Do you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep? Is your brain getting enough exercise during your waking hours? If the skills and tasks you perform daily are easy and repetitive, you likely aren’t giving your brain enough of a challenge. The more adept you become at a skill, the less work it takes your brain to allow you to perform it. This is a direct result of your brain stretching itself over time. When your brain is bored, it impacts your sleep. Lack of sleep impacts, well, just about everything else regarding your wellness.
Getting enough sleep improves your cognitive function, mood and immunity. The connection between sleep and memory is undeniable – it’s hard to focus and perform your best when you’re sleep deprived. There is evidence that adequate sleep boosts memory – the two go hand-in-hand.
Ready to boost your brain health and get more rest at night? Take a look at these 5 ways to make it happen.
Exercise regularly
The phrase “use it or lose it” applies to more than just your muscles. Leading an active lifestyle keeps the tissues in your brain as active and young as those throughout your body. Studies have proven exercise’s prowess at maintaining brain health and also improving sleep at night. People sleep better and feel more alert when awake if they exercise 150 minutes or more each week. You don’t have to participate in high-impact exercise for the benefits; moderate activities like walking or water aerobics will do the trick.
Play games
Brain health can actually be fun to pursue. Learning how to play games like Texas Hold’em are great ways to keep your brain active. Learning new skills changes your brain and gives it a workout. If you play games with others, your mood and memory will also see a boost through the social interaction. Poker keeps different parts of the brain engaged by requiring players to memorize cards, problem solve quickly using probabilities and read social queues of other competitors. Studies show that games like poker improve brain elasticity and even was shown to help psychiatric patients.
Utilize hand-eye coordination
Consider new hobbies that involve your fine-motor skills to get your brain fit. Things like assembling a puzzle, knitting, painting and drawing are great ways to sharpen your mental skills by day and catch better sleep by night.
Learn a new language
Listening and hearing a foreign language stimulates the brain. In addition, a rich vocabulary is linked to a reduced risk of mental decline. If you want to get better rest once your head hits the pillow, take a Spanish or French class and learn more about the culture. Make it a point to learn things that extend outside of your reach to engage your brain.
Sleep deprivation has a direct and negative impact on learning and performance. When we lack healthy sleep, it’s more difficult to receive information because over-worked neurons fail to function and coordinate information properly. Maximize your brainpower daily by learning and engaging in new hobbies. Just as you want to keep your heart and body healthy, it’s also important to keep your brain healthy by challenging it daily and getting adequate rest.
