Would you like your brain to function more clearly and quickly?  Of course you would!  Nearly everyone on the planet has something to gain from increased memory and faster thinking.  As a matter of fact, you probably know a few people would REALLY benefit!  🙂 

The thing is, the “trick” to a better brain is often not a complicated as we might think.  We don’t need surgery or some science fiction drug.  There are several–very real things–each of us can do each day to help our own brain function.  Here are just a few…

Exercise:  It’s true!  Study after study shows that 30 minutes or so of aerobic exercise will help to increase brain function.  (This also helps the body deal with stress, which helps your brain too).  A simple way to explain this is that the blood is delivered to the brain through blood vessels.  Consider these blood vessels the highways.  These highways get pot holes sometimes…and exercise helps to re-pave the roads.  In addition, exercise also helps to create NEW roads!  More blood to the brain helps to increase brain function.  So just 30 minutes of exercise a day can make you smarter.  Go!

Sleep:  When I was in college, I never subscribed to the theory of the “all-nighter” before the test.  Turns out I was right.  By depriving your body of sleep, you can actually decrease your brain function by up to 40% after just one night!  So staying up all night to study actually makes you dumber!  Feeling out of it or groggy?  Just can’t function?  Get some sleep.  It will help…promise.

Stop Multi-tasking:  This is not my opinion folks…it’s fact.  The human brain cannot focus on more than one thing at a time.  It has to stop focusing on one thing and then re-direct…every time we change our focus!  So by focusing on many things at once (i.e. music, phones, Facebook alerts, Snapchats, texts, etc.) while trying to work on a paper or a project is a recipe for disaster.

Our brain is a complex and awesome part of us.  I believe it is the number one indicator of whether we lead a successful and (more importantly) happy life.  Why not give it the best chance for success? 

So consider these 3 things to make your brain a better tool for you!  The best part?  These three (for the most part) are totally up to you.