It’s interesting how many patients tell me that they struggle to find the words they’re looking for or to recall names or facts as quickly as they once did.
Or that they regularly forget things like anniversaries and birthdays (gasp).
Some bring it up and then brush it off as a typical, undisputable, and irreversible sign of aging. Others share concerns about developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, like their partners, parents, or grandparents.
While these things aren’t necessarily signs of disease, they ARE indications of “dis-ease” and cognitive decline. But this begs the big question: Can these problems – brain fog, chronic fatigue, adult ADHD, cognitive impairment – be reversed?
I’ll share four foundational strategies to help fast-track you onto a path of optimizing brain function, no matter where your starting point is.
What is brain optimization?
Brain optimization refers to the process of maximizing brain function and improving cognitive performance.1 Based on the latest advances in functional medicine and neuroscience, brain optimization can help improve your memory, attention, creativity, and problem-solving skills and increase your overall brain health and well-being.
Brain optimization is achieved through various approaches, such as lifestyle modifications, cognitive training exercises, and brain-enhancing supplements to help unlock your brain’s fullest potential.
Some people seek brain optimization to help with the following:
- Academic or professional performance
- Maintaining cognitive function
- Symptoms of depression or anxiety
- Traumatic brain injury and concussion
- ADHD and learning disabilities
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Headaches, migraines, and stroke
- Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
- Stress management
Why is brain optimization important?
As you age, you might expect your memory to start slipping or your ability to troubleshoot complex problems to slow down. That’s because, as our organs and cells age, so does our brain.
But thanks to our brain’s neuroplasticity, it can reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, effectively modifying, changing, and adapting functionally and structurally as we age.2 This means that through the process of brain optimization, you can revitalize your brain (and body).
Brain optimization is important for several reasons, including
- Improved cognitive performance. Optimizing brain function can improve your memory, attention, creativity, and problem-solving skills.3
- Better overall well-being. Optimizing brain function can enhance overall well-being and quality of life by improving mood, reducing stress, and improving sleep quality.4
- Prevention of cognitive decline. Brain optimization techniques can help slow down age-related cognitive decline and help maintain cognitive function as we age.5
- Enhanced brain health. Optimizing brain function can improve overall brain health and reduce the risk of developing neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.6
- Improved mental health. Brain optimization techniques can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve your overall mental health.5
Brain optimization is important for many reasons, but perhaps most importantly, it can help you lead a healthier, more fulfilling life.
What can cause suboptimal brain function?
Suboptimal brain function can have several causes. Some of the most common factors that can negatively impact brain function include:8
- Lack of sleep or poor sleep quality
- Poor nutrition; so many of us in the developed world are ‘overfed but undernourished’
- Chronic or long-term stress
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Chronic health conditions
- Mental health conditions
- Environmental factors, including an overload of and/or poor elimination of mold toxins, heavy metals, and industrial chemicals
Taking care of your physical and mental health can positively impact your brain function. And optimizing your brain function before you show signs of cognitive decline and help you maintain more significant brain function for longer.
4 Easy Ways to Begin Optimizing Brain Function
If you’re ready to give your brain a boost, I recommend getting started sooner rather than later. You can begin boosting your brain’s performance and resilience with these four easy strategies.
1. Exercise Regularly
Regular physical activity can enhance brain function by increasing blood flow and oxygen supply. Exercise also promotes the release of endorphins, which can improve mood and reduce stress, negatively impacting brain function. I recommend starting with just a bit more than your current exercise level. It’s better to increase the frequency and amount of exercise gradually, but to stick with it, rather than to implement a ‘weekend warrior’ method of exercising.
2. Practice Good Sleep Habits
Sleep is essential for optimal brain function. It’s during sleep, and primarily deep sleep, when the brain consolidates memories, processes information, and restores itself. Lack of sleep, esp. deep sleep, can impair cognitive function, attention, and memory. I recommend avoiding screens within two hours of bedtime, getting to sleep before 10PM, and keeping the room cool at night. Get tested for sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, and treat insomnia and frequent waking, as these can impact sleep quality. Consider a biotracker such as the Oura Ring (this link includes a discount coupon) to track your sleep stages.
