Make your brain sweat
Eat right
Don't overeat
Wake up easily
Do a head massage

Pace modern life with him constant overload and stress does not contribute in any way to clarity of thought and mental performance. Inability to concentrate, absent-mindedness, lack of interest, weakness, indifference are obvious signs decreased brain performance. They don’t need to be given much importance if they appear in the evening or when you go to bed, because during the night the body will rest and gain strength. But what if the same signs appear on your face in the morning? How to increase brain performance?

How to improve brain performance

Make your brain sweat

Exercise for the mind improves the neural connections of the brain and creates a foundation of intellectual power. Perform special exercises for memory development, start learning foreign languages, solve crosswords and solve math problems, play games that develop thinking (for example, board business games). Tighten your gray matter more often, and you won’t have to wonder “How to improve brain performance.”

Surrounded by all kinds of gadgets, we use our brains too rarely. Put down the calculator and do the math in your head (if you take out the calculator every time you need to add more than two numbers, you won’t be able to increase your brain performance, and your mental abilities will weaken day by day), plan your trip route mentally, without resorting to the help of a navigator , try without looking into notebook, remember the phone number you need (than more numbers spinning around in your head, the more new connections appear between neurons).

Eat right

It is known that the brain needs sugar to function, and many, wanting to increase brain performance, eat kilograms of sweets. With sedentary work, this is a sure path to obesity: sugar is quickly absorbed and burned. It is better to eat foods that contain natural starch and sugar: potatoes, legumes, rice, brown bread, nuts, etc. This food will be digested more slowly, and the brain will have enough energy for several hours.

About how to eat right to increase mental performance, You will find out in the article - “ Vitamins for the mind - food for memory».

It is important not only what we eat, but also what we drink. Drinking a cup of coffee every hour is not the best way to increase brain performance. Place a bottle of plain water on your desk and drink a glass every hour, even if you don’t feel like drinking. This will save you from the heat (it will come soon) and from dehydration of the body (including dehydration of brain cells), which is often the cause of loss of performance and fatigue.

Don't overeat

The performance of the brain depends on the amount of food we consume. Scientists from the University of Florida have used an experiment to prove that satiety leads to dullness and negatively affects mental performance.

During the experiment, laboratory rats were divided into two identical groups. The first group received food in abundance, while the diet of the second group was significantly limited.

Regular observations have shown that the body of malnourished rats produces an order of magnitude less cytochrome (a protein that destroys brain cells), which, according to scientists, causes irreparable harm to the brain, and therefore affects the performance of the brain in general, and in particular decision making process, on development of memory and thinking.

The response of the second group of rats, the hungry ones, was much better than those that ate as much food as they wanted. They summed up the interview that the scientists gave to the media with the following words: “ Now we can confidently say that hunger is good for health and has a positive effect on increasing brain performance ».

Surely many who overeat during lunch feel their performance deteriorating, and makes you fall asleep right at your workplace. So don't overeat!

Read useful literature more often

I think no one doubts the benefits of reading for improving brain performance.

Reading not only increases concentration, but also stimulates the imagination: the content of the book turns into visual images in our heads. Therefore, the brain works. Scientists from the Mayo Clinic (USA) are convinced that reading reduces the likelihood that over time we will become stupid about any reason. " New material- this is not only new information, but also new images in the head. Any history book will force you to make comparisons with the present, which engages the analytical abilities for which the right hemisphere is responsible“says one of the Mayo Clinic researchers.

Instead of staring at the TV, take some educational book and read it for at least 30 minutes (reading for half an hour every day will increase the performance of your brain).

Speaking about cognitive and useful literature, I mean domestic and foreign classics, historical and specialized literature, poetry. But the yellow press (who is with whom, who has more, and who has more), comics and other similar reading matter are unlikely to have a good effect on increasing the performance of the brain.

Take a break, relax and get enough sleep

Working without rest always leads to loss of performance. The American Journal of Epidemiology recently published a study stating: Fifty-five or more working hours per week (eleven hours per day for a five-day week) lead to fairly low scores in performance tests. vocabulary and intelligence. The best option 35-40 - hour work week" It’s clear that you can’t go up to your boss and say: “ If you want your team to work better, reduce working hours" In such conditions, performance can be increased through short breaks.

Feel free to scratch your tongue over a cup of coffee with your work colleagues. Here's what Oscar Ibarra, the author of one of the studies conducted at Michigan State University, says about this: “ Sometimes idle talk can be useful. Those who take breaks from work and chat with co-workers for ten minutes do better on agility tests than those who do them straight away without talking. And here's why - communicative communication sharpens memory and activates other brain functions because it requires information processing (for example, determining whether the interlocutor is lying or telling the truth)».

To those who remote work , can control their working hours and take a break for an hour or two without fear of being reprimanded. The main thing is not to sit like a robot and remember that if you are distracted and rested, it will improve your performance.

