Category: HACK 101-150

One way to improve your memory is to speak out loud. One researcher found that when people were asked to memorize a list, those who read it out loud were able to remember better than those who read it silently. Reading out loud uses the auditory pathways of the brain, not just the visual, helping the brain to remember. A study conducted by researchers at the Université de Montréal found similar results, although in that study researchers found that addressing someone else had even better memory benefits. The researchers theorize that increasing the number of “aspects” to the information (the movement of your mouth, using speech, etc.) helps you remember it. In other words, the multisensory approach helps your brain remember and recall. So if you’re studying for a test or trying to remember the three things you need from the grocery store, say it out loud.

Phenolic compounds (“botanical phenolics”) are antioxidants. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), a type of free radical, factors into degenerative brain diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Through various adverse effects on cells, ROS causes cell death. Foods rich in antioxidants, such as phenolic compounds, can reduce the number of free radicals, including ROS, and may help slow or prevent these diseases. Several epidemiological studies and several meta-analyses suggest that over the long term, diets with lots of phenolic compounds offer protection from degenerative brain diseases. They are also believed to protect against cancers and some cardiovascular diseases. To add them to your diet, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and cereal grains, and drink green or black teas.

Evening primrose oil has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol, which is good for your circulatory system and thus good for your brain. Some studies have also shown that it helps enhance memory and can calm hyperactive mental states, although research regarding its usefulness in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been mixed. Swedish studies, though preliminary, are relating evening primrose oil to an antioxidant that counteracts the formation of free radicals, which are destructive to brain health. If you have seizures or schizophrenia and take medications to treat it or take blood thinners or blood pressure medication, check with your healthcare provider before taking primrose oil supplements. 

If you’re trying to power up your brain, the last thing you need is to drain it with unintended interactions among medications and supplements you may be taking. Some medications interfere with memory and can even mimic dementia. Others are fine on their own but pose problems when taken with other medications or supplements—or even with certain kinds of food. Cardiac medications, insomnia medications, steroids, pain medications, and others can affect cognition. Talk with your doctor and pharmacist to make sure that your medications aren’t hurting your brain. In some cases, a change in medication or in how you take it can make all the difference to your brain.

Eating a healthy and varied diet can provide the ideal mixture of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients your brain requires. However, even people with the best intentions sometimes fall short of their nutritional needs. Today, the definition of dietary supplements covers vitamins, minerals, fiber, herbs and other botanicals, amino acids, concentrates, and extracts. The body more readily absorbs nutrients when they come from the foods we eat so, ideally, it is best to get all of your necessary nutrients from your diet. Nevertheless, some people do need assistance to receive their required daily allowances. If you’re going to take a supplement to help improve your brain health, choose the product that is right for you. The following tips can help you choose a dietary supplement:  

• Pick a supplement that contains at least twenty vitamins and minerals essential for good health and no more than 150 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for each nutrient.

• Choose a supplement tailored to your needs, whether it is age, gender, or medical status.

• Check the expiration date on the bottle. Vitamins are especially perishable. After the expiration date, they are probably not very potent.

• Take the supplement only as directed on the bottle or as prescribed by your doctor.

• Keep all supplements out of the reach of children. 

Phytonutrients are the vitamins and minerals derived from fruits and vegetables. They flush away toxic chemicals, help prevent free radical damage, and keep certain hormones balanced. Think of them as nature’s pharmacy—free, safe, and readily available. Some key types include:  

• Allylic sulfides. These compounds give onions, garlic, and related herbs their pungent odor and unique flavor. They raise HDL (good) cholesterol, lower blood triglyceride levels, and protect the heart. They may prevent age-related cognitive decline. 

• Indoles and isothiocyanates. These compounds are plentiful in broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and mustard greens. They help stimulate enzymes known to prevent cancer and block estrogen activity in cells. They are antioxidants, and some research shows they may improve brain function.

