8 Ways To Prime Your Brain For Success

Our brains are essential for the quality of physical and mental performance. Smoking, excess alcohol, stress, or poor dietary habits, to name a few, can have a significant detrimental impact on our brain functionality. These habits also contribute to high blood pressure, cognitive decline, and dementia.

 

Fortunately, habits can be changed, and new strategies can be learned. The following tips can help to improve your brain and prime it for success.

 

Try the Mediterranean Diet (MeDi)

High-quality foods are essential for your brain health and physical fitness. The Mediterranean diet focuses on plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, fish, whole grains, and healthy oils like olive and avocado oils. 

 

Based on a study of 502,536 participants, people who followed the principles of the MeDi had a 23% less chance of developing dementia. Also, research has found that the MeDi may improve your cognitive capabilities, such as memory.

 

Reduce Stress with Mindfulness Relaxation

Chronic stress can have a significant harmful effect on brain function. Yale Medicine defines chronic stress as “A consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed over a long period of time.” In today’s hectic world, there are many causes of chronic stress, such as life changes, an unpleasant career, or family dysfunction. When stressed, the brain increases glucocorticoid production, including the stress hormone cortisol. 

 

Mindfulness is a form of meditation that helps you focus on the present rather than dwelling on the past or situations causing you to worry. Other key concepts include paying attention to your surroundings, accepting yourself, and focusing on your breathing.

 

Be Physically Active

The Center for Creative Leadership asked over 1,500 executives how exercise impacts their performance. Approximately 90% said that physical activity “clearly impacts” their performance, 12% reported “some impact,” and no one reported zero impact.
Respondents reported that regular exercise improved mental clarity and focus, increased alertness, and improved problem-solving.

 

In addition to improving your brain, exercise has physical benefits such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, reducing anxiety, improving sleep, and strengthening your immune system.

 

Stay Mentally Active

 

The human brain must be exercised like a muscle; if your brain doesn’t get sufficient exercise, the result can be early cognitive decline. There are many activities that you can do to give your brain a workout, such as reading, learning a new language, playing games, or working on a jigsaw puzzle.

 

Sleep Well

The importance of sleep and its effect on your brain should not be underestimated. When you sleep deeply, the brain repairs itself and rejuvenates your immune system. When in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the brain compiles details you learned during the prior day.

 

Inadequate sleep contributes to feeling exhausted, can cause concentration, mood, and memory disorders, and suppress your immune system.

 

If you cannot go to sleep or stay asleep, create a bedtime routine by going to bed at the same time nightly and waking up at the same time in the morning. Over time, this will help set your internal clock and become a regular sleep pattern. Also:

 

• Turn off your electronics at least two hours prior to bedtime. This includes cell phones, computers, and social media.
• Eliminate caffeine after 12:00 p.m. The most common sources of caffeine are coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate.
• Avoid eating before bedtime to prevent gastrointestinal issues that may keep you awake.

 

Avoid Smoking

While you may feel that cigarettes or cigars help to calm you and are pleasurable, there are risks to brain functionality. A study by the American Heart Association (AHA) found that smoking is associated with cognitive decline, leading to worsening performance. 

 

Be Socially Active

Social interaction can help to reduce stress and depression, preventing memory loss. Look for ways to interact with others, especially if you live alone. Brain atrophy has been linked to a lack of socialization. Being socially active can strengthen your brain health. 

 

Find Inspiration

The things we tend to take for granted can be inspirational and good for brain health. For example, Psych Central notes that watching the sunrise gives you a feeling of awe, bolsters your mood, and helps you to have a “big picture” mentality where we view situations broadly rather than focusing on limited details. It opens your mind to evaluating scenarios entirely rather than breaking them into detailed parts. 

 

People may also find inspiration from art, visiting a park, or watching the sunset.

 

Conclusion

 

A healthy brain keeps our sensory, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and motor functions working smoothly. It is essential to develop good habits such as eating properly, being physically, mentally, and socially active, and getting sufficient sleep.

 

Practicing the preceding tips can boost brain health, priming your mind for success and well-being!

 

References

https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-023-02772-3

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5502874/

https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/stress-disorder

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356

https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/spotlight-on-exercise-and-leadership/

https://brainfoundation.org.au/healthy-brain/

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/str.53.suppl_1.WP17

https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/addressing-your-mental-health-by-identifying-the-signs-of-anxiety-and-depression

https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/maintaining-healthy-relationships-is-important-as-we-age

 

Acupuncture Can Help You Quit Smoking

Smoking is one hard habit to break. If nicotine patches and gum doesn’t work, perhaps you should try something else like an alternative form of healthcare like acupuncture. 

 

Acupuncture is an ancient practice involving the use of needles. This instrument is inserted into the skin to allow you energy or Qi to start flowing freely around your body and thus help you quit smoking. 

 

When you go visit an acupuncturist for the first time and tell him or her that you want to quit smoking, after answering some questions, the specialist will carry out an examination of your ears and search for areas where the energy is low. 

 

Once these spots are identified, these sharp needles are then inserted. Usually 5 needles are placed in various acupoints. 

 

The treatment is finished after an hour and when the needles are removed, you are advised to wear ear magnets so your session continues even when you leave the clinic. While acupuncture itself is a painless procedure, some smokers have claimed that they felt a prick or get sleepy. 

 

Most smokers will have to come to the clinic 4 to 6 times before seeing any significant results. Just to give you an idea, one study shows that the respondents reported a decrease in the number of cravings to smoke just after one or two sessions. Seven out of 10 of the respondents were able to kick the habit after 5 or 6 sessions. 

 

Because the number of test subjects is small, there are some who doubt the effectiveness of acupuncture. This is because although there are positive signs with regards to the short term effects of this technique, its effects were not sustained. This is why some medical journals have stated that it is unclear what acupuncture can do in smoking cessation. 

 

But you have to remember that acupuncture is not permanent. It merely starts something that you have to finish on your own. Some smokers who go 2 or 3 times a week to the clinic will need to come back for follow up sessions in the future. 

 

At the same time, you have to find ways to prevent yourself from picking up a cigarette. You can do this by staying away from people who smoke since you will be tempted to ask for a stick. You can create your own personal mantra which you repeat to yourself every time you have an urge. 

 

Remember that this craving is only short term and will last only for a few minutes. You have worked so hard to leave this behind so stick to the path and stay smoke free.

 

Acupuncture treatment for smokers should only be done by a license professional. You can do some research online to find out if they are accredited by the National Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, ask how long they have been in the profession, find out how many smokers they have helped and how much will they charge.

 

Once you have found one, you have to commit yourself to the program because both you and the acupuncturist have to work together to give up this habit.

 

Acupuncture can help smokers in the same way that it has helped addicts and alcoholics quit their addictions. You just have to try it even if you may not believe in it.