8 Ways To Stay Sharp And Intelligent

The brain is perhaps the most complex organ in animals and man especially. It co-ordinates a number of functions on a daily basis and is the only organ made up of cells that live from our birth till we die.

There are enough reasons to take care of your brain but none seems to beat the fact that if we do take care of our brains, there’s a chance that it will be there to take care of us every time we need it.

If you’re wondering the exact things you need to help your brain stay sharp and intelligent, here are tried and tested things to do.

Watch Your Cholesterol Level

The “bad” cholesterol, or Low density lipo-proteins (LDL) tend to increase the levels of the “good” cholesterol in the brain, especially when LDL are low. As such, put an eye on your cholesterol levels and ensure you have more HDL to keep your brain sharp.

Give Up Smoking

A study conducted at Harvard University concluded that smokers are twice as likely to suffer from dementia as non-smokers. Smoking tends to affect brain cells and may impair the memory. Give up smoking and enjoy your brain as sharp and witty as it should be.

Be Wary Of Your Blood Pressure

We all know that high blood pressure is bad and can cause kidney disease, heart failure or cerebrovascular accident (Stroke). Research has however also shown that as many as one in three adults suffer from high blood pressure, which has been fingered in an increased risk of dementia. If you want to keep your brain sharp by keeping your blood pressure within the range of 120/80, drink less alcohol, exercise more, consume more of wholegrains and low fat dairy foods and eat more of vegetables.

Go B Complex

Increasing your intake of B complex vitamins including folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12 can help to increase your mental capacity. A high level of the amino acid – homocysteine in the blood stream has been linked to dementia and B complex vitamins help to reduce their levels in the body. Taking a B complex capsule a day should be sufficient.

Make New Friends

Depending solely on yourself is not good for your brain. Being a loner may be enjoyable at times, but refuse to make it a habit. Various researches have pointed to the fact that people who have a good network of friends and colleagues have as much as 45 percent less chance of going into a mental decline as opposed to people who had limited social interaction. Make New friends or keep in contact with old ones to keep your brain sharp.

Put It To Regular Use

While this may sound cliché, it is backed up by factual evidence. Ensuring that your brain is active is crucial and this usually goes beyond keeping up with daily activities. The more you read, write, engage in new interests and hobbies, the more the various nerve cells in your brains form closer bonds. This will in turn lead to the generation of new brain cells.

Exercise

The importance of exercises can never be over-emphasised. The minute you start exercising and your body begins to pump blood from exertion, this will help to increase the number of blood vessels that flow to the area of the brain linked to complex thinking processes. As such, more nerve cells are generated in the process, helping to make you stay sharp and intelligent.

Consume Less Alcohol

Not more than two bottles of alcoholic beverages is recommended per day, for you to have a sharp and witty brain. Although alcohol does not destroy brain cells, it reduces communications between neurons and causes the impairment associated with being drunk. It however doesn’t kill off entire cells. Drinking excessively on the other hand can result in brain shrinkage around the area surrounding the cortex of thefrontal lobe. This area is responsible for higher intellectual functions in men especially and a shrinkage of this area or deeper areas of the brain has been linked with memory loss.

Try some of these tips today to live your life to its full health potential.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK @Turetalk

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @Turetalk