How Healthy Habits for the Brain Improve Memory - By: Randy S. Jenkins

“Challenge your brain” has always been the golden rule for maintaining one’s way to increase brainpower and memory in spite of the passing years. Hundreds of activities have been developed to accommodate this need and want to challenge the human mental capacity and these brain gym exercises have proven effective over the decades.

The human brain may not be a muscle but that doesn’t mean exercises aren’t beneficial to it. On the other hand, it still needs more than just intellectual exercises to get it pumped and maintain its daily performance. Regular exercise increases the amount and regulates the flow of oxygen to your brain. It is advisable to visit the gym twice a week and do an hour-long routine but you can also go jogging, stretching, and/or walking at least twice a week to keep the blood (and oxygen) pumping. Any physical activity that you enjoy would do like swimming or biking or even just busting a move or two. Such activities lead to an active lifestyle which can reduce the risks for diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and brain shrinkage that are known to lead to memory loss. It is also a form of relaxation for the brain after hours of work or studying as it eases and diverts the pressure to your entire body which increases your cognitive performance and attention span.

Aside from regular exercise, other healthy habits also help the brain improve memory capacities just as they do with one’s physical fitness.

• Sleep well. Procrastination and cramming and backlogs from work usually result to sleepless nights with you poring over everything that it has become somewhat of an art. This may sound enticing especially with an exam or a deadline hanging over your head but studies show that sleep deprivation prevents memory consolidation while insomnia and other sleeping disorders leave you unable to concentrate. Chances are you won’t be able to function at all due to exhaustion.

• Don’t smoke. It’s not just the lungs and the heart that are at great risk when smoking. As every puff constricts the arteries, it also reduces the blood flow that supplies oxygen to the brain which may cause serious vascular disorders and lead to stroke.

• Drink moderately. It is obvious to anyone who has woken up with a fuzzy memory after a drinking binge (or anyone who’s seen anyone in the morning after getting wasted) that there is a rather strong relationship between alcohol and one’s memory. There has been some evidence that light drinking can improve the memory and cognition (remember all those nostalgic talks you get into when drinking with friends?); however, it must be stated that over consumption can and would lead to very serious consequences.

• Eat healthy. This practice will not only keep your heart and brain healthy but fruits and vegetables are also rich in antioxidants that keep you feeling refreshed and vibrant thus help the brain improve memory retention.

• Drink lots of water. It’s not just for those pesky headaches as water intake flushes out toxins that keep you feeling down and under. Keeping yourself hydrated also improves concentration since dehydration can cause confusion and other thinking problems.

• Stay positive! Stress eats at you and your brain, literally. One of the top contributors to stress is depression which increases cortisol level in your blood which damages certain brain areas like the hippocampus – the center for short-term memory. Aside from this physical manifestation of the adverse effects of stress, it also keeps you from concentrating and functioning fully.

• Be curious. Curiosity leads to the yearning to learn and learning improves your memory by exercising the brain with the amount of new information you are getting. This doesn’t have to be in the form of formal education (i.e. getting another degree) but also through widening your own senses to gain information. Observe and learn through your senses. Take up a hobby.

It’s that easy to help your brain improve memory functions. Of course, these habits only reduce the risks for memory loss and related disorders. They do, however, keep your entire being healthy at the same time.

About the Author

In this article Randy answers some questions on brain gym exercises. For a email mini course visit http://memoryimprovementmadeeasy.com.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Randy-S--Jenkins/166661

Additional Articles From - Home | Self improvement | Memory