Don’t forget to give yourself days off (especially for those who work remotely and for themselves). The best vacation is outdoor recreation! Hunting, fishing, hiking in the forest to pick berries, climbing mountains, barbecuing in the country - all these are good ways to give your brain a break from stressful everyday life, recharge your batteries and increase brain performance.

And of course, speaking about rest and its impact on increasing brain performance, it should be noted the importance of healthy and adequate sleep. After all, it is known that sleep deprivation and sleep deprivation lead to premature fatigue and short-sighted decision-making.

Follow a routine: go to sleep every day and wake up at certain time. Even on weekends, try to stick to the established routine.

Wake up easily

Physiologists around the world advise to increase mental performance learn to wake up without an alarm clock. If you get up at the right time without the help of an alarm clock, you feel more sleepy. Consequently, you have more energy and strength, a clearer head and a better mood.

Give up bad habits

Much has been said about the dangers of smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, but there are people who claim that tobacco and alcohol (especially smoking) stimulate the performance of brain activity. However, doctors, through their numerous experiments (I will not go into details), have proven that the opinion about tobacco and alcohol as stimulants of brain activity is false and unfounded. Tobacco, like alcohol, is not a true, but a false stimulant of performance and productivity. It only creates the illusion of “enlightenment” of the head and a surge of strength. In reality, smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol do not allow focus on study and work, reduce the level of efficiency, reduce the volume of work performed, and also deteriorate their quality.

Don't know how to improve brain performance? The first thing to do is quit smoking and excessive alcohol consumption!

Force yourself to move as much as possible

Daily physical exercise will help improve the elasticity of blood vessels and blood circulation, help restore lost neural connections and promote the emergence of new ones, which will lead to improved brain performance.

Do a head massage

Head and neck massage improves blood flow in the cerebral cortex, and is therefore beneficial for cellular cerebral circulation. If possible, visit a professional massage therapist; if finances or time are tight, self-massage will help. Information on how to do self-massage of the head and collar area on the Internet is a dime a dozen. I will only say that if you perform this massage every day for ten minutes for several weeks, you will notice that by the evening the ability to think clearly and clearly will not disappear, and fatigue will no longer be so obvious.

Use colors and aromatherapy

It has been proven that some smells and colors have a calming effect, while others, on the contrary, are stimulants and irritants for the brain (for more details, see the article “Color Therapy”). Stimulates brain function well yellow- it tones and invigorates, increases mental performance and lifts your mood (you can hang a picture above your desktop in which this color predominates). Among the smells, citrus and woody aromas are good for increasing brain performance. Use natural essential oils, not air fresheners.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Novikov May 19, 2008 at 10:40 am

An effective way increase mental performance

In the last post I wrote about... In this part I will talk about an effective method that does not require medications. Medicines are only support, an addition. But this method requires organization and willpower, and therefore is so disliked by most of us.

Material part

First, I’ll tell you a little about some basic principles of how the nervous system works. I do not pretend to be complete here; rather, I deliberately shortened the presentation so that it would be understandable to the majority.

The work of the nervous system is the processes of excitation, inhibition, conduction, and integration. Neurons receive and process signals, conduct them along their processes and interact with each other.

The transmission of a signal along the processes of neurons is electrical activity. A change in membrane polarization spreads along the processes; this process requires energy spent on the operation of ion pumps.

Another important process is synaptic transmission. One cell releases intermediary molecules into the synaptic cleft, mediators that act on the receptors of another cell, stimulating or inhibiting its activity.

Neuronal activity requires energy. Lots of energy. Where does it come from? One of the most important biological processes is respiration. At the cellular level, respiration means oxidation nutrients and obtaining energy. I'll tell you in a very simplified way. Oxygen and nutrients enter the tissues with arterial blood. Then they enter the cell. There are whole chains of enzymes and coenzymes, the work of which ensures the oxidation of nutrients with oxygen. Formed carbon dioxide, water and other products. They must be removed from the cell and from the tissue into the blood.

In addition to breathing, there are many more biochemical processes. For example, synthesis components cells (the same membrane, enzymes, ion pumps, etc.), as well as mediators. All these processes also require energy, nutrients, enzymes and coenzymes. No mediators - no synaptic transmission.

The functioning of the nervous system should not be considered only at the cellular level. There are supracellular structures: groups of neurons, nuclei and centers of the brain, as well as such a mysterious thing in many respects as the reticular formation, as well as the pineal gland, the limbic system. They influence the cerebral cortex.

There are structures in the brain that are characterized by cyclical activity. They stimulate or suppress the activity of other structures. One of the important cycles is the daily cycle. Cyclic changes in neuronal activity are extremely important for recovery processes. The reserves of nutrients, high-energy compounds, mediators, and components of the cell itself must be restored. New connections between neurons must be formed. Structural changes must occur in the neurons themselves.

