sudoku, puzzles, games

Serj Sagan asked:




Perhaps you are getting older and are noticing a decline in your brain function; or you are a student preparing for a huge test; or you are just curious if there is anything you can do to enhance your brain function. Well the obvious answer is YES! We will discuss the top 10 things in no particular order.

We will start with sleep. Your brain needs a certain amount of time to rest in order to even begin functioning at its maximum capability. Think of it as hard drive that gets extremely fragmented in just one day of work, and if you don’t let it completely defrag, it’s just going to work slower the whole next day. So give your brain 8 hours to fully “defrag.”

One of the most important elements that the brain needs to function at its highest potential is oxygen. Spend 30 minutes doing cardiovascular exercises (running, biking, treadmill, etc.) and you will notice an amazing improvement in your brain function as your heart is able to distribute oxygen more easily throughout your whole body, including your brain, when you are cardio fit.

The food you eat is obviously important for your brain however which foods are best can sometimes be confusing. First one is wild caught fish; let me emphasize NOT farm raised but wild caught and even better sea fish such as salmon. Next are the two foods that will probably cause you to say huh? They are chocolate and coffee. Yes chocolate and coffee, BUT the chocolate has to be 100% organic, 75% cocoa bean or more, in other words very dark chocolate and the coffee has to be 100% organic freshly ground coffee. We need to emphasize that it must NOT have any preservatives and USDA organic is not good enough; it must be 100% organic. Other good brain foods are whole grain breads, eggs, fresh salads, and fruit; especially blueberry.

Supplements and drugs are somewhat controversial because of the possible side effects nevertheless this editorial would be incomplete without the mention of these. First is hgh, or human growth hormone. Once we get into our twenties our body’s natural production of hgh declines exponentially. As youngsters we are able to learn a new language, perform mathematical functions, memorize and many more brain intensive functions significantly easier than when we get into the later years, and research proves that hgh is the single most important determinant of this ability. HGH is the only one that can be taken naturally without the risk of side effects. Modafinil is a prescription only drug used to treat narcolepsy and other sleep disorders. Research shows that patients who use Modafinil show better memory retention as well as other increased brain function. Modafinil does carry with it some significant side effect concerns including death in case of overdose and addiction therefore it is something that should only be taken with caution and on rare occasion. Ritalin is another prescription only drug that is used primarily for ADHD and has very similar benefits and concerns as Modafinil.

Brain puzzles such as Sudoku, crosswords, chess and certain others are great ways to stimulate your brain function. These games or puzzles should be difficult enough to solve/beat to where it takes significant effort to do so. Where they are too easy or too hard will accomplish little in the way of brain stimulation, although too hard is better than too easy. Each type of puzzle tends to stimulate a different part of the brain, such as Sudoku is more mathematical and pattern based, crossword tends to stimulate the language and memory, while chess tends to stimulate the logical and strategic part. Therefore it is important to understand this when choosing your puzzle(s).

Learning something new may be one of the best ways to stimulate those who are past their school years. This something new should be something that you will enjoy learning otherwise it may do little in the way of stimulation. A new hobby is a great start. Learn how to make that patio you’ve been dreaming about for ages, and actually make it. Perhaps plan a trip to a country whose native language is not a language that you now speak. Then proceed to learn that language to near fluent status, perhaps make it even more motivational by making the trip a reward for learning the new language.

Music and brain stimulation remains somewhat of a controversial topic, however it is now widely accepted and confirmed by research that certain types of music will cause your brain to function at a different level. There is some new research of brain waves that especially confirms this. Classical music, especially by Mozart, is the current most widely accepted music for positive brain stimulation; although most if not all music stimulates the brain in one way or another. An even better approach here is to learn to play an instrument like the piano or the guitar. There is massive research that confirms that learning to play an instrument has amazing results on a person’s brain function in all areas of life. A note here to those who cannot stand to listen to classical music, avoid music that is too heavy or fast; soothing background music is best.

One of the easiest things you can do to stimulate your brain is reading. Reading provides one of the most positive stimulations to your brain. It doesn’t even matter so much what it is that you read. Written words that require to be read rather than listened to (audio books will not work) involves a very deep process that stimulates both sides of your brain. As good as reading is there is something, that once mastered, stimulates your brain even more. It is called speed reading. Before you dismiss this as something that’s too hard or not worth the time investment, consider this. What if your that huge client case you have to read or the biology homework that would take you two hours to read was cut down by FIVE or more times. That means two hours of reading your biology homework now only takes just a bit over TWENTY minutes. Just imagine what you could do with the extra time. Not only that but all of the stuff you just read in that twenty minutes you will remember better and be able to recall easier than if you spent two hours doing it. This is real and ANYONE can do it. It does require patience, practice and a proper guide, we recommend Breakthrough Rapid Reading. With this new found ability you will be drastically more productive but more important is your brain stimulation will go through the roof.

Spirituality is perhaps a generalized word for this area as this area deals with your internal thoughts and attitudes. This is more of a right brain stimulation area which means, knowledge, numbers and logic have nothing to do with it. Imagination is perhaps a better word; however it is too narrow to encompass this whole area. This area has to do with thinking and imagining about being on that wonderful vacation and not just thinking about it, but actually visualizing yourself seeing that waterfall, seeing how the water splashes into the pool, you standing there taking that picture. This also involves you evaluating yourself and your behavior and how it relates to society and/or your guide that keeps your grounded, such as your Bible. This is a newer area of study for much of the academic world and there is so very much information floating around about it that it would take many books to cover it all. We suggest taking the time to look more into stimulating this part of your brain as the benefits can be profound.

The last one to mention is memory exercises. There are several kinds of memory exercises and it is best to spend some time researching them online as there are many that can be beneficial. We will mention two. First take a dictionary and flip to a random page then scan to a word that you do not recognize then proceed to memorize the word and its meaning. Do this for three to five words every day. Second, search for “random word generator” online then choose one of the several free sites and generate 10 random words. Then take 60 seconds and try to memorize each of the random words. After the 60 seconds try to write down as many as you can remember. Once you can remember all 10 words, move up to 20 words, and so on.

There are actual competitions where people can remember 500 or more random words in 60 seconds of looking at them…now that’s an amazing memory. You can get there too; higher school grades, noticeably better work performance or just all around enhanced brain function are possible with these sometimes simple but amazing memory stimulating methods.

William