Revital
Simple, natural ways to support your brain health now
Author: Neura, Natural Cognitive Fuels
For the past 30 years consumers have been able to buy health products that have offered the ability to improve a specific physical characteristic, for example muscle gain, skin health etc.
However, the focus is increasingly moving towards a more connected and holistic approach to wellness and health-conscious consumers are beginning to ask for products that support, nourish and optimise the body’s most delicate, complex and influential organ, the brain.
But what does brain health and cognitive function actually mean?
The truth is that it is an incredibly complex subject, however a good place to start is that optimal brain health and cognitive function can be thought of as how well your brain performs its core processes for example learning, thinking, reasoning, remembering, problem solving, decision making, and your ability to maintain attention, focus and a positive mood.
Why is brain health increasingly a priority in modern life?
From poor nutrition to over exposure to digital screens and air pollution, researchers are discovering how the realities of 21st century living are negatively impacting our brain.
In short, we are increasingly stressed, anxious, and competitive.
Our brains are busier than at any other time in human history, our overstimulated, “always on” culture is making clear, logical thinking an increasingly rare and valuable attribute.
To compound the issue there are troubling forecasts of an emerging mental health epidemic (created in part by the necessary public health measures associated with the C19 pandemic).
Lastly and possibly of most importance - we are all living longer lives, with this in mind it is critical to place a focus, early in life, on supporting cognitive function and brain health for the long term. We are all realising that need to make brain health a priority sooner rather than later.
Modern developments
The brain is a complex organ that affects every aspect of our daily lives and research is starting to demonstrate that particular nutrients & micronutrients benefit brain function by acting on the systems and cellular processes that are vital for maintaining and enhancing cognitive function.
A healthy functioning brain can transport information between its different regions accurately, efficiently, and quickly. As a result, it becomes easier to access this information and completing tasks requires less time and effort (the ability to complete complex tasks with little to no effort, is often referred to as the “flow state”).
But what does a healthier, better functioning brain mean for real life situations, well it means that your memory will improve, daily anxiety levels will start to stabilise, learning and retaining information becomes simpler and our ability to focus increases.
The brain is the control system for the entire body and (of course) the mind and our ability to succeed in life is heavily influenced by how efficiently our brains can process how to tackle the day ahead.
Not only is cognitive function crucial for day-to-day tasks and performing in a professional environment but increasingly athletes are looking at ways to support cognitive function and maintain mental performance to gain an edge over the chasing pack.
In fact, research is demonstrating significant differences in the mental performance of elite athletes when compared to the sub elite. Rapid responses and quick, clear decision making under pressure, are the key areas in which elite performers gain a critical advantage.
Science is rapidly exploring and understanding the importance of cognitive function in sport, and it appears that the potential to increase athletic performance by improving brain health and function is at the absolute cutting edge of modern elite sports performance research.
To give a tangible example; a highly tuned and efficient brain of an elite sprinter will take less time to send signals to his or her legs. The sprinter could complete each stride milliseconds quicker. Or a tennis player could see the ball coming towards their racket and be able to anticipate and react to an opponent’s shot faster.
So, what can we do to start supporting brain health & cognitive function today?
The good news is that there is a myriad of options for people looking to support their brain health and improve cognitive function. Below we have taken a look at some of the best options, some you may have heard of, some may be new to you, but we will be looking at all of them with brain health in mind.
Nutrition
We know what you are thinking, nothing ground-breaking here, however you may be surprised to hear that we are not about to learn how great fruit and veggies are for you (and your brain). Instead, we are going to focus on a specific class of plant compounds (found in fruit and veg) know as polyphenols.
Polyphenols are naturally occurring plant compounds they are powerful antioxidants, hypolipidemic, antiproliferative, and anti-inflammatory and are currently undergoing extensive research for their ability to slow the progression of multiple diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Polyphenols are also creating a lot of excitement because of their apparent ability to support both long- and short-term brain health, in fact a recent study conducted at Harvard University (Aug 2021) concluded that polyphenols exhibit their protective properties whether they have been consumed (or supplemented) for 20 years or if an individual has only recently begun to incorporate them in his/her diet – never too early to start then!
Food/drink options that are high in polyphenols include:
- Berries, particularly Chokeberries, Elderberries and Blueberries
- Cocoa – Ideally unprocessed, think dark chocolate, however there are a lot of unprocessed raw cocoa powders that can be added to drinks or cereals.
- Black Olives
- Chestnuts
Honourable mentions – Plums, red onions, black grapes, almonds.
Exercise
Again, we all know that the benefits of exercise are profound, however in this context it is worth highlighting the specific types of exercise that has the greatest impact on the health of your brain and overall mood.
It turns out that aerobic exercise, can increase the size of the hippocampus; the region of the brain that controls verbal memory and learning. Interestingly resistance training (i.e weighted exercises) did not have the same beneficial effects on brain health.
