Do you find yourself forgetting your keys? Spacing out on why you walked into a room? Losing your train of thought mid-sentence? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you’re also a couch potato, there is one important strategy that could put you on the path to improved recall.
The secret to a better memory? Moving more.
Aerobic exercise provides greater blood flow to your brain, especially to the hippocampus, a region that’s crucial to memory. A 2017 study in 51 healthy men and women, ages 18-35, found that those who had the highest fitness levels had a firmer, more elastic hippocampus and scored the best on memory tests.
Some of the main causes of poor brain blood flow include abnormal blood pressure, poor circulation, low thyroid, infections, and stress (126-130).
Besides addressing these major causes, there are several ways to directly increase the amount of oxygen-rich blood that flows to your brain.
Researchers use neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), to measure cerebral blood flow.
And they have found that the following 21 methods increase brain blood flow and circulation in humans.
After suffering multiple concussions, I had severe depression and brain fog. So I had no choice but to focus on optimizing brain blood flow and circulation.
Many of these methods have been helpful to me over the years.
If you want to naturally increase blood flow to your brain, continue reading to learn more.
1. Exercise
Exercise is one of the best and most accessible ways to increase brain blood flow and circulation.
Research shows that moderate exercise increases blood flow to the brain by as much as 15% (1).
And you don’t even need to work out intensely to increase blood flow to your brain.
Simply walking for 30 minutes at a brisk pace, three or four times each week, is good enough. That will get more blood and oxygen to your brain and you’ll reap the benefits (2).
In fact, the foot’s impact on the ground while walking sends pressure waves through the arteries, which sends more blood and oxygen to the brain (3).
“There are many studies that suggest that exercise improves brain function in older adults, but we don’t know exactly why the brain improves. Our study indicates it might be tied to an improvement in the supply of blood flow to the brain.”
— Dr. Rong Zhang
Exercise has also been shown to protect against cognitive decline and dementia, promote neurogenesis, help reverse brain damage, and promote the regeneration of myelin.
So not surprisingly, exercise is recommended by many experts and it’s often their number one piece of advice for optimal brain health.
My usual advice is to find a sport or exercise routine that you enjoy, so that you’ll stick with it consistently.
2. Cold Exposure
Exposing yourself to cold temperatures can also help you get more blood flowing to your brain.
Research shows that putting your hand in ice water for one minute can significantly increase the speed of blood flow to the brain (6-8).
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Do you find yourself forgetting your keys? Spacing out on why you walked into a room? Losing your train of thought mid-sentence? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you’re also a couch potato, there is one important strategy that could put you on the path to improved recall.
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