By the way, when using stimulants, you simply “burn through your emergency reserve.” Just as stupid party nomenclatures, in order to increase meat production in their reports, sent dairy herds to the slaughterhouse, so you, by taking caffeine, “energy drinks” and similar substances, are slowly killing your neurons.

What to do?

A natural and stable daily routine is the most effective remedy

A natural, stable daily routine is the most effective remedy. Moreover, it is non-medicinal. And this remedy is the most underrated and most disliked by most of us. You can eat pills, but without a daily regimen, you can throw them in the toilet with almost the same effect.

The daily routine is not just “sleep eight hours.” For some people six is enough, for others nine is enough. The most important thing is to develop and maintain a stable daily rhythm. And not just any kind, but natural. It is natural for Homo sapiens to wake up in the morning, stay awake during the day, rest in the evening and sleep at night.

Anticipating the invasion of crazy red-eyed coders who are pathologically proud of being night owls, I will say that after the night owls return to their natural cycle, their productivity increases and their mood improves. In fact, the division into “night owls” and “larks” is quite arbitrary. Among those who work better at night than during the day, there are almost no real night owls. There are simply people with a stable unnatural daily cycle.

Each person has a slightly different body temperature, heart rate, and breathing rate. But these parameters, nevertheless, have a norm. Just as the normal temperature in the armpit is 36.6 degrees Celsius, the normal rhythm is the one I described, let’s call it “morning.”

I myself have experienced periods when I work better at night than during the day. But let's look at this situation as follows. Let’s take a person’s maximum performance as 100%. Now let’s make it an “owl”. During the day he will nod off and work at thirty percent, and by night he will become more active, say, up to seventy percent. But still he will not reach that maximum and that comfortable state that would be with natural biological rhythm Homo sapiens.

For millions of years, all life on Earth has been subject to a daily rhythm. And almost all living things receive this rhythm thanks to cyclic changes in lighting. One of the substances produced cyclically in the brain is melatonin. Approximately 70% of its secretion occurs at night. The pineal gland increases melatonin production when it is dark.

It is very important to go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time. I recommend going to bed around 11:30 pm and waking up around 7:30 am. You can go to bed at a different time, a little earlier or a little later. It is important to wake up consistently.

And again I foresee objections about “deadlines”, “blockages at work”. Let me remind you of the story about two lumberjacks who staged a competition. One chopped without stopping, and the other’s ax periodically fell silent. And when the second woodcutter stopped chopping, the first one heard it and began chopping even faster. Imagine his surprise when it turned out that the second woodcutter had cut twice as much. “How can this be, since you stopped every hour and did nothing?” - asked the first one. “How is this nothing? “I was resting and sharpening my ax,” the second one answered him.

You will cope much better with deadlines and emergency situations if your ax is sharp. Remember what I talked about synthesis processes, the restoration of neurotransmitters and energy compounds? So, during healthy sleep they are restored. And many more little-studied processes occur. Some authors believe that it is during sleep that new connections between neurons are formed, and information is recorded in long-term memory.

We wake up easily

By the way, about proper awakening. If you wake up shortly before your alarm goes off, don't oversleep. We need to get up. And if the alarm clock rings, but you don’t want to wake up, you still have to get up. Get up in the literal sense of the word. You have no idea how important it is to take a vertical body position. In most cases, the drowsiness goes away immediately. You will be surprised that a minute ago you thought it was impossible to crawl out from under a warm blanket.

Stable morning “rituals” contribute to awakening. A contrast shower “washes away” drowsiness. The key word here is stability. The body will get used to the fact that you not only need to wake up, but also do something invigorating.

A little higher I talked about circadian rhythms, melatonin and the role of lighting. So, it will be very cool if you wake up in the light. There are alarm clocks that first turn on the light, and then, if you don’t wake up, they ring. I’ll talk about the role of lighting during the working day a little later.

Fall asleep easily and sleep well

If you do not have a pathology, then a stable daily rhythm with morning awakening will, after a while, make it easy to fall asleep.

It is very important that the room is not too bright, hot or stuffy. And also - so that the nose is not stuffy. It happens that a person complaining of morning “grossiness” undergoes sleep monitoring. It turns out that the poor guy wakes up 10 times a night, but he simply doesn’t remember it. It turns out he has problems with nasal breathing.

Don't use sleeping pills. Their principle of action is based on depression of the nervous system. This is not what we need, and side effects can be very bad.

To rebuild the body to a normal rhythm, the drug Melaxen helps. These are melatonin tablets, a substance produced by the pineal gland when it’s time for us to sleep. You can use it for about 5-7 days, no more, one tablet 15 minutes before bedtime (most of this drug will be eliminated in 45 minutes) Be sure to take at least half a glass of water (like any tablet, so as not to stick to esophagus, this happens). This is not a sleeping pill in the usual sense of the word. This drug helps the brain adjust to a normal rhythm.

