5 Ways to Enhance Brain Function
Do you find yourself brain-dead by afternoon? This has been happening to me a lot lately, since my baby is getting me up at 3 or 4 am and won´t go back to sleep before my toddler gets up! So, I´ve been looking into ways to improve brain function, even if you don´t get enough sleep. Here´s what I have found out so far:
1. Caffeine. Yes, it is supposedly bad for you, but the fact of the matter is . . . it works. Which is why 52% of Americans drink coffee and I suspect a lot more drink colas. After all, you just can´t beat the mixture of sugar AND caffeine!
2. Food. Did you know that the brain is fueled by glucose? That means you need to eat in order to keep things working properly up there. I am very bad at this, I tend to skip breakfast and that is apparently one of the worst things you can do. You can learn more on my post about the importance of eating breakfast.
3. Exercise. Just getting up from your computer chair and moving around can do wonders for your brain. Getting all that blood moving means more oxygen is getting to your brain and helping it to function better.
4. Herbal supplements. You might not believe that these work, but I´m willing to give them a try, anything at this point! Apparently, periwinkle and ginko biloba are both good herbs for increasing blood flow to your brain. Gotu kola (which I´d never heard of before this investigation) is supposed to energize the brain and boost alertness. I´ll be looking for that one!
5. Soy stuff. Apparently, soy contains something called phosphatidylcholine (say that ten times fast!) which turns into acetylcholine. That last one is a memory neurotransmitter which works wonders in the brain. So, if you keep forgetting things, it may be time to take up tofu and miso.
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