Is YOUR Brain Flagging?

We’ve all had those late nights in the office when simple tasks start taking longer and it feels as though our brain power has deserted us.

So what exactly can we do to give our brains a boost when it feels like it’s running out of juice?

Dr Jenny Brockis, author of ‘Future Brain: The 12 Keys to Create Your High-Performance Brain’ believes it’s all about unlocking the full potential of your brain.

She claims there are a number of tricks that can boost your brain’s performance almost immediately Healthista reports.

SCHARFFEN BERGER Choco... Check Amazon for Pricing. From a quick-fix solution to give your brain a little shove for a few hours or a long-term brain training technique that strengthens the mind’s power over time, Dr Brockis reveals her seven top tips…

FEED YOUR BRAIN WITH COLOUR 

In her book Future Brain, Dr Brockis says that eating the right foods can increase our mental stamina, help us focus, aid memory, and even benefit our problem-solving ability.

‘It’s all about the right fuel for the right vehicle,’ she explains.

In February 2016, a study led by Dr Ian Macdonald, professor of metabolic physiology at the University of Nottingham, found consumption of a cocoa drink rich in flavanols (a key ingredient of dark chocolate) boosts blood flow to key areas of the brain for two to three hours.

Anti Aging Sleep Mask ... Buy New $27.00 (as of 12:10 UTC - Details) Dr Brockis has also linked dark chocolate with the brain’s ability to focus.

She believes colourful foods are the key to brain function, and highlights some of the foods that have been shown in nutritional studies to assist focus are:

• Rich leafy greens – kale, spinach, and Chinese broccoli.
• Deeply pigmented red and blueberries – blueberries, cherries, plums, strawberries, and raspberries.
• Dark chocolate – minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids, preferably the best you can find, because here it’s quality, not quantity, that matters.
• Eggs – choline boosts focus and help to reduce cortisol, one of our stress hormones.

Tip: If you feel too busy to stop and eat, remember that if you take the time to replenish your brain’s fuel stores it will increase efficiency and help you get your work done better and faster.

TAKE A 20 MINUTE NAP BEFORE 3 PM  Fitbit Charge HR Wirel... Buy New $59.99 (as of 02:30 UTC - Details)

Sleep provides us with greater physical and mental wellbeing. It allows for neuronal repair and maintenance,  it also brings mood regulation.

Dr Brockis says that naps can be highly beneficial to brain function, especially if those brains have been working hard over an extended period of time.

In 2010, research conducted by the University of California Berkeley found that an hour’s nap can dramatically boost and restore your brain power.

Their findings suggest that a biphasic sleep schedule (the practice of sleeping multiple times in a 24 hour period), not only refreshes the mind but can also make you smarter.

Dr Brice Faraut, of the University Paris Descartes, reports in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, that a 20-minute nap can increase cognitive performance by up to 40 percent, with the benefit lasting two to three hours.

Dr Brockis advises that keeping the nap to 20 minutes avoids sleep inertia, which is that groggy feeling we experience if woken up from a deeper level of sleep.

Keep power naps to the afternoon between lunchtime, and no later than 3 pm to avoid disrupting night sleep patterns.

Tip: Whenever possible keep to a regular 40-minute pre-bed routine to prepare your brain for sleep.

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