Your brain’s performance is dependent on several choices you make on a daily basis. From what to eat to how much exercise you get, your habits affect one of the most essential organs in your body. Your brain is constantly communicating with itself and using the tools you provide it with for protection, repairs, and regulation of the rest of your body. Why wouldn’t you want to give it the best equipment to do its job?
Brain and memory supplements give your brain essential nutrients that it might otherwise be deficient in. Deficiencies can lead to many physical and mental symptoms that decrease your quality of life, but they’re easily avoided with the help of brain health supplements. There are many brain performance supplements available to give your brain an extra push, but we have 3 suggestions for brain boosters to add to your cabinet today.
Get Started With These Brain Performance Supplements
There are several brain and memory supplements available to assist your cognitive performance, but these 3 are among the most impactful in your daily life. Staying consistent with your intake of these brain boosters can help your brain perform better both short and long term.
Fish Oils
Fish oils are one of the most powerful brain health supplements. They are naturally occurring in a wide variety of fish or may be taken as a supplement. These oils are most commonly extracted through a process called “wet pressing,” and the resulting supplements produced are well known as omega-3 fatty acids. The 2 types of fatty acids found in fish oil are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
EPA and DHA work in tandem as brain boosters for many of your mind’s daily functions. Starting from a person’s last trimester as a fetus and into their first 10 months of life, DHA and EPA levels are already accumulating. These levels are one of the most important nutrients in the brain and begin assisting it with development inside of the central nervous system.
Into adolescence and adulthood, DHA and EPA still play prevalent roles as brain performance supplements. They help your brain cells develop, heal, and communicate with each other. Healthy levels of these omega-3s have shown neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative prevention properties. Their benefits include:
- Preserving the health of your cell membranes
- Assisting and powering communication between your brain’s neurons
- Helping with the creation and functionality of neurotransmitters
- Supporting cognitive functions
- Growing brain tissue and supporting blood flow to the brain
Omega-3 consumption is linked to higher performance levels for your brain’s neurotransmitters, which is why DHA and EPA are found to be useful for treating neurological conditions occurring due to chemical imbalances within the brain. Fatty acids also play a huge role in reduced inflammation within the brain, which is another contributing factor to neurological conditions such as depression. Although this list is not exhaustive, DHA and EPA have proven essential in treating:
- Depression
- Bipolar Disorder
- Anxiety
- ADHD
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Dementia
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
DHA in particular is one of the essential building blocks of the brain, comprising roughly 30% of its brain matter. A person’s brain cannot properly function without DHA, similar to how you cannot have a structurally sound house without a sturdy foundation.
Vitamin D
While DHA and EPA are considered the foundation of good brain performance, vitamin D acts as neurological scaffolding. Research continues into the interaction between vitamin D and the perineural nets within the brain’s hippocampus. These nets support and stabilize contact between neurons, and they may be weakened due to deficiencies in vitamin D. The results of weakened perineural nets include higher degradation within neurons, lower neurological connections, and an ultimate loss of cognitive function.
Vitamin D’s role in the stabilized connections within the brain makes it an essential brain and memory supplement. Deficiencies in this supplement have been linked to well-known neurological conditions including:
- Depression
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Dementia
- Cognitive Impairment
- Psychosis
- Autism
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
This brain health supplement acts as a neurosteroid within the brain. It holds several key responsibilities: helping the brain reach maturation, supporting brain repair and growth, and antioxidant stimulation. In fact, vitamin D is responsible for the production of the brain’s most essential antioxidant: glutathione, a neuroprotectant. It assists with melatonin production and the development of sleep patterns, including the body’s circadian rhythm.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is a brain booster widely known for its energy and mood-enhancing properties. It plays a role in the way the brain, its nerve cells, and the myelin sheath functions and develops. Thus, vitamin B12 helps protect the body’s nerves and blood cells. It is an essential brain and memory supplement associated with memory loss treatment, improving concentration levels, boosting moods, and increasing a person’s energy levels.
Common issues associated with vitamin B12 deficiency include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Vision problems
- Loss of memory
- Paresthesia
- Ataxia
- Peripheral neuropathy
Brain Performance Supplements Can Help Your Brain Age Better
Studies show that these brain performance supplements have impactful effects on the neuroplasticity of your brain, its long-term cognitive development, and its ability to heal and retain existing neural pathways. If you stay consistent with your supplements, you will help decrease your risk for age-related neurological issues and cognitive decline. Everyone’s brain changes as they age– do what you can to make sure you’re taking care of the only brain you have.