Short and long-term ways of improving brain function

I like to think I can stay on top of my busy work and home life, but every now and again I sometimes feel like my brain’s shutting down on me. I start to forget things, struggle to sleep, can’t concentrate and suffer from tiredness and headaches.

One thing I have learnt, though, is not to let this get out of control. In fact, this is one of my top tips for improving your brain function, and you can find lots of other useful advice below.

Short-term efforts

While it’s obviously important to focus your efforts on your long-term brain health, there are loads of things you can do on a more temporary basis. One of these is meditating.

When life seems to be getting on top of you and you feel a little stressed, simply taking just 15 minutes to close you eyes, inhale deeply and think about nothing but your breathing can work wonders. As I mentioned above, when I feel a little overworked and down I don’t let this get out of control.

I find even just having a relaxing soak with a book can put everything into perspective, reenergise me and leave me feeling totally relaxed.

Another short-term thing you can do to help boost your brain’s function is to inhale pure canned oxygen. I know this might sound like quite an unusual way to improve your wellbeing, but many people rely on this to help reduce tiredness, improve their energy levels, slow down the ageing process of their brain cells and increase their concentration levels.

Long-term efforts

While inhaling pure oxygen can provide your brain with a fantastic boost, it’s essential you also take on board some long-term changes to help your mind reach its full potential.

The obvious starting point is your health and fitness. Going for a run or just a stroll with the dog once or twice a day is a fantastic habit to get into. Not only is staying healthy important for maintaining your brain, but getting into the fresh air away from the hustle and bustle of daily life could help you enjoy reduced stress levels, better sleep and more energy.

Tying in with regular exercise – and the fitter you are, the quicker you might be able to do chores around the home, saving you time – is ensuring you enjoy a healthy and balanced diet. I have a huge sweet tooth and love tucking into things like brownies and fudge, but I also make sure I eat lots of fruit and veg to try and even this out.

Just because we might appear slim on the outside, doesn’t mean we are healthy internally. Try and get your five daily portions of fruit and veg – and if you or your children aren’t too keen on simply digging into piles of peas and raw apples, you can be inventive about it.

My personal favourites include spicy apple soup, chicken and vegetable casseroles and prawn stirfrys. You will hardly notice how many portions you’re eating when your fruit and veg is mixed with lots of other ingredients, while these kinds of meals also have the benefit of being filling.

Eating two or three portions of omega-3 rich oily fish each week, or taking a fish supplement in capsule form every day, can also help improve the function of your brain.