Glycine can also be used before bed. It must be used correctly: do not swallow, but place it under the tongue or behind the cheek.

I also heard about such alarm clocks, slip trackers, that wake up a person in suitable phase sleep. I haven’t tried it myself, I haven’t used it on patients, but it’s an interesting thing.

To fall asleep easily, it would be a good idea to get moderate aerobic physical activity 3-5 hours before bedtime. And here we will touch on the next topic - physical inactivity.

Fighting physical inactivity

I will not dwell in detail on the pathological mechanisms of physical inactivity. Let me just say that we all suffer from it. You can’t even imagine the truly enormous lack of movement that city dwellers experience. Especially IT people.

Two good ways are morning jogging or cycling. For myself, I chose a bicycle. On personal or public transport With the current congestion of St. Petersburg streets, it takes me about 50-70 minutes to travel. The same is true on a bicycle.

I exchange an hour of standing in traffic jams or jostling in a sweaty subway for the same hour of moderate aerobic exercise. I don’t spend such expensive time additionally, as if after work I went to the fitness center and pedaled on the exercise machine. By the way, it turned out that you sweat more on the subway.

I recommend getting up and leaving early, before rush hour and traffic jams. Firstly, the air will still be fresh. Secondly, it's safer. Thirdly, you arrive at work, and there are not many people there, it’s easier to concentrate. And finally, you don’t always have an appetite immediately after sleep. After a bike ride, your appetite will be good, food will be digested better, and you will be more energetic.

Once you bike home, you'll have a few more hours to "settle down." I recommend taking a warm shower rather than a contrast shower in the evening.

Not everyone can afford to ride a bike. I will share my “life hack”. Get off the transport one or two stops before and walk through them. Or jog easily.

Rest at work

The topic partially overlaps with physical inactivity. How do IT people usually “rest”? They go, get coffee, read blogs, play something, smoke (a ray of diarrhea for tobacco companies).

Rest is a change of activity. Many people know this, but they don’t use it at all. Changing “Photoshop” to “Bashorg” is not a vacation, although it is better than “dulling” over a layout when your head can no longer cook.

The correct way to relax is to get up from the computer, open the window, leave the room and do at least some physical activity, without thinking about work and “deadlines.” For this we have table hockey, darts and badminton in warm weather. You can at least do some squats and push-ups. It’s also better to eat food not at the workplace, but at least go somewhere to a cafe.

During prolonged sitting, some groups of muscles and nerve cells receive a static load, while others are relaxed. Physical activity allows you to restore the tone of relaxed muscles and blood vessels, restore normal blood flow, and accelerate the removal of cellular waste products from the body.

For good rest during the working day, a change in activity is important, physical activity, distraction from the problem and a change of scenery (get out of the cubicle, finally!)

Leisure outside of work

There are two large parts here: “after work” and “on vacation”. I won’t talk about vacation for a long time. I can only say that the benefits of a vacation will come with a change of scenery. This is its main psychotherapeutic effect. You need to leave, forget about work, problems, turn on your phone and computer only when necessary.

Let’s dwell in a little more detail on regular “after work” rest. I recommend several types of such recreation: outdoor games (football, badminton, tennis), jogging, cycling, rollerblading, and also a swimming pool. The pool is generally very cool, at least once a week. But all sorts of gyms will not give the same effect as aerobic physical activity.

Another thing that few people know about. Cleaning on weekends is not just about “getting clean and tidy.” This is a psychotherapeutic agent. I won’t describe the mechanisms here, just trust the doctor ;-) Clean your apartment, your workplace, or even clean your computer. Freshen up your space.

My colleagues involved in the treatment of neuroses use such concepts as “psychological microclimate” and “microenvironment”. Use the weekend to arrange a change in this environment. Ideally, of course, go somewhere outside the city, but it doesn’t always work out.

Not deprived common sense advice from one of my colleagues: sometimes take a break from those with whom you work, even if they are very good and interesting people.

Try to diversify your life as much as possible. If you take one route to work, try others. If you buy everything in one store, try the one next door. Eat pasta all the time - try boiled socks (you've read this far, ho-ho) Don't limit yourself only to specialized literature. Get yourself a non-computer hobby, sometimes go to the movies, theaters, and museums. It sounds trivial, but in just three months you will really get a significant effect.

Medicines

Much has already been said about glycine, nootropics and vitamins. I’ll also say a few words.

Take multivitamins, especially drugs like Vitrum Superstress, only in the indicated dosage. Usually this is one tablet per day. Take in the morning, at breakfast. Do not exceed the dose! The duration of the course of vitamins is 30 days, then take a break for 1-2 months.

