Improving your overall health and wellness means taking care of your brain as well! Maintaining and even boosting cognitive performance is something you should always make an effort to do. It’s a great way to stay sharp as you age and ensure you stay healthy mentally.
Luckily, there are some things you can do each and every day to boost your own cognitive performance. Whether it’s doing puzzles to challenge your mind or even learning a new language. We’re going to run through some of those proven strategies and techniques so you can use them for yourself! First, let’s establish an understanding of what cognitive performance is.
What is Cognitive Performance?
If you have high cognitive performance then you’re achieving the optimal function of cognitive capabilities. You can think of it as peak brain performance. It essentially refers to cognitive abilities and mental processes.
Someone looking to achieve peak brain performance can refine their cognitive level. Areas that can be specifically improved include processing speed, decision making, and memory. Performing well in each of these areas means you’ll be able to learn better, think clearly, and remember things!
These are all important things to maintain, especially as you get older.
Ways to Boost Cognitive Performance
Now, if you haven’t been making a conscious effort to continually improve your cognitive performance, don’t worry! There are tons of ways to boost it all on your own. Many of them can be incorporated into your daily routine, or practiced as often as you see fit! Let’s dive into some different examples.
Ensure you stay mentally stimulated
If you’re watching TV day in and day out, chances aren’t good you’re staying as mentally stimulated as you could be. In fact, taking part in brain activities can help create connections between nerve cells. It might even help to create new ones! This can help with building up a functional reserve which can help with cell loss in the future.
We’ll run through some ideas on how you can ensure you stay mentally stimulated later on.
Get exercise
Exercise is great for you physically, but did you know it can help with your cognitive function as well? Those who exercise regularly help to bring oxygen to the area of the brain that assists in thought.
Exercise is also useful when it comes to creative new nerve cells and the connections between the different cells in our brains. Therefore, the brain becomes more efficient and performs a lot better than it would without exercise.
Learn a new language
If you’ve always wanted to learn a new language, now just might be the time! Learning a new language is challenging, but it can help to improve your mental agility. The process allows for new connections to be made between neurons which is helpful in making them more resistant to disease.
Whether it’s Spanish, German, or French, take some time each day to learn a new language and you’ll improve your cognitive performance at the same time!
Make music or listen to it
There’s so much power in music! It can have a big influence on your emotions and can also influence how your brain functions.
That’s because music is known to activate many different areas of the brain. Particularly those that have to do with memory, movement, and emotions. If you want to learn how to make music yourself you can always find a course online.
Travel when you can
Is it really possible for travel to have an effect on how your brain functions? You bet it is!
You might travel halfway across the world, or even just to a city nearby. No matter where you choose to go, the new experiences, sights, and sounds will help to build those connections between your neurons. Pick and place and do your best to take it all in as you go!
Play cards, board games, and other games
We mentioned earlier that stimulating your brain is of utmost importance. One of the best ways to do that is with things like playing cards, board games, and electronic games.
Each and every game will challenge a different part of your brain. Whether it’s memory, counting, or strategy, there are so many different types of games to explore! Choose your favorite and consider playing with a friend.
Immerse yourself in different cultures
Similar to how traveling can help you to experience new things, try staying open and immersing yourself in different cultures. You might go to plays, or try out a museum tour. Maybe you’ll take a liking to poetry or foreign films.
All of these things will help to stimulate your brain and establish connections between neurons. A healthy brain is a cultured one!
Do a puzzle
Puzzles are great for challenging your mind and help to get you thinking. They’re also great for encouraging your brain to perceive things like complete sequences, patterns, and to solve problems.
Pick up a sudoku puzzle or a jigsaw puzzle! There are tons of options available, even if they’re electronic.
Improve your blood sugar and cholesterol
Diabetes is known to be a risk factor for dementia which you can help to prevent by doing things like maintaining a good diet and exercising often. You should also work to improve your cholesterol as it can increase the risk of dementia. Again, diet and exercise, along with avoiding substances such as tobacco will help to improve your levels.
Work on your diet and blood pressure
As we said, diet can have an effect on the brain which makes it important to get the proper nutrition. Try to incorporate vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and other plant sources to stay lean and healthy!
High blood pressure is also something to stay alert of as cognitive function lessens as you get older. Maintain that healthy lifestyle and you’ll be much better equipped to keep a healthy mind.
Ready to try some of these cognitive performance boosting techniques for yourself! Making even just a small effort to reach peak brain performance can help you in the long run. Just remember that it takes time and you’ll be there before you know it!
