Improvement of Memory and Our Brain Functions

Your brain contains billions of cells that control your body. It is very important to take care of your brain so that you can function every day and be the best that you can be. Many things claim they can help with our memory and improve our brain function overall like doing certain exercises, eating specific foods, and avoiding some bad habits.

One way people claim that we can improve our memory and strengthen our mind is by doing certain exercises. Japanese researcher Yoshiro Tsutsumi claims that if you repeat certain finger workouts every day, then the stimulation traveling from your fingers directly to your brain will help improve brain function. He says that each fingertip has more than 3000 receptors and when you do a finger workout you improve synapse connections and fire neurons which is good for brain function. He describes a total of eight finger exercises that he developed. One workout he talks about is where you roll a walnut in the palm of your left hand while pressing down on it with your right hand for a minute, then you flip your left hand so the walnut is being pressed down on the back of your hand. Then you take two walnuts and roll them in a circular motion in the palm of each hand for at least a minute. With your right hand, you circle them clockwise and with your left hand, you circle them counterclockwise. Studies show that rolling motions calm down nervous tension, reduce anxiety, and relieve feelings of dissatisfaction, so in turn by doing this exercise prevents the aging of your brain and promotes longevity. Another exercise he mentions is by trying to perform everyday activities like brushing your teeth and opening doors with your non-dominant hand. By doing this workout you develop new connections between the two hemispheres of your brain and it encourages the activity of the less vigorous hemisphere. It is a good exercise to do because we are dominant on one side of our brain just like we are more dominant with one hand, so by working the other hemisphere you improve your brain function and that can help with memory. He describes several other exercises that you can do, all of which have different benefits in improving the brains functioning and memory.

Another way people say we can enhance our brain is by eating certain food. Sarah Baker talked about three different ways that food can impact our brain. The first way is by eating foods that boost our memory and prevent memory loss. Foods that are rich in vitamin E help protect the neurons in your brain from dying and lowers your chance of getting any kind of cognitive decline as you age. She says that dark leafy greens, avocados, nuts, seeds, and oil-based dressings all contain lots of vitamin E, so those are all good to eat to boost memory. Another example she gave was rosemary, she talked about how rosemary has a certain acid in it that is linked to helping protect the cells in your brain, so like all the other foods that are rich in vitamin E rosemary helps boost our memory. The second way is eating food to reduce the oxidative damage to your brain. Our brains are made of primarily fatty components, so it’s suspectable to oxidative damage because lots of oxygen makes its way up to the brain. So to prevent that from happening, it’s good to eat lots of antioxidant-rich food like blueberries, salmon, and nuts. The third way is to eat foods to help keep your focus sharp. She uses matcha as one example because it has a certain amino acid in it that acts to calm you down without the drowsiness. Another food she used as an example was beets, they have natural nitrates in them that increase blood flow to the brain. The better the blood flow, the better the circulation, which helps us focus and can help with our memory. She also mentioned dark chocolate, which has natural stimulants in it which increases endorphins. Endorphins make you happy which will help you focus. All the things she talked about may not directly be linked to improving memory, but they all help improve the brains functioning which in turn helps with memory.

Another way we can improve brain function and memory is by avoiding bad habits that damage your brain. All of these habits can have a long term and even fatal consequences. He talks about five different habits that all cause damage to your brain if various ways. For example, one of the bad habits is sleeping with your head covered. Doing that is bad because you don’t get enough oxygen like you would with your head uncovered. Studies have even shown that 23% of people that sleep with their head covered end up with dementia or Alzheimers. Another bad habit is not getting enough sleep. While you sleep your body eliminates toxins, so when you have a chronic lack of sleep the toxins build up and cause damage to your brain. The third habit he talks about is dehydration. Water makes up most of our body, so without enough water your brain actually shrinks in volume, which affects your mind and brain functions. The fourth habit is chronic stress. He says that not all stress is bad, but when you have chronic stress it releases cortisol, which stays in your system all day. This is bad because excessive levels of cortisol lead to health problems like hormone imbalances and cancer. Chronic stress also takes a toll on your adrenal glands causing you to feel tired, have memory loss, and increases anxiety. The last habit he talks about is the lack of mental stimulation. He talks about how people who live a stimulating life are more likely to not have a disease like dementia. The more active you are the better your memory is.

Many things claim they can help with our memory and improve our brain function overall like doing certain exercises, eating specific foods, and avoiding some bad habits. Even if all of these things aren’t directly improving our memory, they help in other ways to improve the brain which in turn helps with memory. I think incorporating some of these things into our everyday life would help, like doing these finger workouts, eating certain foods with our meals, and drinking more water wouldn’t be too hard and if they improve our brain then that’s even better. So it wouldn’t hurt to try out these methods to see if they actually help.