Nootropil. A relatively safe drug, it has an antihypoxic effect and improves cellular respiration processes. Don't overuse it. It will be better if a doctor prescribes it for you, who will indicate the dosage and observe you, but I won’t describe the “do it self” regimens here. The effect is not instantaneous, it does not occur immediately.

Glycine. It is also a relatively safe drug. Before going to bed, one tablet under the tongue helps many people fall asleep easier. I wrote about Melaxen a little higher.

Everything else: caffeine, dietary supplements, stimulants, sleeping pills, amphetamines, antidepressants - forget. Just forget about them if the doctor who is treating you has not prescribed them for you. If the doctor prescribed dietary supplements, then forget this doctor. If psychotropic drugs were not prescribed by a psychiatrist, the same thing applies.
If you suspect that you are depressed, consult a psychiatrist. If you have problems with sleep, go to a sleep center or a psychiatrist, again.

What else prevents you from working normally?

Smoking

Whatever the mental homosexuals say (I have no other decent words for these citizens) who defend smoking, smokers, the tobacco industry, hypoxia and constriction of brain vessels under the influence of nicotine have never contributed to the good functioning of brain cells. Hypoxia - main reason neuronal inhibition.

Smoking contributes to the development of hypoxia on several levels at once. Firstly, under the influence of nicotine, the vessels bringing arterial blood narrow. The supply of oxygen to tissues with blood decreases. Secondly, the transport capacity of hemoglobin decreases. The blood itself carries less oxygen and is more difficult to give it to tissues. One of the reasons is the formation of carboxyhemoglobin, a product of the reaction of hemoglobin with carbon monoxide ( carbon monoxide). Thirdly, in addition to nicotine in tobacco smoke There are also a bunch of substances that penetrate cells and block the processes of cellular respiration. That is, even the reduced amount of oxygen that enters the tissue cannot be properly absorbed by the neurons themselves, since the enzymes and cytochromes of the respiratory chains are suppressed.

And these effects do not appear in long-term smokers, unlike, say, emphysema or erectile dysfunction.

Now citizens will come running here, claiming that “they can’t work without a cigarette,” that “a cigarette helps them mobilize.” Complete bullshit. The simplest analogy is that a drug addict going through withdrawal without a dose also feels very bad. Systematic tobacco use leads to the formation of a stable pathological condition, and without the next dose, performance actually decreases and dysphoria sets in. But here’s the thing: if you didn’t smoke, then your performance during the day would be much higher than what you now have for a short time after a “mobilizing cigarette.”

For office workers: smoke only one at a time and outside the office. And choose not a constant time! By strictly following this rule, you will significantly increase your chances of quitting smoking. Destroy the pathological tradition, social attachment and this ugly ritual. Drive away the person who suggests “discussing it in the smoking room” without mincing words and measures of influence. This is your enemy.

Poor nutrition

If you regularly eat homeless packages, instant noodles and purees, chips, then along with all this goodness you consume glutamic acid or its salts, glutamates. Glutamate is a flavor enhancer. Glutamate is also an excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. It has a short-term nootropic effect, but systematic consumption of increased doses of glutamate leads to changes in biochemical processes in nervous tissue. For a snack, you can read about the Chinese restaurant syndrome.

But even if there were no glutamates, such nutrition is bad because it is inferior. For example, a lack of vitamins. Remember what I talked about tissue respiration, synthesis and coenzymes? So, many vitamins act as coenzymes. If there are not enough coenzymes, the cell cannot function normally.

The homeless package itself is not so harmful. To get the same harm as from one cigarette, you need to eat ten of these instant noodles. But chronic nutrition with inadequate and monotonous food leads to an increasing lack of vitamins. And many other substances.

Your diet must include fresh vegetables, fish and vegetable fats. Vegetables are not only vitamins, by the way. And not just vitamins, but also a variety of their derivatives and precursors (provitamins). And not just powder pills, but “packed” into a cell membrane.

Fish and vegetable fats are polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as fat-soluble vitamins. For example, vitamins A and E are involved in a huge number of synthesis reactions and are also antioxidants (they block chain reactions of free radical oxidation of cell components, some of these reactions are triggered by hypoxia).

But you shouldn’t practice veganism, it’s unnatural. The natural diet of Homo Sapiens is mixed. Meat contains essential amino acids, as well as iron and other elements in a form in which absorption occurs incomparably more efficiently than from plant foods.

You shouldn’t listen to those idiots who promote microscopic breakfasts. Let the “Cosmo girls” go through the forest with their advice. You need to have breakfast like a human being. You have to work all day, your body must get energy from food. The stove must be heated with wood, and not with logs from your own home.

Wrong environment

The most common problem is improper lighting in the workplace. Well, IT people love to sit in the dark or twilight. This is wrong. Firstly, darkness is a natural signal for the brain that it’s time for a treat. Secondly, the contrast between dark room and a glowing monitor is very harmful to the eyes. And also, the visual analyzer gets tired.

