Proven Strategies to Boost Your Cognitive Function

A growing body of research suggests that certain healthy lifestyle habits can help protect and enhance cognitive function—no matter your age.

For example, a 2014 study found that people who regularly engage in intellectually challenging activities, such as learning a new skill like quilting or photography, may reduce their risk of cognitive decline.

Exercise Regularly

Getting regular exercise may help slow down cognitive decline. It also lowers your risk of many health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and depression — which can harm your brain.

Physical activity can improve your memory by increasing blood flow to the brain and reducing stress hormone levels. Moderate exercise like a brisk walk is best. Off-label, Modafinil 200 helps to improve cognition.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Besides protecting against health problems like heart disease and diabetes, eating a balanced diet can help support optimal cognitive function. Eat foods such as fish, whole grains, blueberries, and dark chocolate to get the brain-boosting nutrients you need.

Certain aspects of cognitive function are out of our control, including aging and genetics. But implementing healthy lifestyle habits can boost and protect cognitive health at any age.

Get Plenty of Sleep

We’ve all heard stories about bursts of creative insight that come during sleep. Turns out that’s more than anecdotal — research shows that adequate sleep promotes better problem-solving and memory, especially during REM sleep.

Getting plenty of sleep is just as important for your brain as regular exercise and healthy eating. It also helps prevent the onset of mental decline that’s typically associated with aging.

Reduce Stress

Stress has been shown to affect cognitive health, causing the amygdala to take over in response to threats and leaving the parts of the brain that handle memory shunted to the background. Stress reduction strategies are therefore important to bolster brain health. Is Modalert 200 legal in Australia? Generally speaking, Modalert is a smart drug used to treat the signs of narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder, sleep apnoea, and other conditions of this nature. Users are helped to stay awake.

Social activity is also good for the brain, Fredericks says. Having meaningful interactions with others can stimulate the amygdala and related structures and encourage memory storage.

Get Aerobic Exercise

Studies show that getting regular aerobic exercise can help boost your brain function and reduce your risk of dementia. Experts recommend aiming for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity three to five days a week.

Walking, swimming, biking, dancing, or gardening are all good options for aerobic exercise. Learning a new skill that challenges your brain — such as quilting or learning to speak another language — is even better.

Think Aloud

Thinking out loud is a great way to help improve your comprehension skills. It can also help you become more independent during the learning process.

Teachers often use think-aloud strategies to model the thought processes involved in reading comprehension and solving math problems. Researchers have found that think-aloud protocols may influence participants’ perception of time during cognitively demanding tasks. This could be due to the need to verbalize thoughts.

Concept Maps

Concept maps are visual organizers that can help students better understand complex topics. They are created by brainstorming facts, ideas, concepts, themes, or questions and identifying the relationships between them using arcs and labeled linking phrases.

Novak’s research found that new knowledge structures are most likely to develop when existing concepts and propositional frameworks are assimilated by incoming information (Novak, 1972). Concept maps are useful in this process.

Exercise Your Nondominant Hand

Exercise is important for the body, and it’s also great for your brain. Practicing tasks like brushing your teeth or controlling the mouse with your non-dominant hand can challenge your mind and help you strengthen old neural pathways.

Some experts claim that writing with your non-dominant hand can activate both hemispheres of the brain and improve memory. However, research is mixed on this claim.

Get Enough Sleep

Research shows that people with adequate quality sleep perform better at work and school. This is likely because getting enough sleep allows your brain to consolidate new information and clears out molecular waste that accumulates during the day.

Regular exercise also improves your cognitive health. Try taking up a sport like golf, tennis, or racquetball to help keep your hand-eye coordination sharp.

Keep Learning

You can’t learn new information if you don’t pay attention. Make a point of taking notes during meetings and reading articles to imprint information into your brain.

Crossword puzzles and strategic games help, but it’s also a good idea to pick up a new hobby or learn a skill like digital photography or quilting. The best brain-stimulating activities are complex, engaging, and challenging.