Since we now know that neurogenesis can help us to regrow new brain cells, how do we actually go about activating this amazing internal process? There are 5 main activities that can induce neurogenesis and help our body boost its ability to produce new neuronal cells in our brains.
1. Lifestyle - Certain lifestyle activities can also increase neurogenesis. Possibly the single biggest way to increase and utilize the new stem cells is to commit to lifelong learning. Learning new languages, subjects, engaging in brain games and fun puzzle solving, and exploring exciting fields of interest can not only induce neurogenesis, but also help to keep the new stem cells as functional as possible before they die. Meditation and sleep play vital roles in regulating brain wave function and optimization as well as new neuronal cell production. Practicing meditation can also calm the mind to allow for more efficient and beneficial neurogeneiss to take place. Sleep is such a big factor and sleeping in rhythm with your body's internal clock can sync your brain and body up in order to reap the restorative benefits of neurogenesis and the hormone melatonin that gets produced nightly helps in neurogenesis, too. Lifestyle tweaks are easily adopted into one's daily routine and they can seriously positively impact overall mental well being even in the absence of the other ways of activating neurogenesis.
2. Exercise - The simple act of moving our bodies can have drastic impacts on boosting neuronal stem cell production. Activities that require aerobic fitness like running and jogging, cardio focused workouts, and extra curricular sports can greatly increase the internal growth factors needed to make new neuronal stem cells. Resistance training also helps and it is recommended to do both in a balanced fashion to get the most well rounded benefits. Activities that employ both mind and body connection incorporating meditation practices with physical activity such as yoga and martial arts can offer synergistic and exponentially amplified benefits when it comes to neurogenesis. Taking up sporting activities later in life is still seen to have a positive impact on brain cell formation and cognitive function.
3. Dietary Supplements - There are some dietary supplements, compounds, and ingredients that can directly influence our body's ability to form new neurons. Nootropics, or vitamins for your brain, as they are often touted in the supplement industry, can positively impact brain performance by not only boosting neurotransmitter function, but also activating our brain's natural neurogenesis capacity. Lion's mane, a popular medicinal mushroom extract, herbs/botanicals like ginkgo biloba and healthy fats and vitamin combos like phosphatidylserine, DHA, and vitamin B6 can all either directly support the neurogenesis pathway or induce it on their own. These supplements should be researched and discussed with professionals before ingesting as there are still many real negative side effects outside the realm of neurogenesis that can unfortunately happen.
4. Food and Nutrition - Just by choosing healthy food options that are brain friendly can produce new brain cells within our body. Mushrooms like Lion's and fatty fish like wild caught salmon can also be consumed in food form for their brain boosting effects and not just through supplements. Certain diet programs are more suited for brain and cognitive health than others, as is seen with two popular diets today, Ketogenic diets and the Mediterrannean diet. These two diets, while not for everyone, can definitely induce new brain cell growth from their healthy fat content as more than half of our brains are made up from fat. Specific fats like healthy omega 3's and monounsaturated fats are the better options over high saturated fat foods as these can actually negatively impact brain cell production. These diets are both commonly found utilized in the regimens patients who have epilepsy and other cognitive disorders. If the diet is approached and planned correctly it can also be high in antioxidants and beneficial flavonoids and polyphenols from plants that can also act as neurogenesis activation factors. It is still better to look to foods high in healthy fat and antioxidant content instead of fully committing to a diet without talking to a registered dietary professional. Not only is quality of food important, but the timing of meals is another way that we can affect the process of creating new brain cells. Meal frequency and timing and even caloric restriction can all improve cognition levels and brain cell production, but this might be from the restorative capacity associated with fasting.
5. Psychoactive Compounds - Although, not recommended, it should be noted that many psychoactive substances have been shown to not only increase BDNF, a neuronal growth factor inducer in our brain, and synesthesia, which is witnessed when different regions of our brains overlap and interact with each other. However, they have the potential to completely alter brain chemistry, personality and perception, so they should be only used in safe clinical settings, which the practice of I am hoping will get fast tracked sometime in our lifetime as a possible aid to mental illness and cognitive decline.
