Three Instant Ways to Boost Memory, Alertness, Learning and Cognition

I don't know about you about you, but I could always use a good dose of alertness, learning and memory enhancement. Plus, I lived through the 70's and I don't need to tell you what that means for my poor neurons.  No, whether you're in middle age and trying to keep your brain sharp for career and relationship or a student trying to make yourself stand out among all your pointy-headed peers, we call could use a little brain boost.

In other links, I have outlined ways to boost your brain's ability to process and remember long term and protect your neurons while you're at it.  But in this link, I want to give you three key short term ways to do that. 

These are things that can turn you into the little brother that Einstein never had or, at least, a second cousin anyway.  Try these three and you will find that your mental efficiency and productivity is well worth the minimal amount of effort and time it takes to do these:

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1.  Green Tea (L-Theanine). Green tea is one of those near miraculous superfoods.  It has many phytochemicals with health-promoting qualities and one of the most potent is an amino acid called L-Theanine.  L-Theanine has a profound effect on the brain and a number of studies have shown just what it can do for your mental powers.   For example, one study looked at the effect of caffeine and L-theanine and incombination and found that the two together had the following remarkable brain-boosting properties: [1]

I mean what else could you ask for, right? Let's face it, a few glasses of green tea each day might just turn that vanilla cpu between your ears into a veritable Cray.  Researchers have found that L-theanine has a relaxing effect on the brain and relaxing in the good sense, i.e. non-sedating. [2]  It basically leaves you alert, calm and ready to process and absorb information. It actually alter brain waves and reduces your body's stress response. [3]

2) High fiber, carbohydrate rich diet.  Your brain is a fuel-burning machine and it needs carbs.  You can get a nice burst in alertness from eating almost any carbs.  However, the trick is to eat so that you maintain that alertness for hours and the key to that, according to one study, is a high-fiber, carbohydrate-rich meal. [4]  This is undoubtedly due to the fact that the carbs feed the brain and the fiber, and therefore low glycemic index, ensure that these are digested and absorbed as slowly as possible giving you a nice steady blood sugar and nutrient supply over several hours.

3) Sleep. Many studies have shown just how negative a significant loss of sleep is on our ability to mentally perform and function the following day(s).  For example, one study on health volunteers found that a reduction in sleep of about 33% to an average of 4.98 hours/night for seven days resulted in an ever-building cascade of poor mental performance, lousy mood, anxiety and so on. [5]  Furthermore, it took at least two nights of solid sleep after to recover.  CAUTION:  One study found that most mental performance issues could be overcome through a combination of caffeine and bright lights.  However, this is a risky solution medium to long term, because lack of sleep leads to accelerated calcification of the arterties, poor bedroom performance and so on.

REFERENCE: 

1) Biological Psychology, Feb 2008, 77(2):113-122, "The effects of l-theanine, caffeine and their combination on cognition and mood"

2) Nippon N?gei Kagakukaishi, 1998, 72(2):153-157, "Effects of L-theanine on the release of ?-brain waves in human volunteers"

3) Biological Psychology, Jan 2007, 74(1):39-45, "l-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses"

 4) International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 1999, 50(1):13-28, "The effects of high-carbohydrate vs high-fat breakfasts on feelings of fullness and alertness, and subsequent food intake"

5) American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 1997, 20(4):267-277, "Cumulative sleepiness, mood disturbance, and psychomotor vigilance performance decrements during a week of sleep restricted to 4-5 hours per night"