How to Optimize Brain Power for Efficient Studying

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Success in a competitive environment requires certain skill sets to be developed. As university students studying is the skill that will always partake in our academic career and a tool that requires constant application. However, to do so one must address the root and that is our brain power. Our brain is the most complex and controlling organ we have in our bodies. It is consisted of multiple regions that carry out a specific function. It is the thing that stores our memories, where habits are learned, and were skills are developed. to get the best academic results you must first care for your brain and here are some tips to help you do so.

Get the Appropriate Amount of Sleep You Need

Benefits of Sleep

Sleep is essential for proper brain functioning, primarily affecting the neural communication. Getting the proper amount of sleep will help your brain clear out harmful toxins, promotes creativity, facilitate comprehension, and allow retention of additional information.

The benefits of sleep carry over and is experienced by the rest of the body in a myriad of ways. Promoting longevity, retention of beauty, and overall health.

Maximizing your Sleep

In order to achieve high academic performance we ought to start with the basics of obtaining proper sleep. Begin by maximizing the quality of sleep you have with a few steps.

⃤  Establish a bedtime ritual that will indicate    "it's time for bed" 

⃤  Avoid caffeine or stimulants a minimum of   4-6 hours prior to your bedtime 

⃤  Prioritize sticking to a sleep schedule      

⃤  Turn off or avoid electronics an hour          before bed

Work Up a Sweat💦

Aerobic Exercise

The benefits of exercise have shown that our brainpower gets a boost from a short workout, which cardio serves to be an excellent and quick form of exercise to get the job done. As we exercise our bodies are pumping oxygen and nutrients to the brain, making you more alert, susceptible to learning new information and retaining the information during a study session post-workout. Recent studies have shown that cardio promotes neurogenesis: which is the process of new brain cells developing improving brain cognition. However, that is a much more complex and detailed topic for another blog. 

   

Best Types of Cardio  

Running, bicycling, swimming, on the elliptical, and walking.                                     

 

Major Benefits from Cardio

• Helps relieve symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression
• Reduces fatigue
• Promotes a good mood
• Improves memory
• Increases oxygen circulation to the brain and muscles
• Most importantly, it stimulates the brain's ability to adapt or change when learning new. This is has been identified as neurogenesis.

In addition, our bodies begin to burn more fat, which can help strengthen the heart and other vital organs. It improves sleep and promotes healthier habits. Keep it simple and choose something you can see yourself doing regularly and that you will enjoy. Whether it is 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or an hour, every single minute counts towards your health improvement and overall academic performance.

 

 

Meditation 

Stress and anxiety are common within the student community, and can be a determining factor that hinders learning. Studies have shown that stress causes a release of hormones that are disruptive to the mind when creating and storing memories which can affect how much information is retained. Meditation can be the tool that will help clear out our minds and bring us back to focus. 

Some of the Most Noticeable Benefits

• A reduction in stress, anxiety and depression
• Promotes emotional health
• Dramatically enhances self-awareness
• Increase in attention span
• Improves memory
• Improves focus

All these benefits can increase your ability to perform tasks efficiently and when necessary under pressure

Vitamins & Supplements

Nowadays, we do not get the proper nourishment form the foods we eat so the best way to give our bodies and most importantly our brain the fuel it needs is through vitamins and supplements. 

Highly Recommended  Vitamins and Supplements 

• Omega-3 Supplement
• Vitamin B-Complex 
• Vitamin D 
• Vitamin C 
• Vitamin A
• Magnesium Supplement

Benefits of Vitamins and Supplements

A healthy brain is essential for optimal cognitive function. As university students maintaining our mental health should be priority, for it is the main tool that will get us to our end goal. Our central nervous system relies on essential nutrients for normal functioning. Vitamins and supplements provide a variety of nutrients that have been isolated, specifically made to fill in the missing gaps we are not getting from our diets. 

Consistency

Choose to be Consistent over being Intense

 

It is said that those who achieve prominent levels of success are either lucky or more intelligent. However, the main and possibly the only component needed to succeed in life is to remain consistent. It requires a commitment to one's self to do what needs to be done day in and day out. It is to be focused on the present moment while maintaining a long-term goal at sight that will help guide and determine what daily actions will impact your result. 

Master the Mechanics

To maintain consistency with academic material, first you must master the mechanics of a material which is comprehending the material. To do so you should begin with a few steps:

• Focus on one subject at a time, do no attempt to multitask
• Organize the material in order of importance or priority 
• Find and address areas of weakness
• Identify core concepts that are repeated or that will linger throughout the course
• Memorizing information, by using flashcards, condensing notes, or active recall
• Application through practice problems

Using the Pomodoro Technique for Consistency

Once the mechanics of a material have been mastered and you have the ability to break down the material, you may now move on to the most important step, which is consistency. This can be done with the application of the Pomodoro Technique. This is a time managing strategy that uses time intervals to break down work, traditionally of 25 minutes. Followed by a short break of 3-5 minutes. Time increments can be adjusted as needed when stamina increases.

Benefits of the Pomodoro Technique

Through the Pomodoro Technique you will be able to implement consistency through repetition of actions, habits, or rituals time and time again.

•     Manage distractions producing organization
•     Increase accountability to one's self 
•     Increase productivity in an efficient matter 
•     Decrease mental fatigue due to time intervals followed with breaks to recharge Helps maintain motivation