Dull offices - I think everyone understands everything here. But there are also overly “creative offices” with bright walls, a lot of glare, and multi-colored light sources. This is great to put on a blog to get clients or future employees to follow. But putting people to work in such offices is a crime.

Music on speakers or headphones is extraneous noise and stress on the auditory analyzer. Now brave guys will come running here, coding at night to “Tints-Tints” or “Sepultura”, and will prove that they work better this way. Physiology says the opposite, but I won’t argue with the “red eyes”, this is a stupid activity.

Incorrect workplace. This is generally a very big topic, I’ll just give one example. Let's say the monitor is too high. A man sits, the neck muscles are in constant tension, the head is fixed. The venous outflow is disrupted (sometimes the blood flow too), the blood supply to the brain gradually deteriorates, but not critically (there is no fainting). But always. Water wears away stones. Performance decreases, a person gets tired faster, and headaches occur more often.

Ones egein

So, the most important and most effective (better than nootropics and glycine) is a stable natural “morning” daily routine. Get started today!

And finally

Well, of course, of course, lieutenants. This is also very important. I remember one verse here:

Don't drink alcohol
Don't smoke cigarettes
Don't take any drugs

There is a common belief that the human brain operates at about 10 percent of what it is actually capable of. Is this really true? Or is this nothing more than a myth? Scientists say that virtually every area of the brain is active and there is no part of our brain that remains inactive, so to say that 90 percent of our brain is in an inactive state and that the average person's brain performance is only 10 percent of 100, in This would be completely wrong. But let's look at this circumstance from a different angle.

Thus, it is quite obvious that in a calm state, the activity of our brain is at a low level, while during the performance of a complex task its activity increases sharply. In the same way, it can be assumed that brain performance differs from person to person and largely depends, for example, on such factors as the level of education or the degree of brain training, so to speak. And if we are talking about solving everyday problems, then our ability to solve these problems will be higher, the more and longer we have solved these everyday problems in the past.

Announcement:

Almost all proposed ways to increase brain performance can be reduced to the following basic recommendations:

1. Train your mental abilities constantly.

2. Use your memory and attention as often as possible.

3. Do something regularly that you haven't done before.

4. Eat healthy and avoid overeating.

5. Do physical exercises and lead an active lifestyle.

6. Give up bad habits and instill good habits.

7. And don’t forget about adequate rest for your brain and body.

How to increase brain performance:

1. Involve yourself in mathematics.
2. Solve problems in your head.
3. Play chess and other board games.
4. Develop both hemispheres of the brain.
5. Practice brainstorming.
6. Study and use mind maps.
7. Block one or more senses.
8. Laugh as often as possible.
9. Solve puzzles and logic problems.
10. Find new uses for ordinary objects.
11. Say words and sentences backwards.
12. Ask the question: “What if?”
13. Write stories, poems, novels, articles.
14. Write in a different font.
15. Study and remember tastes and smells.
16. Use different perfumes.
17. Use different keyboard layouts.
18. Exercise.
19. Learn martial arts.
20. Watch your posture.
21. Drink more water.
22. Breathe deeply.
23. Determine a topic for daily observation.
24. Learn foreign languages.
25. Go to trainings.
26. Improve your skills.
27. Enroll in an educational institution.
28. Get enough sleep.
29. Read a book upside down.
30. Use a timer.
31. Compete with other people and with yourself.
32. Visit different places.
33. Become familiar with scientific methods.
34. Do art, draw, sculpt, play music.
35. Watch your thoughts.
36. Learn to manage your thoughts.
37. Do several things at once.
38. Eat a little less.
39. Learn to joke and write jokes.
40. Choose a new hobby.
41. Argue, defend your point of view and consider someone else’s.
42. Look to the root of the problem.
43. Use a voice recorder instead of notes.
44. Write down your ideas.
45. See the world through the eyes of a child.
46. Get into the shoes of another person.
47. Generate ideas.
48. Listen to classical music.
49. Read the classics.
50. Simplify complex things.
51. Meditate.
52. Develop visualization skills.
53. Create your own mental sanctuary.
54. Develop self-awareness.
55. Relax.
56. Improve your concentration abilities.
57. Contemplate the world here and now.
58. Write down your dreams.
59. Learn lucid dreaming and OBEs.
60. Learn from geniuses.
61. Collect quotes and phrases and reflect on them.
62. Make friends.
63. Increase your vocabulary.
64. Watch films of various genres.
65. Turn off the TV.
66. Eliminate procrastination.
67. Vary the speed of your actions.
68. Do one thing at a time.
69. Keep a diary.
70. Use fewer technical devices.
71. Change your image.
72. Walk barefoot.
73. Talk to smart people.
74. Challenge yourself.
75. Do more than you plan.
76. Be in nature more often.
77. Take different routes.
78. Create change in your environment.
79. Learn to work with a computer and programs.
80. Install different operating systems.
81. Study the brain.
82. Learn to read quickly.
83. Develop your intuition.
84. Create a mental memory warehouse.
85. Describe the experience in great detail.
86. Remember people's names.
87. Manage your stress.
88. Confront your fears.

