Article: Can brain performance, concentration and memory be improved?
Can brain performance, concentration and memory be improved?
The brain is the most complicated piece of matter we know: over a quadrillion synapses form the more than a hundred billion nerve cells of our thinking organ. Our personality, the central control unit of our body, our memories - all of this depends on a delicate balance of chemistry and physics. But certain illnesses or stress can upset this balance. What can be done?
Can brain performance, concentration and memory be improved?
Concentration, memory, cognitive performance - every day we rely on the mysterious organ in our head. At work. In everyday life. It works in every situation, even when we sleep. Although it only makes up a small fraction of our total weight at just under one and a half kilograms, the brain uses 20 percent of the oxygen we take in and 15 percent of the energy we get from food. We often only really become aware of our brain when it is no longer functioning optimally: stress, illness or age can lead to a decline in brain performance. Reduced brain performance is characterized by increasing forgetfulness, slowed comprehension, distraction and a lack of ability to concentrate. This leads to mental fatigue, problems dealing with complex topics and a decline in creativity and motivation. The good news: we can combat the loss of brain performance - with training and the right diet.
What can impair and limit brain performance?
A lack of concentration or memory can have completely harmless causes and will pass. Even a lack of sleep and exercise have a significant impact on cognitive abilities. It is also normal for forgetfulness to increase with age and reaction speed to decrease . One of the main causes of reduced brain performance is stress: the increased and sustained release of the stress hormone cortisol, for example, increases the risk of dementia. Researchers have also been able to demonstrate a reduction in brain volume and a decline in functionality in test subjects with high cortisol concentrations. Reduced brain performance can also be a symptom of a serious illness, such as Alzheimer's, an underactive thyroid or kidney disease. There is also a lot of evidence to suggest that heart failure has a measurable negative impact on cognitive abilities. For this reason, a visit to the doctor is advisable if the symptoms persist.
What can I do to improve my brain power?
While most people go to the gym regularly or run around the park in jogging shoes, brain training is anything but popular. This is incomprehensible, because the brain can be trained wonderfully, or vice versa: if the brain is not trained, its performance decreases - just like with a muscle that is not used. And when it comes to sport, it is important that you move outside of the normal strain during training in order to achieve a training effect: Unfamiliar tasks and new challenges train the brain more than the thousandth crossword puzzle from the Sunday newspaper. Our tip: dare to do something unusual and unfamiliar. Turn your book upside down when reading. If you are right-handed, use your left hand for everyday tasks. Translate the text of the newsreader on TV into another language while watching. Of course, you should still keep up your sport, because physical exercise also trains certain regions of the brain that are responsible for spatial thinking, for example.
Can you optimize your brain performance through diet?
Can you eat yourself smart? That sounds like a good plan for any connoisseur, but of course it is only possible to a very limited extent. Even the healthiest food doesn't make us super smart, but it can give the brain the nutrients it needs. This means, first and foremost, that it takes a lot of energy. Complex carbohydrates, such as those found in whole grain products, pulses or vegetables, are best suited for this. The body also needs fatty acids for normal nerve function. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in particular helps maintain normal brain function. Good sources include nuts, for example, which also provide important minerals for nerve function with calcium and magnesium. Calcium contributes to normal signal transmission between nerve cells. Magnesium helps reduce tiredness and fatigue. Zinc contributes to normal cognitive function. Certain amino acids are also important for brain performance, as they form the basic substances for neurotransmitters. These messenger substances are responsible for signal transmission between nerve cells. We can get them from oatmeal, cheese or nuts, for example. Vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and niacin also contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system.