Many associate aerobic exercises with long distance running (which may not be conducive to the maintenance of muscle tissue). Instead, you can think of any exercise that keeps your heart rate around 120-150 BPM.
Personal favourites include:
- Rope jumping
- Calisthenics
- Mobility exercises
Prioritise Sleep
How is you sleep hygiene?
How much rapid eye movement sleep did you get last night?
Are you keeping to your sleep schedule?
Strange questions indeed, however over the next decade it is very likely that these questions will become increasingly common, why? Well, because sufficient levels of high-quality restorative sleep is the most impactful thing you can do tonight, to change tomorrow. It might sound dramatic, but it’s the truth.
Rapid eye movement sleep (REM) is a critical part of your sleep cycle because it stimulates the specific areas of your brain associated with learning, creating, and storing memories.
REM is the deepest stage of sleep and improves the brain’s ability to control our emotions (everyone is in a better mood after a good night’s sleep) and lower physiological reactivity, this reduces the incidence of anxiety and generally makes us feel calmer.
Controlling anxiety and stress levels critically influences our ability to achieve our goals and our overall sense of well-being.
So how do we get more REM sleep,
- Activity: A person’s quality of sleep can be improved with exercise and access to the outdoors, fresh air, and sunlight. (Research suggests that exercise too close to sleep may increase the time required to fall asleep, so ideally keep a space of a few hours between exercise, particularly intense exercise and sleep).
- Sleep environment: Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and cold. The appropriate room temperature for sleep is approximately 18 degrees (that’s 65 degrees Fahrenheit for our American readers).
- Avoid Light Disruption: Light exposure disrupts our circadian rhythm (our bodies internal sleep clock). Blackout blinds or a sleep mask are highly beneficial particularly during summer months with the earlier sunrise.
- Noise pollution: Fortunately, this is a fairly easy obstacle to overcome with a good pair of noise cancelling ear plugs.
- Set a Fixed Wake-Up Time: Quality sleep is predicated on a predictable consistent sleep pattern. This means waking up and going to sleep at roughly the same time every day (including weekends).
- Make time for sleep: Take back that that 30 mins at the end that would normally be spent on Instagram, Facebook and Netflix and invest it into your sleep schedule
For more tips on how to create a better sleep environment check out Nina’s article here!
Supplementation
Supplements are exactly that, they supplement the foundations that are already in place. Your foundation should be built on the points above, however supplementation offers a quick, convenient, and effective way of making sure you have all the bases covered.
You may have heard the terms “Adaptogen” or “Nootropic” recently and wondered what they mean, the easiest way of thinking about these terms is that they describe substances (generally plant derived) that are beneficial for brain health & function and help to balance our emotions. It is highly likely you will have heard of certain nootropics and probably already use them, for example caffeine is the world’s most widely used nootropic.
Neura produces 3 core products known collectively as the Natural Cognitive Fuels collection, our products are entirely focused on brain health, and we believe they are the highest quality brain health products on the market.
Our products combine nootropics and adaptogens blended with highly absorbable vitamins & minerals. When used consistently they work to optimise both long- and short-term cognitive function.
All ingredients used in the Natural Cognitive Fuels Collection have been the subject of numerous peer-reviewed and independent clinical studies.
Below are some examples of the nootropics and adaptogens included in the products of the Natural Cognitive Fuels Collection.
- Ginkgo Biloba - Ginkgo assists in the maintenance of cognitive function by ensuring healthy blood circulation to the brain.
- Bacopa Monnieri - A perennial, creeping herb which tends to grow in the wet, tropical environments of India and Australia. There is increasing scientific evidence supporting the cognitive enhancement effects of Bacopa Monnieri in humans and it demonstrates immense potential in the improvement of cognitive disorders and Cognitive Enhancement in healthy people.
- Lions Mane Mushroom - an edible, medicinal mushroom native to North America, Europe and Asia. Lion’s Mane may improve the development and function of nerves, while also protecting neurons from being damaged as we age.
- Ashwagandha - An ancient adaptogenic herb coveted for its medicinal properties. Adaptogens assist the body’s natural defences in resisting stressors of all kinds, whether physical,
- L-Theanine - A naturally occurring amino acid most commonly found in green tea leaves. L-theanine improves relaxation and calmness whilst reducing tension.
Try Neura Zone Grapefruit & Pineapple for mental energy & focus
Try Neura Zone Mango & Lime for mental energy & focus
Try Neura Serenity to support deep, restorative sleep & relaxation
We hope you have found this blog interesting, focusing on brain health is no longer something to do in later life, it can and should be a priority now. The growing cognitive health market holds profound potential to enrich a significant number of lives globally and with Neura, we are attempting to accelerate the growth of this exciting movement.
This article is written by Neura for Revital, The Wellness Edit