3. Eat a Nutrient-Dense Diet
Eating a healthful and balanced diet can give the brain the nutrients it needs to function optimally. Focus on foods that help support brain health, such as antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and B vitamins. And keep in mind that a diet high in saturated fats, sugars, and processed foods can impair brain function. Change it up a bit with your meals- consider a veggie scramble for breakfast, a large chef salad with nuts, fruit, and olives for lunch rather than the standard sandwich for lunch, and soup and salad for dinner. I also recommend avoiding gluten, dairy, sugar, and artificial ingredients, as these can all trigger neuroinflammation. If you don’t know where to start, I recommend the my guided 2-week Paleo Reset Program as a solid start- contact us if this solution makes sense to you.
4. Engage in Mental Stimulation
Regularly engaging in mentally stimulating activities such as reading, puzzles, and learning new skills can help to optimize brain function. These exercises help promote new neural connections and keep the brain active and healthy. Additionally, we can’t forget about socializing. Socializing with others is actually a very complex mental activity, which can can help stimulate the brain and improve cognitive function.
Are you ready for a brain reboot?
Your brain is a brilliant yet incredibly fragile organ, capable of running the show when it comes to communicating, planning, creating, dreaming, learning, and thinking. Not to mention keeping the lights on for all the background systems that keep you alive.
The brain is truly the master of all organs.
So, are you ready to reboot your brain and restore wellness to your body?
Now you can, thanks to the BrainReboot Program at Reboot Center.
This one-of-a-kind brain optimization program blends leading-edge technologies and ultraprecise lifestyle adjustments with ancient healing principles, providing you with an unparalleled approach to brain revitalization.
How the BrainReboot Program Works
The integrative BrainReboot program fundamentally challenges the Western model of treating brain and neurological disorders. Instead, the BrainReboot program considers the body as a complex, dynamic system where health is achieved via balanced, functional interaction amongst your organs.
Led by a dedicated Reboot physician, our unique step-by-step process will dive deeply into your health with comprehensive brain and body testing. This allows us to develop an extensive brain optimization solution customized to your brain and your brain only. Plus, you’ll receive real-time feedback on the therapeutic interventions that will be the most effective for your brain and body.
The BrainReboot Program includes the following:
- Extensive biomarker and gut function testing
- A brain health-specific history and physical
- NeuroPhysio evaluation
- Lifestyle evaluation
- Neurocognitive evaluation
- EEG/qEEG scan
- Targeted advanced glycation testing
The goal? For you to rethink, reboot, and redefine the rest of your life!
Who can benefit from the BrainReboot program?
Because the BrainReboot program is designed to help you optimize your brain and neurological function by targeting the underlying causes, we’re able to support whole-body healing for adults with:
- Alzheimer’s disease through Stage 5
- Parkinson’s disease
- Dementia and mild cognitive impairment
- Chronic brain fog
- Post-COVID brain fog
- Focus & concentration challenges
Are you not experiencing any of these concerns? No problem! The BrainReboot program is designed to help people with a deep desire to achieve even greater cognitive capacity well into their later years.
It’s Not Too Late to Put Your Brain First
Through the BrainReboot program, you will discover your foundational challenges leading to suboptimal brain function. And then, we’ll work together to systemically upgrade both your body and your brain so that you can achieve optimal brain function.
“Our mission with the BrainReboot program is to provide you with the strategic tools that help empower your brain toward optimal function, in order to make your brain your best asset.”
– Dr. Jennifer
Don’t hit snooze on this unparalleled program!
Get started on your revolutionary brain optimization journey.
Resources
1. “Optimizing Brain Performance: Identifying mechanisms of adaptive ….” 26 Jul. 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8112903/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.
2. “Neuroplasticity – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf.” 8 May. 2022, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557811/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.
3. “Improvement in cognitive performance and mood in healthy older ….” 22 Feb. 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6728443/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.
4. “Comorbid Chronic Conditions Among Older Adults with Subjective ….” https://academic.oup.com/innovateage/article/4/1/igz045/5687172?login=false. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.
5. “Exploring Interventions to Reduce Cognitive Decline in Aging – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2923489/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.
6. “Optimizing brain health across the life course: WHO position paper.” 9 Aug. 2022, https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789240054561. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.
7. “Exercise, brain plasticity, and depression – Zhao – Wiley Online Library.” 3 Jun. 2020, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cns.13385. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.
8. “Cognitive Health and Older Adults | National Institute on Aging.” 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/cognitive-health-and-older-adults. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.
