In this day and age it has become critical to stay at the top of your game. If you don’t, you’ll most likely get left behind in a trail of dust, sitting on your behind and wondering what went wrong. Whether you are part of the consumer rat-race or an able investor, a sharp mind is key to maintaining focus on all your tasks at hand. The question is… how do we stop ourselves from sinking into an abyss of bumbling brain cells that are blinded by dull darkness and insipid ignorance?

 The good news is that there is hope for those who seek out a better life with a better mind. Researchers have spent plenty time finding out what works and what doesn’t and the results are substantially conclusive. The findings all say the same thing – make simple changes in your daily routines, such as sleep and exercise; stock pile your medicine cabinet with a plethora of multi-vitamins and supplements, and finally exercise your brain directly with stimulating content. It’s all there, ready for the taking, and waiting to help give you a sharp mind well into old age.

 The best place to start would be with you. By making a conscious choice to improve your lifestyle and your daily living habits, you will then be on track to a healthy and sharp mind. Research has shown that by having a sufficient amount of quality sleep, it will aid in memory function and concentration during the day. They say a minimum of 7 hours a night is enough to give your brain time to recoup; collate and store events from the day into long term memory, and leave your mind ready to face the day with precision and clarity. Too much sleep, on the other hand, has been shown to cause heart disease, so I think a good balance is required in order to maintain good health. Stress is also important as it affects our ability to concentrate, to learn new things and our normal mental functioning in general. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you ways of reducing stress. We all have our own ways that help us get through it, like taking a walk, watching your favorite show, playing with your kids in the garden; all of these would be beneficial to relaxing your mind.

 The next place to start is your diet and I could probably write an entire article on this alone. I’m sure you know that you need all the daily required nutrients for your entire body to function properly, especially your mind. The best place is from fresh produce and meats. If your daily intake doesn’t cut it, you’ll have to find supplements that can! You can always speak to your local pharmacist for advice on which one is best. You can consider alternatives to the vitamin range that help stimulate your mind, such as Gingko Biloba, Ginseng, Guarana, Taurine, DMAE, Tyrosine or any combination of these will help stimulate your mind leaving you feeling alert, able to concentrate and ready to handle any task in front of you. Caffeine on the other hand, is not a preference as it can affect your sleep patterns and as I mentioned previously, that’s not a good thing.

 Lastly, the general rule to nature is – use it or lose it! Exercise your mind daily to keep yourself ahead of the game. Sudoku, word searches, crosswords and chess to name a few things that you can do. Listen to new and varied types of music or tune in to talk radio for a change, it all adds up to a fresher perspective in life.

 The bottom line is that by combining all these things into the mix, it will put you well on your way to a healthy and sharp mind, and in the long run it will be you that’s laughing at your friends that leave their keys in the refrigerator!



Thanks to Shayne Nowikow for contributing this article to our Ginseng blog:

Wisconsin American Ginseng