to 12 hours. This means that if you have a cup of coffee at 2pm in the afternoon, a quarter of that caffeine can still be circulating in your brain at midnight - directly impacting the quality and quantity of your sleep.
So if you can, try to enjoy your cup of coffee earlier in the morning (preferably before 10am), and implement a consistent bedtime routine.
2) Do something you love when it comes to exercise
Exercise, particularly aerobic forms (like running or a brisk walk that elevates your heart rate), gets oxygen pumping around your blood and is great for brain health.
What’s interesting however, is that according to Dr Swart, if you’re doing exercise you enjoy, the enjoyment aspect releases a growth factor called ‘brain-derived neurotrophic factor’ or BDNF, which encourages the growth of neurons. Pretty cool, right?
This gives you full permission to schedule time for movement that you love doing, such as hiking, dance, or other social activities like tennis or football.
3. Don't forget to breathe (properly)
When we’re stressed, busy or overwhelmed, we begin to take short, shallow breaths. And scientists have also noticed a new phenomenon called ‘tech apnea’, which refers to our tendency to hold our breath while typing or scrolling on social media platforms.
Breathing properly is important, because different breathing patterns activate various brain networks related to mood, attention, and body awareness. So it’s key that you make time to check in on your breathing several times a day, and try to breathe a bit deeper if you can - ensuring that your inhale and exhale are roughly the same length.
Breathwork is a great tool for slowing down your breathing (you can check out thousands of free clips on YouTube), and it’s also been proven to activate your vagus nerve, which tells your brain to switch on the parasympathetic nervous system or ‘rest and digest’ mode.
4. Monitor your news and social media consumption
It’s no secret that social media is changing our brains — altering our attention span, self-esteem, ability to multitask and the content of memories.
Dr Swart emphasises that we all need to be responsible for monitoring our news and social media consumption. Checking in with ourselves to see how it's affecting our mood and setting limits or boundaries if you feel that it’s having a negative impact.
5. Remember to hydrate, even 2% dehydration has effects on the brain
Hydration is critical to supporting the physiological functions of the brain and body. Roughly 75% of the brain is made up of water, so this means that dehydration (even just 2%) can have negative effects on your brain function.
And remember, you don’t have to just focus on upping your intake of water and herbal teas. Water-rich foods such as cucumber or melon can actually keep you more hydrated than drinking water alone!
ISABELLA MAINWARING
Isabella is a digital nomad and copywriter for health and wellness brands.
IG: @getwholethy
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