• Saponins. These chemicals bind with cholesterol and help the body flush it out. They also stimulate the immune system and help prevent heart disease and certain types of cancer. They are antioxidants, so they help keep your brain healthy by getting rid of those pesky free radicals. Saponins can be found in chickpeas, nuts, oats, potatoes, soybeans, spinach, and tomatoes.

• Lignans. These chemicals are known antioxidants, which help support brain function by helping to eliminate free radicals. Lignans are particularly abundant in flaxseed.

• Monoterpenes. Yet another cancer preventative, this phytonutrient blocks the action of certain cancer-causing compounds. It is also believed to be an an- tioxidant that can prevent damage to neurological functions caused by free radicals. Monoterpenes can be found in citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit, as well as cherries.

When you’ve got a big project staring you in the face, it’s tempting just to grind it out, getting up from your chair only to pour more coffee. (But who are we kidding? You’ve got the coffee pot sitting on your desk.) However, research shows that this single-minded focus will backfire after a while. Just as kids at school need a recess to recharge, adults at work need to take a break now and then. A recent study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign showed that taking a short break can improve your ability to focus on a task. Researchers theorize that your brain gradually loses focus when stimulated by the same thing over and over (sort of like how you learn to ignore the ticking of a clock). By giving your brain something else to chew on for a few minutes, you can return to the original task with more focus. In the study, people who interrupted a long task with brief breaks showed no loss of performance over the course of fifty minutes, while those who didn’t interrupt their task did worse over time. Unlike with multitasking, where you constantly switch between tasks, deliberately taking a break is refreshing to your brain. But don’t just switch from one type of task to a similar task (reading a book, then reading a blog). Instead, do something different—take a quick walk around the office, have a conversation—then get back to the original task quickly. 

All systems in the human body are vulnerable to environmental hazards such as toxic chemicals. But the nervous system, including your brain, is at special risk for some very important reasons:  

• Nerve cell loss and other changes to the nervous system occur progressively during the later years of life. As a result, toxic damage may occur simultaneously with aging.

• Many neurotoxic chemicals are easily able to cross the blood-brain barrier, causing damage to sensitive regions of the brain.

• Toxic chemicals often interfere with the nervous system’s sensitive electro-chemical balance, inhibiting the proper communication of information throughout the body.

To help your brain out, avoid artificial sweeteners, lead (such as lead-based paints), mercury, and pesticides. 

To put yourself into a state of mind that can lead to real rest, give yourself a chance to let your mind wander. This is not a meditation at all in any formal sense. To do it, sit or lie down comfortably when you can be alone and uninterrupted for an hour. Turn lights down or off and eliminate outside noises and distractions. Close your eyes and let yourself experience the silence around you. Don’t try to focus on any one thought or idea—this isn’t mantra meditation. Breathe in a way that’s comfortable. You can consciously slow your breath down to aid in relaxation, but don’t turn it into a struggle. As you do this, let your mind wander wherever it wants to go, like a puppy let outside for an airing. Follow it if you wish, see what interests it, but make no judgments. Don’t push or move your mind in any particular direction. Let it go where it wants. That is the key here. So much meditation tries to harness the mind, tether it like a goat on a rope as bait for large game. Don’t do that. As your mind is given the freedom to roam here and there, to play at will, it will lead you to your place of rest.

A recent study shows that continued exposure to loud noises permanently affects your ability to process speech. It’s not just your hearing that can be affected by loud noises—it’s your brain! The cumulative effect of this process may explain why older people have difficulty learning and memorizing—because their brains have greater difficulty filtering out useless stimuli, such as music or conversation. Their brains take in everything. 

People who are sensitive to noise may also find their mood negatively affected by loud sounds. They are also subject to sleep problems and lower cognitive performance. Whether you have a particular sensitivity to noise or not, a little quiet helps calm you down. And by “a little” we mean a little. A recent study suggests that just two minutes of silence can confer big health benefits, mostly by helping the body relax. Another study showed that two-hour quiet periods each day helped (rat) brains grow more cells in the hippo campus, the memory center of the brain. Silence can be not only therapeutic but also remarkably energizing. Finding time each day for silence and stillness allows the body to recharge.