Who doesn’t want to be able to concentrate on the essentials, have a clear head for the important topics, and reduce stress? In order to increase our mental performance, we should focus on three pillars: sleep, exercise and nutrition. These create the conditions for clear thinking, concentration and mental fitness.
Sleep
Good sleep is the most important thing for the brain. During sleep, fluid flows through the tissues, removing waste substances produced by the brain during the day. Sleep can thus be described as a kind of “wash cycle” for the brain. Good sleep is also essential for learning processes. During the sleep phases, sensory impressions and learning material are sorted and stored, newly formed nerve connections are consolidated and relevant and irrelevant things are separated.
Sports can increase mental performance.
Exercise
As the saying goes – “a healthy mind dwells in a healthy body.” The extent to which exercise can increase mental performance is often only apparent when one is physically limited, for example due to an injury. Sport and exercise activate the brain cells by stimulating blood circulation and pumping oxygen and nutrients into the neurons.
Learning a new sport offers just as many advantages for our brain. When new movement patterns are exercised, new connections are formed between the brain cells. This increases cognitive performance, as only less used parts of the brain are activated. This makes it possible to improve logical thinking through targeted training.
Grape seed extract and pycnogenol improve decision-making, attention span, and memory.
Diet
Nutrition also plays a major role in optimizing our mental performance. Science knows a number of natural substances that can help us to cope better at work, at university, or at school.
Unlike conventional drugs, our body knows the substances from food and how to handle them, which means there are no side effects. A 12-month study conducted in 2015 with healthy and fit workers showed that the daily intake of 100 mg of a preparation composed of grape seed extract and pine bark extract (pycnogenol) increased decision-making ability by 72%, attention by 42% and memory by 37.5%.
The values of the control group remained the same or deteriorated slightly. Since sleep also improved by 72%, this could be one reason for improved cognitive performance.
Other examples from the plant world that help the body to cope with stress and the resulting fatigue are the roseroot (Rhodiola rosea) and the sleeping berry (Ashwagandha). They are also able to increase mental performance and reduce sleep disorders and anxiety.
Omega-3 fatty acids also play an important role here. Even in the womb additional supplementation is indispensable, since they are also decisive for the brain development of the fetus. Omega-3 fatty acids are also of great importance later on, as they are essential for brain functions and the formation and maintenance of brain cells.
