Brain fog cure
Crisp air, vivid colors, cool breezes—fall can be so invigorating! But if your brainpower isn’t as brisk as the season, you’re not alone: Up to 82% of women over 50 have bouts of fogginess on a regular basis, and hectic schedules can make brain drain more likely. To clear the cobwebs and restore mental clarity, just…
Dial up your handwashing
Sure, you wash your hands, but do you include your wrists? Doing so—and using cold water—boosts your brainpower! A National Institutes of Health study found stimulating pulse points in the wrists with cold water for 60 seconds releases hormones that enhance the brain’s ability to retain information and complete mental tasks by 31%, an effect that lasts up to 30 minutes.
Get a whiff of this
Mint’s crisp scent has proven brain-perking powers: British research reveals that inhaling aromatic compounds in peppermint boosts the production of stimulating beta brain waves, increasing mental energy by 50% in 2 minutes. To get the benefit, saturate a cotton ball with peppermint essential oil and seal it in a zip-top bag so you can sniff on the go. Also smart: popping that cotton ball into one of your car’s air vents so it keeps you alert while driving.
Munch on an apple
Or a radish or even gum! Just 2 minutes of chewing enhances mental performance by 41%, Italian scientists say. And the benefits last for at least a half hour. Turns out chewing boosts the delivery of energizing oxygen to the brain while stimulating regions that govern memory and mental processing.
Sweeten water
Staying hydrated drops off our radar in cooler weather, but mild dehydration causes brain fog. The fix: Sip a cup of water mixed with
a scoop of d-ribose. In a study in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, folks who did so three times daily increased their mental clarity by 30% and their allday energy by 45% in three weeks. D-ribose is a simple sugar that enhances cells’ ability to generate ATP, the “energy currency” for body and brain. Try: Life Extension D-ribose Powder (Lifeextension.com/ww).