1) Control stress
Stress is the brain’s worst enemy. Over time, chronic stress destroys brain cells and damages the hippocampus, the region of the brain involved in forming new memories and retrieving old ones.
Meditation: The Best Stress Buster Scientific evidence for the mental health benefits of meditation continues to mount. Studies show that meditation can help improve a variety of ailments, including depression, anxiety, chronic pain, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Meditation can improve concentration, focus, creativity, and learning and reasoning skills.
Brain imaging shows that regular meditators have greater activity in the left prefrontal cortex Meditation increases the thickness of the cerebral cortex and encourages connections between brain cells, increasing mental acuity and memory.
For more information on meditation, see: Meditation to Control Emotions and Improve Learning Beware of Depression In addition to stress, depression also takes a toll on the brain. In fact, some symptoms of depression include difficulty concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things
2) Be careful with food
Just like the body needs fuel, so does the brain. You may already know that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has many health benefits, but such a diet can also improve memory. The following nutritional tips can help increase your mental capacity and reduce your risk of dementia.
Get Omega-3: Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly beneficial for brain health. Fish is omega 3 a rich source of fatty acids, especially salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring. In addition to increasing brain power, eating fish can also reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Limit saturated fat: Research shows that eating too much-saturated fat increases the risk of dementia and decreases concentration and memory. The main sources of saturated fat are animal products: red meat, whole milk, butter or cheese.
Eat more fruit and vegetables: They are full of antioxidants, substances that protect brain cells. Try green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and chard and fruits like apricots, mangoes, cantaloupe and watermelon
Carbohydrates like brown rice and bread, oatmeal, high-fibre cereals or lentils give your brain a boost
3) Train your brain
Memory, like muscle strength, takes practice. You can do activities that meet the following three criteria
- A new activity: The activity should be something unknown and outside your comfort zone
- Make it a challenge: Anything that requires some mental effort and expands your knowledge will work. Examples include learning a new language, learning to play an instrument, playing games, and tackling a difficult crossword or Sudoku.
- Make it fun: The activity should be challenging, yes, but not so difficult or unpleasant that you dread doing it.