Written by: Stacey Ruth, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As we age, it can seem as if more of us are experiencing forgetfulness, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and age-related cognitive decline. Is it just our perspective? Or is there something to this? According to the CDC, of Americans 65 and older, about 20 to 25 percent have mild cognitive impairment while about 10 percent have dementia. It can be concerning. That is especially true as growing work roles require our mental faculties to remain sharp, especially as leaders and managers.
However, we have more control over our brain’s health today, thanks to new neuroscience research, than we ever have in human history. Even if you are not concerned about the mental decline, boosting your brainpower improves your mental clarity for key decisions, enhances your productivity, and increases your sense of wellbeing.
There is growing agreement that you can increase your brain power with some very simple, and sometimes surprising, shifts. Although it is difficult, not impossible! to raise IQ test scores, other key cognitive functions respond quite rapidly to basic changes in personal habits, clearing up far more than just brain fog. Many studies indicate that even issues such as ADD and ADHD can be greatly alleviated using the techniques listed below. Problem-solving skills, memory, and concentration all benefit from boosting your brainpower, and not coincidently, leadership skills and abilities also improve.
Healthy Habits That Increase Your Brain Power
Before you spend a lot of money on special supplements and brain training games (which research shows fail to live up to their bold claims!) you may want to address some basics. Your mind and body are closely connected, so it makes sense that caring for your overall wellbeing is a top priority. These habits support both your mind and body:
1. Exercise regularly. It isn’t just about your waistline and energy levels. Aerobic workouts give your brain a big boost. According to a study by the University of British Columbia, activities like running and cycling increase the size of your hippocampus, which helps control verbal memory and learning.
2. Eat healthily. The same foods that protect your heart also strengthen your brain. Try a Mediterranean-style diet rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, and unsaturated fats. The single largest shift you can make to your diet is to make fruits and vegetables the majority of what you eat. It takes some rethinking, but your ability to think will improve as a result!
3. Sleep well. Too many late nights can make you forgetful and less productive, and sleeping in never restores the sleep you may have lost. Your brain’s main function is to maintain stable body energy. When you don’t sleep well everything gets out of balance very quickly. Studies show that despite what many might believe, adults do need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night for optimal productivity. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep by sticking to an early bedtime and keeping your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. Stay off digital devices at least one hour before bedtime so the blue light does not suppress natural melatonin production. And if you lose sleep, catch a 20-minute catnap if possible, which is the optimal nap length.
4. Limit alcohol. Several major studies suggest that no amount of alcohol is safe for brain function. However, some damage may be reversed if you stop drinking. If you decide to drink, take some days off each week.
5. Manage stress. Chronic tension causes inflammation and can actually shrink your brain. Avoid attempting to multitask (which actually is not possible, and is just rapid task switching, slows you down, and compounds errors). When stress arises, remember to breathe deeply, so you can address it from a centered mindset. While some stress can help strengthen us, chronic stress is extremely damaging, including the stress of chronic worry and anxiety, which are self-induced. Most importantly, don’t forget to build in necessary periods of rest, relaxation, contemplation, creativity, and community, which are vital to relieving stress.
Other Strategies to Increase Your Brain Power
Any kind of learning can make you smarter, but some methods are more effective than others. Plus, when you have a wide variety of options, you’re more likely to find something you enjoy enough to make it part of your daily routine.
Try these techniques
1. Study languages. Being multilingual increases your cognitive flexibility. In addition to learning additional languages more easily, you’ll gain skills that can enhance your performance in many areas.
2. Play music, dance, or create art. Music, dance, and other creative art can not only lower your blood pressure, but also lift your spirits, and sharpen your focus, the parts of the brain you use in these activities are used in other key memory and focus applications.
3. Start a journal. Writing is another source of mental stimulation. If you rarely write outside of the office, a daily diary can be an easy way to start. Maybe you’ll decide to move on to writing short stories or a work of nonfiction.
4. Read. But don’t just read any old thing read fiction, specifically. Fiction triggers our ability to imagine imagery and experiences, using parts of our brain that non-fiction simply does not. And no, audiobooks are not the same.
5. Close your eyes. Shutting your eyelids can open up your mental powers. Scientists believe it’s because you’re tuning out visual distractions, so you can give more attention to any task.
Boosted Brain Power
Although heredity can certainly impact our brain’s health, we have much more control than we once thought over how we age mentally. We are fully capable of growing the neural pathways in our brains into our eighties when we engage our minds in the things that stimulate them, instead of zoning out, or worse, stressing out. With a healthy lifestyle and ongoing learning, you can boost your brain’s often underutilized powers to lead better, as well as live better.
Stacey Ruth, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Leadership Coach, Stacey Ruth, is an acclaimed marketer, entrepreneur, minister, and founder of two multimillion-dollar agencies. She has been named one of the Top 50 Entrepreneurs in Atlanta and twice as one of the Top 100 “It” Agencies by Experiential Marketer Magazine. She did all this while struggling with two failed marriages, imposter syndrome, overwhelm, and stress-related health issues. This inner crash from outer success triggered the spiritual journey that took her to Manchu Picchu and had her walking across the fire. This was when she learned how we all could rise above circumstances to become irresistible and unstoppable. Today, Stacey advocates for leaders ready to reach their next level with clarity and confidence ‒ most especially women leaders like herself. Stacey is the author of Own Your Own Shift: The Power, Passion, and Freedom to Be Unstoppable.
