How to Improve Your Brain's Processing Speed

When discussing the human brain, even though computers are often seen as the closest comparison, enhancing the brain's processing power is not as simple as adding more RAM. When referring to the brain's processing speed, neuroscientists and neurologists talk about the rate at which a person can absorb new information, their ability to process that information, and respond effectively. Based on this definition, the key to boosting the brain's processing speed lies in forming stronger connections within the brain and enabling signals to travel farther and faster. Although the brain's default state develops largely during childhood, you can still make mindful efforts to maintain and even enhance its latent processing speed.

Engage in Aerobic Exercise. What we think of as the brain’s processing speed is essentially how electrical signals travel along the nerve axons, primarily those linking different brain cells. The white matter of the brain is made up of these connecting fibers, and they are nourished by a network of blood vessels. This means cardiovascular issues such as diabetes and high blood pressure can deplete the oxygen and glucose needed for the axons. As a result, physical fitness and regular aerobic exercise are top recommendations from neuroscientists to maintain and even enhance the brain's potential processing speed.

• Exercises that elevate your heart rate regularly also help boost the production of new neurons in the hippocampus, a critical part of the brain for learning and processing information.

Consume the Right Foods. Physical health is closely tied to brain health. Alongside moderate exercise, it’s important to maintain a balanced diet. You can focus on foods known to benefit brain health, such as:

• Blueberries – Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, which can help protect the brain from oxidative imbalance and reduce the effects of age-related factors. Aim to enjoy about a cup of blueberries each day. Other antioxidant-rich foods include pomegranate juice and dark chocolate.
• Wild Salmon – Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for brain function, and many deep-water fish, like salmon, sardines, and mackerel, are rich in this nutrient. Aim for 115g of fish about 2-3 times a week.
• Nuts – Nuts are a great source of Vitamin E, which helps combat mild cognitive decline as we age. Try to add around 28g of mixed nuts to your daily meals.
• Avocados – Avocados play a crucial role in preventing heart-related issues, such as high blood pressure, which is essential for a healthy brain. However, as avocados are high in fats, limit your intake to 1/4 to 1/2 an avocado per day.

Get Enough Sleep Each Night. The National Institutes of Health recommend that adults sleep around 7 to 8 hours each night, while teenagers need around 9 hours. During sleep, the brain forms new pathways, and research shows that getting enough sleep can enhance learning ability, problem-solving skills, and memory. Sleep is also crucial for recovering blood vessels and heart muscles, fueling the white matter in the brain.

• Lack of sleep – even just missing 1 to 2 hours over several consecutive nights – can affect reaction times and processing speed. Research shows this will lead to longer times required to finish tasks.
• Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to cardiovascular problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. These conditions deplete the oxygen and glucose necessary for the brain’s axons.

Consider Using Nootropic Supplements. Nootropics are over-the-counter supplements designed to enhance brain function. These 'smart drugs' can increase focus, memory, and motivation. Some popular nootropics include:

• Bacopa Monnieri (a type of water hyssop)
• L-theanine
• Racetam
• Artichoke extract
• Ginseng

Always Strive to Learn. Even into adulthood, the brain continues to form new connections. Learning more about your job helps build these new connections, and mastering various tasks enhances connections that can accelerate the transmission of information to the brain’s axons. Furthermore, when you learn something new, brain cells, or glial cells, form a protein and fat coating (myelin) around axons, helping to isolate them and speed up electrical signals.

• Learning new skills not only boosts myelin but also helps form a protective layer around older, exposed axons.
• Thicker myelin can improve tasks requiring brain sharpness, from reading to memory formation and decision-making.

Try Learning to Play a Musical Instrument. Research suggests that playing an instrument is another way to build strong connections throughout different areas of the brain. This is because to play an instrument proficiently, you need to coordinate vision (to read music), hearing (to listen to and appreciate the music), and motor skills (to play the instrument)—this strengthens the connections between different brain regions.

• Children under the age of 7 are believed to benefit the most from learning an instrument. However, older musicians often show significant improvements in executive function, allowing them to process and retain information quickly, among other abilities.

Always maintain your social network. It doesn't necessarily mean online networks, but keeping your social life constantly active can positively impact your cognitive abilities. Some lively discussions require quick thinking, which is why keeping your social network strong is a great way to challenge yourself mentally and stay focused.

Quit smoking immediately. If you don’t smoke, it’s best not to start. If you’re currently smoking, quit as soon as possible. Studies show that aside from being a leading cause of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smoking also shrinks brain size, particularly in the hippocampus. Regular smokers experience a faster reduction in brain volume compared to non-smokers, which can negatively affect cognitive function.

Zoom in on this picture by opening it in a new window. Scientifically, brain games are still somewhat untested. In short-term trials, brain games may have an impact on cognitive function, though sometimes they don't. The rise in popularity of brain-stimulating games is a new concept in long-term research, yielding mixed results. However, many people believe that only these types of games can help boost their cognition. Here's an example of a game that stimulates the brain, which you can try by opening the picture in a new window for a larger and clearer version.

Read aloud the directions in which the eyes are looking in the picture. Start from the top, then move from left to right and top to bottom while reading aloud the direction the eyes are looking towards, for example, “down, left, up, right…” Time yourself while going through the faces in the picture. Try not to make any mistakes within 30 seconds, and then aim to do it in 15 seconds.

Start practicing with your own face. After quickly scanning the directions the eyes in the image are looking towards, look at the image and loudly announce the directions your face is mimicking, just as in the picture – as if you are the face staring out from the artwork, for example, 'down, right, up, left...' This will be difficult because it requires an additional step to adjust your face’s direction.

• Similar to the first experiment, don’t forget to time yourself and try to complete the drawing without making any mistakes at each stage – 30 seconds, and then 15 seconds.

Use the first drawing for practice, but add pointing with your finger. Go back to the exercise in step 2, but now your finger will point to the face that is looking in the opposite direction from the one you are reading aloud. For example, 'down [point up], left [point right], up [point down]...' This step is extremely difficult because it requires both hand motor skills and verbal expression.

• As with the idea that practicing an instrument can improve brain processing speed, this exercise demands the coordination of different brain functions – such as using sight to interpret the information in the drawing, speech to read the directions aloud, and hand movement to indicate the combination with the rest of the task.
• You can also add other techniques to the exercise, such as reading the direction your face is looking at only when you reach the green face or after every three consecutive faces. By incorporating additional rules into the task, you can reduce reliance on memorizing orders, thus saving time and avoiding errors.

Expand your repertoire of brain-stimulating games. The previous example was just one typical type of brain game. Many websites design various games to improve processing speed, memory, and reasoning skills. You can also find plenty of word games and puzzles online aimed at enhancing the player’s cognitive abilities.

• Luminosity, Brainist, Fit Brains, and Games for the Brain are representative examples of websites offering brain-stimulating games.
• In addition to websites, you can find several brain game apps for your mobile device, such as the Brain Age game for handheld consoles (Nintendo DS).