That's all. Remember that we each have approximately the same amount of gray matter in our brains, and virtually all of us have equal opportunities to develop our mental abilities and, as a result, increase the efficiency of our brains. The main thing is not to let your brain sit idle for too long and try to regularly give it tasks at the peak of its capabilities, and then after some time you will begin to notice that your brain has become much better at coping with everyday tasks. Good luck and all the best to you!

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The modern rhythm of life, which is characterized by colossal flows of information, constant overload and incessant stress, does not have a positive effect on the performance and productivity of the brain. This is where intellectual ailments arise, such as decreased personal effectiveness, lack of interest and indifference to the world around us, inability to concentrate, etc. All these are clear signs of decreased productivity of brain activity. You can ignore them, especially if they do not constantly disturb you, but if you begin to notice the above signs in yourself systematically, this is a signal that the time has come to “get to grips with your brain.” Read about ways to increase brain productivity in this article.

Make your brain work

Mental work is an excellent exercise for the brain, because when it is loaded with activity, neural connections improve and the power of the intellect develops. Exercises that develop memory and attention, study, and foreign languages, solving crossword puzzles, playing chess and solving mathematical problems. So, if your gray matter is regularly tense, you won't have to think about how to increase brain productivity.

We also note that the constant use of aids, for example, gadgets, contributes to a decrease in brain productivity. Therefore, when you need to calculate something, do it in your mind, if you need to plot a route for a trip around the city by car, do it mentally, and when you need to remember something, do not rush to take out your notebook, but strain your memory. In addition, you can train your brain using specialized programs, such as this one.

Eat right

Today, almost everyone knows that for high-quality work, the brain must be provided with glucose. For this reason, by the way, many people mistakenly believe that they need to eat more sweets, but sweets in huge quantities are a sure way to problems with excess weight. To provide your main organ with the proper amount of necessary substances, it is best to consume foods containing natural starch and sugar. Such products include nuts, brown bread, rice, legumes, potatoes and others. Useful article on the topic proper nutrition you will find .

In addition to talking about food, a few words need to be said about drinks, and specifically about coffee. Despite the popularity of caffeine, it is far from the most good way increasing brain productivity. A lot, and it is advisable to do this every hour and even if you are not thirsty. And considering that dehydration is one of the causes of overwork and loss of performance, the importance of water in a person’s life is very difficult to overestimate.

Read educational literature

The benefits of reading have been sung by the great minds of mankind for hundreds of years, and there is no doubt that it has an extremely positive effect on brain function. Thanks to reading, the ability to concentrate improves, the horizons expand, and the imagination is stimulated. We can also add that, for example, researchers from the Mayo Clinic, USA, came to the conclusion that reading greatly reduces the likelihood that even in old age a person will become “dumb” and “sluggish.”

Based on this, we recommend that you at least temporarily forget about the TV, beloved by most people, and pick up some educational or interesting book and start devoting at least half an hour to reading every day. As for the book itself, you shouldn’t think that these are abstruse books and textbooks - foreign and domestic classics, detective stories, short stories and tales, historical literature, poetry, biographies and autobiographies are perfect for increasing brain productivity outstanding people. And another great way to stretch your brains, if we talk about readable material, is specialized courses on the development of thinking. We have one of these too -.

Rest, get enough sleep, get distracted

If you work for a very long time without breaks, you can quickly lose productivity and motivation. Of course, it is not always possible to manage your working hours, but almost everyone has the opportunity to take short breaks from time to time, distracting themselves from work as much as possible. For example, chatting about this and that with colleagues during a short break is very useful. Thus, the author of one of the studies at the University of Michigan, Oscar Ibarra, is convinced that chatting in some cases increases brain productivity. People who take breaks during the workday and chat with their colleagues about all sorts of nonsense for ten minutes pass intelligence tests much better than those who do not. The trick is that communication helps sharpen memory and activate other important brain functions, because communication always requires information processing.

Well, if you work remotely, you are generally lucky, because we can control our time without fear that someone will punish you with a ruble or a reprimand if, for example, you leave everything for an hour and spend this time having a pleasant conversation with friend. However, it is not at all necessary to communicate with someone, because the main thing is simply to be distracted and have a good rest.

In addition to everything, do not neglect weekends, especially if you have your own business or work remotely. The best way to relax and unwind is to go out into nature. Go fishing or hunting, go mushroom or berry picking, climb a mountain, spend a week in another country. As a last resort, you can simply go to a friend’s dacha and barbecue - any of these methods will allow you to get a boost of energy, increase brain productivity and relax.

