How to Increase Your Brain Power

Embracing these strategies below will give a hearty boost to your brainpower, help you keep mentally healthy and ultimately even make yourself smarter. 

Steps 1) Exercise: 

Exercise encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity by causing nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage. A 2010 study published in Neuroscience also revealed that regular exercise not only improved blood flow to the brain, but also helped to learn new tasks twice as quickly as non-exercising person. Exercise decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke. It help your brain work faster and more efficiently. 

2). Consume animal-based omega-3 fats: 

Omega-3 fats such as DHA are considered essential for the brain as well as your retina. Your body cannot produce it, so you must get it from your DHA-rich foods which include "Fish & Liver." Approximately 60 percent of your brain is composed of fats—25 percent of which is DHA. DHA is also an essential structural ingredient of breast milk, which is believed to be a major reason why breastfed babies consistently score higher on IQ tests than formula-fed babies. Animal-based omega-3 fats can help reduce the symptoms of a variety of psychiatric illnesses and degenerative brain disorders. 

3) Get enough sleep: 

Sleep is not only essential for regenerating your physical body, but it is imperative for reaching new mental insights and being able to see new creative solutions to old problems. Sleep helps "reset" your brain to look at problems from a different perspective, which is crucial to creativity. Research shows that naps can give a boost to babies' brainpower. Specifically, infants who slept in between learning and testing sessions had a better ability to recognize patterns in new information, which signals an important change in memory that plays an essential role in cognitive development. 

4)Use coconut oil: 

One of the primary fuels your brain needs is glucose, which is converted into energy. Your brain actually manufactures its own insulin to convert glucose in your bloodstream into the food it needs to survive. If your brain's production of insulin decreases, your brain literally begins to starve,leading to impaired functioning and eventual loss of memory, speech, movement and personality. "There's another substance that can feed your brain and prevent brain atrophy. It may even restore and renew neuron and nerve function in your brain after damage has set in. The substance in question is called ketone bodies or ketoacids. Ketones are what your body produces when it converts fat (as opposed to glucose) into energy, and a primary source of ketone bodies are the medium chain triglycerides (MCT) found in Coconut oil!" Coconut oil contains about 66 percent MCTs. Just two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 35 ml or 7 level teaspoons) would supply you with the equivalent of 20 grams of MCT. Coconut oil is best taken with food, to avoid upsetting your stomach. 

5) Take vitamin D: 

Appropriate sun exposure would take care of these issues, as the sun is irreplaceable when it comes to the body's ability to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D. Activated vitamin D receptors increase nerve growth in your brain. The National Institutes of Mental Health recently concluded that it is vital that the mother get enough vitamin D while pregnant in order for the baby's brain to develop properly. The child must also get enough vitamin D after birth for "normal" brain functioning. In older adults, too, research has shown that low vitamin D levels are associated with poorer brain function, and increasing levels may help keep older adults mentally fit. 

6) Optimize your gut flora: 

Your gut is your "second brain," and your gut bacteria transmits information to your brain via the vagus nerve. If you consume a lot of processed foods and sweetened drinks, for instance, your gut bacteria are likely going to be severely compromised because processed foods in general will destroy healthy microflora and sugars of all kinds feed bad bacteria and yeast. Limiting sugar and processed foods, while eating traditionally fermented foods (rich in naturally occurring good bacteria), taking a probiotic supplement and breastfeeding your baby are among the best ways to optimize gut flora and subsequently support brain health. 

7) Vitamin B12: 

it is available in its natural form only in animal food sources. These include seafood, beef, chicken, pork, milk, and eggs. A lack of vitamin B may contribute to brain shrinkage. Mental fogginess and problems with memory are two of the top warning signs that you have vitamin B12 deficiency. 

8) Listen to music: 

It's long been theorized that listening to music may boost your brainpower; Listening to music has also been associated with enhanced cognitive functioning and improved mental focus among healthy adults, so take advantage of this simple pleasure whenever you can. 

9) Challenge your mind: 

One of the simplest methods to boost your brain function is to keep on learning. The size and structure of neurons and the connections between them actually change as you learn. This can take on many forms above and beyond book learning to include activities like traveling, learning to play a musical instrument or speak a foreign language, or participating in social and community activities. 

10) Do brain aerobics: 

As with learning, challenging your brain with mind-training exercises can keep your brain fit as you age. This can be something as simple as thinking of famous people whose first names begin with the letter A, doing crossword puzzles or playing board games that get you thinking. Research has even shown that surfing the Web activates regions in your brain related to decision-making and complex reasoning. So unlike passively watching TV, using the Internet is an engaging task that may actually help to improve your brainpower.