Increase brain power: tools and exercises for a clear mind

Everyday life demands a lot from most people. They have to be on their toes, come up with innovative ideas and demonstrate productivity and efficiency. Whether at home or at work, it can be worth boosting your brain power. But how is this possible? And can you improve your brain power through your diet? This article looks at practical foods, supplements and effective exercises.

What is brain power and why should you improve it?

Brain power is generally defined as the level of performance of the brain. Sensory perception enables the human brain to interact with its environment, process stimuli and react to them.

Today, there are increasingly complex occupational fields that involve high demands. For many people, mental performance is crucial to their career. Therefore, many are interested in increasing their brain power.

The 6 most important tips for boosting brain power

How can you boost your brain power? Many people who want to become even more productive, powerful and efficient ask themselves this question. It’s not always tablets that boost brain power. The following tips should be applied before taking any supplements:

1. Exercise regularly

Exercise is not only good for the body, but also for the brain. This is because it promotes blood circulation in the brain, which leads to a change in the concentration of neurotransmitters. In addition, growth substances are released and new connections can be created in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum.

Sport is also an effective method of reducing stress. Exercise releases adrenaline, insulin, cortisol and noradrenaline. This is important because if these substances are too highly concentrated, you are less able to concentrate and perform.

2. Sufficient sleep

Anyone who has ever gone to work overtired knows what effect this can have. Tiredness reduces performance. That’s why getting enough sleep is just as essential as exercise if you want to improve your brain performance.

How much sleep a person needs varies from person to person. Experts recommend a guideline of 7-8 hours to allow the body to fully recover. However, it is not just the amount of sleep that is important, but also the quality. A quiet bedroom, a comfortable bed and no disturbing lights are necessary.

3. Limited media consumption

Speaking of distracting lights: screens should be avoided, especially before going to bed. The blue light from smartphones, tablets and the like can significantly impair sleep quality.

But you should also take screen breaks during the day. Anyone who spends the majority of the day in front of a screen for work-related reasons should minimise their use of electronic media during breaks and after work.

4. Regular breaks

No matter how high the mental load is – the brain needs breaks to stay fit. No brain is designed for constant stress. If you don’t take regular breaks, you will notice that you are working inefficiently. It is therefore worth taking a look out of the window or going for a short walk to boost your brain power.

5. Drink enough

Although it is mentioned time and again, many people forget to drink enough! Adults are recommended to drink at least 2 litres a day. Whether it’s water, a juice spritzer or unsweetened tea – quantity and quality are important.

If you don’t drink enough, you may notice that you are less mentally fit, your ability to concentrate is reduced and your memory is impaired. If you have a carafe or bottle ready at the start of the day, you don’t run the risk of forgetting to drink regularly.

6. A healthy diet

A balanced and healthy diet can help to improve brain performance. After all, it is food that largely contributes to a functioning organism.

Around 20 % of a person’s total energy is consumed by the brain alone. This means that brain performance can actually be improved through nutrition. There are certain foods that are particularly suitable for this.

Boosting brain power: it’s all about the right food

There is indeed “food for the brain”. These are foods that can be used to boost brain performance. They provide important nutrients that are essential for thought processes.

Complex rather than simple carbohydrates are ideal. Complex carbohydrates supply the body with glucose continuously and for hours. This results in a slow increase in glucose in the blood, so that the substance is available to the nerve cells for longer. This keeps the brain fit and efficient. The following foods are full of complex carbohydrates and are therefore suitable for boosting the brain’s performance:

– Wholemeal products

– fruit

– vegetables

– Pulses

– potatoes

– nuts

– Rice

– pasta

– Fish

– meat

– Dairy products

In addition to carbohydrates, there are other nutrients that can optimise brain performance. Proteins, for example, are essential for good communication between nerve cells. Protein is found in dairy products, fish, tofu, poultry and pulses, among other things.

Fats also play an important role. Unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3 fatty acids make the cell walls elastic, which is very important for good cognition. Vegetable oils, nuts and fish are full of unsaturated fatty acids.

You should also take in enough vitamins, minerals and trace elements if you want to boost your brain power. B vitamins in particular – for example vitamin B12 – or vitamin E promote brain activity. They also protect the cells from damage caused by external influences. Essential minerals include calcium, magnesium, selenium and zinc. They contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system.

Boosting brain power with tablets – is it worth it?

If you want to boost your brain power, you might want to visit the pharmacy first. There are medicines and dietary supplements that are designed to improve performance. Some people only want to increase their brain power in the short term, but it is advisable to increase thinking ability in the long term. But is it worth using medication to improve brain performance?

In most cases, performance can be optimised simply by changing your lifestyle. Diet plays a central role in this. Those who eat a healthy and balanced diet often have no reason to take additional supplements. However, if the need cannot be met through diet alone, food supplements can be a good solution.

It is best to boost brain performance with herbal or other natural products. Natural preparations have the advantage that they are much better absorbed by the body than synthetic substances. They are also better tolerated. When buying dietary supplements, consumers should always pay attention to the quality of the preparations. Kingnature offers high-quality and effective products that are good for the body.

Increase brain power: 3 exercises for better thinking skills

The brain can be trained like a muscle. With a few exercises that can be easily integrated into everyday life, it is possible to improve brain performance. Both short-term and long-term memory can be improved. The following 3 exercises can help.

1. Fixate point

This exercise originates from Zen monks. In this concentration exercise, you sit on the floor or a chair and find an immovable point on the wall. You fixate on this point until you can no longer see anything but the point. The aim is to focus your thoughts solely on this point for up to 5 minutes.

This exercise, also known as “tratak”, increases your attention and improves your ability to concentrate. A positive side effect is that it can also improve your eyesight.

2. Swap pages

This exercise is ideal for really challenging the brain. Brain performance can be increased by simply doing a lot of things with the non-dominant hand. This means that left-handers use their right hand and vice versa. Activities that can be performed include brushing your teeth, combing your hair or preparing breakfast. If the exercise seems difficult, you can be sure that your brain is being really challenged.

3. Practising memory

Brain performance can also be increased with a chain of words. To be more precise, you can practise your memory. To do this, read out 10 words slowly one after the other. Now try to memorise them. This exercise is particularly effective if you try to memorise the terms using pictures or stories.

Conclusion: Brain performance can be improved by many things!

Be it nutrition, a healthy lifestyle, effective exercises or taking nutritional supplements – brain performance can be increased through various measures. If you decide to take special supplements, you should make sure that they are of high quality. In addition, dietary supplements should never replace a balanced diet, only supplement it.