Boosting Brain Power

There are many ways to boost your brain power, and they are simple ideas that don’t take a great deal of your time. The following can be done every day in less than 15 minutes a day.

Every day you take tens of thousands of breaths but did you know that 20% of the oxygen you inhale is used by your brain.

Oxygen is critical for brain cells so much so that they can live for just a few minutes without it. We don’t breathe properly, but it may be hard to accept that you aren't breathing "properly," but few people breathe properly. Ideally, you should breathe deeply from your diaphragm, (Belly breathing) not your chest. (Children naturally breathe this way until the constant stress of life retrains them to breathe shallowly.) So, the next time you are feeling tired, foggy, and mentally unfocused, take a 5-minute breathing break to flood your brain with more oxygen.

If you practice belly breathing a minimum of 5 minutes per day to reduce stress and bathe your brain in healing oxygen you will boost your brain power. In a hurry? Even taking just 10 belly breaths can help you relax and think more clearly.

Your brain is largely water and it takes only 2% dehydration to negatively affect your memory, attention, and other cognitive skills.

These mental effects can happen surprisingly quickly -- you can lose 10% of your body's water after one good exercise workout.

The effects of dehydration on the brain are so pronounced that they can mimic the symptoms of dementia.

So, the next time you feel mentally fuzzy, grab your water bottle. Your brain may simply be signalling that it is getting dehydrated. The usual rule of thumb is "8 glasses of 8 ounces of fluid a day."

But a more precise way of determining how much water you need is to multiply your weight (in pounds) by 0.5. Your daily fluid intake goal is that number in ounces.

If you exercise, check out this online hydration calculator from the water bottle company Camelbak.

It takes into account variables such as your type of activity, intensity, duration, temperature, and even cloud cover.

If drinking water does not come naturally to you, download an app like Waterlogged or Daily Water to remind you to drink enough. To keep your brain fit and to boost your brain power to determine how much water you need, then start drinking!

Few people drink only water, so now is a great time to cover drinks that contain caffeine, the world's favourite cognitive enhancer.

Literally billions of people around the world start their day with caffeine to enhance their mood, energy, focus, and productivity. The source of your caffeine really makes a difference to your brain and in the way you feel. Traditional brews like coffee, tea, and yerba mate are loaded with antioxidants, flavonoids, and other beneficial compounds that nourish the brain and increase mental vitality.

But caffeinated drinks like soda and energy drinks are loaded with sugar and chemicals instead.

And there's nothing natural about the caffeine they contain.

That caffeine is a synthetic chemical that's almost always made in China. If you suspect that caffeine is contributing to your stress or insomnia, you are probably onto something.

Rather than giving up caffeine completely, consider switching to green tea which may just be the healthiest drink of all.

Green tea contains a modest amount of caffeine, only one-fourth of that found in coffee. It owes its major health benefits to two unique compounds, EGCG and l-theanine. EGCG and l-theanine work synergistically to promote attention, memory, and learning.

Both EGCG and l-theanine have the unique capability of altering your brainwaves, putting you in a mental state similar to meditation. L-theanine is renowned for its ability to put you in that sweet spot of feeling calm, yet mentally clear.

And unlike other caffeinated drinks which disrupt sleep, green tea's l-theanine can help you sleep better.

Some people though, especially those prone to anxiety and insomnia, find the downside of caffeine outweighs the benefits, no matter what. If that's the case for you, give decaffeinated green tea a try.

Drink caffeine in moderation from natural sources like coffee, yerba mate, and especially green tea.