The Most Crucial Tip To Boost Your Brain Fitness
By Andre Auerbach
Sep 15, 2009
Your brain fitness, more so than other parts of your body, is crucial for your quality of life. Why? Because in the brain is where your consciousness resides. The thing that makes you... you... is there. There's nothing more scary to suffer from a debilitating cognitive decline that makes you lose yourself.
In this article, I'll attempt to show you 4 tips to help you avoid that decline. Or if you're currently already experiencing decline and nothing has worked so far, feel free to try this out.
1. Brain improvements are possible due to a process called "neurogenesis". Neurogenesis is a term scientists gave to the process of growing new brain cells.
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One of the things you can do to stimulate your brain is to exercise your brain. Unfortunately, simple games such as sudoku do not challenge the brain sufficiently to boost neurogenesis.
Some studies have shown trying to solve Rubik's cube can allow for the development of brain cells. But if you're looking for more specific improvements, then specialized brain exercises are the way to go.
Some brain exercises are designed to boost auditory processing that boosts your conversation skills, that includes pronunciation, listening and memory through auditory cues. Others are designed to process your visual processing capability - improving reaction time, memory through visual cues and range of sight.
What these brain exercises is it simulates real life cases so as to stimulate the brain. Even when you're asleep, your brain never stop working - but the problem is of course, some parts of the brain are working more than others. The brain exercises stimulate the parts of the brain not normally worked out.
When stimulated, neurons fire and create synapses. By repeatedly doing these exercises you can create new neurons and synapses as your brain tries to master the new
Ammar Batterjee English In the article ‘’Can You Build a Better Brain ?’’ The author Sharon Begley, discuss how can we train our brain to be better and more efficient. Begley discusses that neuroscientist has very little information about how can we improve our brains. The neuroscientists don’t know much about cognitive mechanisms, and what makes a human smarter or dumber.
The unattributed article “You Can Grow Your Intelligence,” published in Health and Science magazine, reports that new research shows scientist have discovered that a brain can get stronger and people get smarter if they learn new things and practice. The brain is compared to a muscle in that if it is exercised, it will get
Godman, H. (2016). Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills. Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110.
I first experienced a program similar to Brain Gym during a college education course several years ago. We learned about the benefits of “brain breaks”, practiced movements and breathing techniques. I remember feeling more relaxed and refocused. Brain Gym is a movement based program focusing on brain development and response.
Yes, the researchers took the correct measures throughout their investigation of cognitive brain training. A number of methods were used to test the hypothesis that cognitive brain training does make immense improvement to brain function. Through the use of brain training systems such as simple brain training games, researchers were able to test the memory and focus of the elderly population and used surveys and questionnaires to gain feedback and make an accurate evaluation of the improvements made on the cognitive function of the elderly.
Curlik, D. M., & Shors, T. J. (2013). Training your brain: Do mental and physical (MAP) training enhance cognition through the process of neurogenesis in the hippocampus? Neuropharmacology, 64, 506 – 514, doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.07.027
Exercise directs blood to the brain, which should influence one to think more clearly. It builds the extent of the hippocampus; the part of the brain, which is responsible for memory. It likewise increases the connection between the nerve cells in the brain. This enhances one's memory and secures against brain damages and illnesses.
There is ample evidence to demonstrate that through the normal ageing process alterations to the brain in structure and function are directly related to cognitive changes (Glisky, 2007). With an increasing ageing population strategies for prevention of disease and age related cognitive decline are necessary to improve quality of life and reduce the associated healthcare costs (Australian Government Productivity Commission [AGPC], 2013). Physical exercise is known to be crucial in maintaining physiological health; it can also be used as a means of neuroprotection and assist in modifiable risk factors for improved brain health and subsequent cognitive function. This review will critically analyse current research into the effects of exercise
Many people spend a fair amount of time on their computers, tablets, and smartphones playing games. So why not use it as an opportunity to exercise your brain? Brain training games are easy to do and offer a wide variety of simple puzzles that can be played for just a few minutes or a couple of hours at a time. They’re specifically designed to help sharpen the mind and ultimately may help players deter the development of cognitive diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The articles by Erikson et al., Gatz, Korol et al., and Draganski et al. explore the concept of increased physical activity and/or mental activity having effects on the cognitive function and development or deterioration of the brain as we age. Although I agree that physical exercise is critical in increasing cognitive function because of the health benefits it provides, as well as the increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, I ultimately believe that a healthy brain is not achieved solely by physical exercise or mental exercise, but both. I think there is a link between physical and mental exercise, and that the combination of these two activities creates higher cognitive functioning of the mind as well as the body. The mind and body come together and meet to make an overall healthy individual.
In his article Reynolds (2016) looked at how various exercise affects brain in different ways. A stupendous new study in rats by researchers at Jyvaskyla University in Finland and other institutions suggested that some types of exercises work better at widening the brain than others. A comparison was done by the scientists to examine the neurological influence of each exercise: weight training, interval training (high intensity) and running. It was found that heavy exercises may not be beneficial for brain health in the long-term. Reynolds (2016) also talks about studies in animals and people, illustrates that carrying out such activities enlarges the proportion of the brain and reduces the number and size of age-related holes in white and
In the article that I read, by Juli M. Berwald, it spoke deeply concerning the literal deterioration of the tissue in the brain. In the article, it discussed how, when exercising, it releases serotonin and dopamine, which gives off emotions of euphoria and peacefulness. These emotions allow people to think more clearly
Having a “Brain Healthy Lifestyle” (Bend, 2014) is made up of several different categories that include “physical health, brain fitness, and vitality” (Bend, 2014) as well as “balanced nutrition, stress management, and mental stimulation” (Sharpbrains, 2014). Our physical health plays a major part in brain function. Exercising our bodies, eating well, and getting the proper amount of sleep has a huge impact on our physical health. “Our brain requires 25% of the blood that is pumped by your heart. The healthier your heart is, the healthier your brain will be” (Bend, 2014). Cognitive fitness is demonstrated by uses of vocabulary, thinking, perception, and attention. It is crucial to make it a normal everyday practice to challenge our brains through new activities. Taking part in a cooking class or learning to
In recent years brain training games have become a topic of interest among both researchers and common people alike. Researchers are interested in the healing properties of brain training while normal people are looking to brain training as a way to improve their performance and get a leg up on the competition in school, work, and life. Up until recently, it was believed that the brain was unchangeable in terms of memory capacity. Researchers were well aware of the fact that the brain can change and form new connections when brain damage occurs. However, the idea that humans can train their brains to be more efficient and stronger seemed like a far-fetched cry from reality up until the late 1990’s (Weicker, Villringer & Thöne-Otto, 2016). As time went on and more research was conducted in the field of brain training, it became clear that brain training is not an exact science but, it does have real cognitive benefits.
Multiple studies have shown that if “brain games” are used daily one can improve their performance in few tasks.