If you suffer from symptoms such as ‘foggy brain’, fatigue, constant headaches or depression, you probably have poor cerebral circulation. There are certain reasons why your brain doesn’t get enough blood, from stress and high blood pressure to blood clots. Ignoring the early signs of poor circulation can even lead to hypoxia (lack of oxygen), where your brain cells start to die because they don’t get enough essential elements to function properly.
We’ve compiled a list of the most effective ways to improve blood flow to the brain that you can easily try at home.
8. Stay active.
When you do high intensity exercise, your muscles need more nutrients and blood is redistributed between them. This leads to a reduction in blood flow to the brain. Simple and moderate exercises, on the contrary, can help increase cerebral circulation.
Generally speaking, any oxygen-demanding activity has a positive effect on cerebral blood flow, so you can choose anything, such as swimming, cycling, dancing or yoga in the fresh air. All of these are beneficial to your health.
If you don’t have enough time to do any kind of exercise, simply take short, brisk walks of 30-50 minutes throughout the day. When your feet touch the ground, they send pressure waves through your arteries, which in turn send more blood and oxygen to your brain.
Remember to be active whenever you can: take the stairs instead of the elevator, get off the bus before your stop, walk the rest of the way and take a different route to your favourite grocery store.
7. Stretch your muscles.
Stretching not only improves the overall circulation of the body by preventing stiffness in joints and muscles, but also helps the brain get oxygen and other essential elements to function properly.
The best stretching exercises to increase blood flow to the brain are inverted poses – those in which your head is under your heart. The simplest and most effective stretching exercises that you can easily do at home are the downward-facing dog pose and the forward bend. But be careful when practicing them – if you feel pain or discomfort in your back, consult your doctor immediately.
6. Meditate more often.
In fact, some studies suggest that meditation may actually offer a number of brain benefits, which include increased circulation to the organ. For example, if you do a chanting meditation called Kirtan Kriya for 12 minutes a day, you’ll probably notice that your mind is clearer, your memory is improved, and your mood is more stable.
How to do it:
– Sit simply, legs crossed, neck straight, chin down, and place your hands on your knees, palms facing up.
– Start chanting the notes, “Saa Taa Naa Maa”. Say, “Saa” and touch your thumb to your index finger; say, “Taa” and move your thumb to your middle finger; say, “Naa” and touch your thumb to your ring finger; and say, “Maa” and move your thumb to your pinky finger.
5. Do not be afraid of cold water.
Exposing yourself to cold helps to get more blood flowing to your brain. In fact, some studies show that immersing your feet or hands in cold water, even for just a few minutes, can raise your blood pressure, lower your heart rate and make the blood vessels in your heart and brain work faster.
In addition to applying cold to your hands and feet, you can also start taking cold showers every day. No doubt it may be painful at first, but the long-lasting effects will definitely make it worth it. You can start by ending your shower with at least 30 seconds of cold water, then gradually increase the duration.
Cold exposure also stimulates the vagus nerve, one of the longest nerves in the body, which connects the brain stem to the heart, lungs and digestive system. This nerve controls heart rate, regulates blood pressure and blood sugar.
4. Take a sunbath.
The effects of bright light and sunshine improve brain function by increasing the natural production of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. Sunlight causes the skin to produce more vitamin D, which is essential for your brain health, good memory and proper circulation.
So if you spend at least 10 minutes a day in the sun during the spring and summer months, you won’t have to worry about depression or any cognitive impairment, as your brain will get enough essential nutrients.
3. Improve your diet.
– Eat more dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contains cocoa beans that are rich in flavonoids. These phytonutrients improve your cognitive performance and increase blood flow to key areas of the brain within 2-3 hours of consumption. To achieve this result, it is important to choose a type of dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa.
– Include superfoods in your diet. Eating foods such as nuts, seeds and blueberries can have a positive effect on maintaining a healthy brain as they are high in nutritional value and contain vitamin E. Avocados, another superfood, are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help control cholesterol levels and lead to lower blood pressure.
– Drink beetroot juice. Beetroot is rich in nitrates and turns into one once it enters your body. Studies show that a single serving of this substance in about 4 dl of beetroot juice can dilate blood vessels, increase blood flow to your brain and significantly improve cognitive performance.
2. Chew gum.
It turns out that chewing gum can actually increase blood flow to the brain by 25-40% and improve your cognitive performance and brain function by increasing oxygenation. Chewing gum stimulates the nerves and areas of the brain that are linked to wakefulness, so it can help you feel more alert throughout the day.
Continuous chewing activates the hippocampus, the part of the brain that affects your memory and learning ability. Another surprising benefit of this activity is that it can change your brainwave patterns to make you feel more focused and calm.
1. Take supplements.
