In today’s busy world and this era of multitasking it is often easy to lose your mental focus and end up feeling lost and stressed. This highlights the need to look after your brain and have a strategy to improve your memory and brain performance even in stressful conditions. Mental performance is important at all stages of life. Whether you’re a student studying for exams, a working professional wanting to stay mentally sharp, or a pensioner looking to protect your brain as you age its important to do what you can to improve your memory and mental performance.

Ways to improve mental performance include brain exercises, physical exercise, change your diet, take a supplement, get more sleep, laugh more and meditation.

Brain exercises or mental stimulation can come in the form of a puzzle, reading, maths problems, recall or even learning a new language. These can help stimulate your brain and create new brain cells.

Physical exercise increases the blood flow to the brain. This has been linked to increasing the size of your hippocampus, the area of the brain involved in verbal memory and learning [Shima 2016].

Your diet can also have an effect on your mental performance. A perfectly functioning brain needs a constant supply of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. So called ‘superfoods’ popular at the moment are avocados, blueberries, fish (especially salmon), eggs, spinach and walnuts. But taking a dietary supplement is also a way to make sure that you get all the essential elements you need for a healthy brain.

Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night helps rest the brain and prepare it for the day’s activities. Laughing can trigger healthy effects in your body. It may strengthen your immune system and boost your energy, as well as reducing pain and stress.

Finally, use of meditation or breathing techniques can revitalize your brain and reduce stress levels.