While some previous research has shown some neural benefits to drinking coffee and tea –- perhaps because of the antioxidants they contain -- our research suggests that drinking too much coffee and tea is associated with slowed processing speed.
Consider adding at 1 or 2 servings of fish, shellfish, flaxseed oil, walnuts, or cooked soybeans to your weekly diet. These foods all contain omega-3 fatty acids that are critical for communication between brain cells. If you have special dietary requirements and cannot consume fish or shellfish, get your omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil, walnuts, or soybeans.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is a particularly important omega-3 fatty acid that is a component of the structure of brain cells.
You’re getting some antioxidant rich foods in your diet, but you could be getting even more! Adding certain types of antioxidant-rich berries, beans, and vegetables to your meal plan will help you boost your brain health.
Chocolate improves your brain grade, but consider trying dark chocolate. When eaten in the same amounts, dark chocolate contains much higher levels of antioxidants.
The higher the percentage of cocoa in the chocolate, the healthier it is.
Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption is increasing your brain grade. Keep it up.
Aerobic exercise leads to the growth and development of brain cells, and may even stimulate the production of new brain cells. Adding some aerobic exercise to your exercise regimen will increase your brain grade.
Lack of aerobic exercise is associated with declines in cognition, and may increase the risk of dementia.
Strength training is an important part of overall fitness and a key to keep your brain healthy. Adding some strength training to your exercise regimen will increase your brain grade.
Strong muscles improve balance and reduce frailty, making it less likely that you will experience a serious injury that could restrict your movements and throw your brain-healthy lifestyle out of balance.
You indicated that you have had some very stressful events in the past year. Stressful life events have been associated with problems of cognition. Keeping your brain healthy in other areas can help you prepare for and recover from these stressors.
Getting enough sleep is critical for proper brain function. The brain consolidates learning and memory during sleep. Maintaining regular sleeping habits is critical for cognitive function and brain health in general. While you are sleeping an amount that is within the recommended range, you may still want to explore if you could be more effective with a little bit more or less sleep. Everyone is different in this regard.
Smoking can be detrimental to your cognitive function in a variety of ways, and has been linked to an increased incidence of cognitive decline. By not smoking, you're keeping your brain, and body as a whole, in much better shape.
Your social network is improving your brain grade.
Having a close and active social network has been shown to be associated with a reduced risk of cognitive problems in aging.
While there has been little rigorous study of the benefits of particular leisure time activities, many scientists believe that engaging in cognitively stimulating activities is good for keeping the brain sharp.
Continue to challenge yourself. Taking on new challenges is an important part of keeping your brain functioning its best. Brain plasticity, the ability for the brain to reorganize itself, is spurred on by new challenges.
Do more cognitive training to improve your brain grade.
Studies have shown that doing cognitive training exercises can improve attention, memory, and fluid intelligence. These types of exercises have also been shown to have benefits for driving performance and health-related quality of life.