And, naturally, we cannot fail to mention full and healthy sleep, because it is very important for both the body and the mind. Lack of sleep, in particular systematic, as well as lack of sleep are the causes of premature overwork and making wrong decisions. Therefore, try to follow a routine, go to bed and wake up at the same time whenever possible and provide yourself with 7-8 hours of sleep. And if you are wondering how you can sleep differently, we recommend reading ours.

Get rid of bad habits

Despite the fact that today only the natives of the most lost jungles of the world have not heard about the dangers of smoking and drinking alcohol, there are individuals who claim that tobacco and alcohol stimulate brain activity. Doctors, in turn, have already conducted all kinds of research and experiments dozens of times, and the results obtained have shown and continue to show that the benefits of smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages for the brain are a myth.

Both of these substances are a false stimulant of productivity and brain performance, because the feeling of a surge of energy that arises from them is just an illusion. In fact, alcohol and cigarettes (as well as tobacco), contrary to popular and erroneous belief, interfere with concentration and concentration, reduce the efficiency of the brain, and negatively affect the volume and quality of work performed. You can read more about the dangers of such habits and how to get rid of them in.

Move more

Here we mean stable and systematic daily physical activity. They make blood vessels and the cerebral cortex more elastic, improve blood circulation, restore lost neural connections and produce new ones, and this greatly contributes to increasing the productivity of the main organ of the human body.

We will also include head and cervical massage on the topic of movements. It improves blood flow to the cerebral cortex and has a beneficial effect on cellular blood circulation. It is very good to periodically visit professional massage parlors, but you can also learn how to massage your head yourself. You can find a lot of information on this topic on the vast expanses of the Internet, but we will just say that if you practice it for at least ten minutes every day for 2-3 weeks, you will begin to notice that you get tired less and your mind stays longer. cheerful and active.

And finally, we want to point out once again that one of the the best ways Increasing brain productivity is rightfully considered the development of thinking. And if you really want to ensure that your mind is always fully armed, work in this direction. Go ahead and check out one of our best courses.

I wish you success and productivity in all your affairs and endeavors!

The brain, in some ways, functions the same way as muscles. Therefore, just as muscle tension and exercise increase muscle strength, so too various actions and habits can increase brain performance. Your brain is like an interface between your consciousness and outside world. Below are 8 ways that you may not have heard of, but they can seriously improve your mental abilities.

Eat the right foods
Did you know that eating a variety of foods is directly linked to increased “brain power”? You may have already heard that the main ones are fruits and berries (especially blueberries), as well as vegetables rich in vitamins A, E, B, C, magnesium and folic acid. But there are some foods that you would hardly classify as brain energy drinks, one of them is dark chocolate. It stimulates the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain, which helps the brain function at an optimal level. Another example is fish oil, which is used as a raw material for the brain and has a beneficial effect on the emotional centers of the brain, as well as increasing attention.

Drawing
Creative activities such as drawing primarily use the right hemisphere of the brain. This is the part of the brain that thinks, holistically and essentially non-verbally. Drawing also coordinates and strengthens the motor areas of the brain.

Learn new language
Learning a new language greatly stimulates the other side of the brain—the left side. The left hemisphere of the brain deals with analytical and verbal functions, and both of them are trained when you learn a new language. This is a challenging activity for the left hemisphere and can be an excellent technique for stimulating the brain as a whole. So pick a language you've always wanted to learn (perhaps spoken in a country you've always wanted to visit) and start learning!

Use your non-dominant hand
If you are right-handed, try performing some tasks with your left hand. If you're left-handed, try these. right hand. This simple action will challenge your brain in new ways that involve muscle coordination. An additional advantage is that if you achieve enough good results in this, you can boast of symmetry.

Cross-country walks
Walking on uneven surfaces such as rocky roads helps improve mental performance. This type of activity stimulates coordination and improves overall mental abilities.

Move your fingers
Moving your fingers and toes and paying close attention to these parts of the body will do great things for your brain. Try doing this first thing when you wake up in the morning. Move and move your fingers and toes slowly, while remaining acutely aware of what is happening. After this, you may find that you wake up more alert and able to focus on the activities of the day.

Creating vivid images
Important for the brain are the functions of imagination and visualization. You can use this ability and at the same time increase the power of your brain. Try to visualize and vividly imagine different scenarios. Try to insert yourself into these scenarios; this kind of “meditation” gives a tangible effect. In addition, try to visualize all the senses - vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste as clearly as possible. There is also a way to recreate an event, for example, lying on the bed, imagine how you get up from it, the most difficult thing to achieve is slowdown, since it is difficult for our brain to recreate a detailed slow picture, so everything in our thoughts happens quickly, and the brain misses a lot of details, it seems easier for him. But if, through training, you force your brain to recreate the event in detail and slowly, then it will become more productive in other life situations.