Wake Up Your Brain

8 min readFeb 3, 2021

“Only boring people get bored”- Ruth Burke

The brain is believed to be only 1.5 to 2% of the bodyweight but it uses almost 15 to 20% of the oxygen and calories. It has scientifically been estimated that the brain contains 70 to 75% of liquid. Therefore, if the brain is not hydrated adequately it may not function properly. The whole brain is just like a sponge. It rehydrates when we sleep. Throughout the day, our brain shrinks gradually and at the end of the day, the size becomes the smallest. Although primarily it contains water, it requires a gentle flow of water daily from the body to function efficiently. Any shortfall may cause loss of attention span and memory loss. While sleeping, our body redistributes fluid to the brain so that when we wake up in the morning, the size of brain becomes as biggest as possible.

Sometimes, eating too much, sleep disorder or overconsumption of sugar may lead to brain fog or fatigue. We observe this kind of phenomenon while working in offices and sometimes unable to make decisions. We then order a cup of tea or coffee to get at our ease. The problem may stretch a little longer if the fatigue has been caused by a thyroid disorder, excessive medication, induced stress, or diet deficiency. Brain functions at the peak when it inappropriately awakens.

Award-winning mental health advocate and author Michele Rosenthal[1] has given five ways to wake up the brain speedily in daily practices which are mentioned below:

1. Eat something (Whether you’re hungry or not).

Your brain runs on a single food source: glucose. Once in the brain, glucose energizes mitochondria (the organelle in each cell responsible for respiration and energy production) to convert chemical energy into a compound that can be used for cell energy. Glucose is directly obtained from the food you eat, including grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.

2. Hydrate

Immediately drink a glass of water when waking up. Your body and brain need water to be able to send electronic messages. While your brain regains its size by hydrating overnight, your body is at its longest stretch without fluids. Once you get out of bed and fluids start to redistribute, your brain will experience a lack of water, which can lead to problems in attention, memory function, and the ability to perform mental tasks.

Photo by Ale Romo Photography on Unsplash

3. Use your breath

Burn the fog of sleep with the Kundalini yoga practice of ‘The Breath of Fire’. While a regimen of deep breaths can extend your energy over the course of a day, short, shallow breaths invigorate your body and wake up your brain with a quick dose of oxygen.

4. Engage your cortex.

The seat of your executive and decision-making function, the outer part of your brain revs up the most when it’s focused. Early morning meditation is a great way to gently ease your brain to come online and set the stage for the rest of day with a sense of wellbeing. Other choices may include any brain exercise (i.e., crossword puzzles or brain teasers), mindfulness process, or even singing your favorite song; music is a great way to wake up your brain and has scientifically proven wellness benefits.

5. Get moving asap

Exercise pumps both blood and information to your brain. When you participate in an activity that increases your heart rate, your blood (plus mood-elevating endorphins) flows at a higher rate through your brain and also to the rest of your body, a process that can make you feel invigorated in your mind and muscles as well. The focus and healthy stress of exercise also help to engage your mind and body in a feedback loop that reinforces wakefulness and wellbeing.

Of course, all these suggestions assume the first step is getting out of bed, or at least out of sleep mode. If you find that you need a process to get you to your wake-up process, implement this step first: Open the shades and let in the day’s natural light to activate your circadian eye, a small number of retina cells dedicated to sensing light for the daily purpose of resetting your body clock. Particularly sensitive to the color orange, photoreceptors in your eyes respond to light by creating melanosis, a light-sensing pigment that wakes up the brain. Researchers discovered that people exposed to orange light, experience a greater level of alertness and cognition. Every day may not be a sunny day, but with an orange bulb near your bed, you can create a rise-and-shine feeling just by flipping a switch.

Medication to Meditation

The brain is a command center of the body, keeping all systems functioning. Every movement of your body starts in your brain. For example, it’s a signal from your brain that causes your legs to walk when you want them to.

Nick Polizzi[2] who is an executive producer of “Remedy: Ancient Medicine for Modern Illness” and founder of ‘The Sacred Science’ has given two powerful ways to nourish the brain;

1. Four Herb Brain-Booster Tea

The routine of making tea for yourself is healing for your brain. For thousands of years, the simple process of brewing and drinking herbal brews has been cherished — and science now knows why.

Studies show that this practice releases happy endorphins that calm down your body’s fight or flight response. But the real health benefits come from brewing tea infused with medicinal herbs — such as today’s tonic recipe for your noggin. One of the first plants that come to mind for brain-healing tea is Ginkgo Biloba.

Ginkgo Biloba (one of the oldest tree specimens on the planet!) is known to increase energy and concentration by stimulating the blood flow to your brain while simultaneously protecting it. This punchy plant also fights inflammation all over the body and can be extremely helpful if you have a family history of neurodegenerative disease.

Gingko Biloba is pretty mild in flavor — even though it’s sometimes used as a digestive bitter — so I tend to add other tasty brain-boosting herbs to a ginkgo tea, like lemon balm and Tulsi.

Four Herb Brain-Booster Tea

Ingredients:

· 1 tbsp. Ginkgo biloba (you can find it in tea bags as well)

· 1 tbsp. Lemon Balm

· 1 tbsp. Tulsi

· 1 slice of fresh ginger

· 1 slice of lemon

· 1 tbsp. of honey

Instructions:

· Add all herbs to a teapot — except ginger

· Pour 4 cups of water over them

· Bring to a simmer and steep for at least 5 minutes

· Pour into cup

· Add ginger, lemon, and honey

Now enjoy your herbal tea!

For optimal brain health, this is a great healing elixir to drink every day.

2. Daily Mindfulness Meditation Practice

Meditation is easy and free, and there’s tons of research out there about how fabulous it is for our brain.

Studies have shown that, over time, meditation:

² Increases grey matter in the brain, which is linked to overall intelligence and “processing power”

² Shrinks the fear and anxiety centers in the brain (the amygdala)

² Improves memory and the ability to focus

² Helps to keep the brain sharp as the body ages

Meditation is also a powerful stress reliever as many people experience it right away! It has the amazing effect of simply making you feel calmer and happier at the moment.

That’s probably why, all over the world, humans have practiced meditation for thousands of years!

Have you ever meditated? It’s so easy. You can try it right now and see how it positively affects your brain.

One of the simplest techniques is called mindfulness meditation. There are slight differences in how different teachers teach this method, but here is a stripped-down version that works just fine.

You might want to use a timer, and set it for 5, 10, or 20 minutes depending on how long you’d like to meditate. (I personally do a 20-minute session per day on most days, and it feels great!)

Sit down and get comfortable. Try and keep your back straight as possible, but don’t be a ramrod! You can sit on a chair that has back support, or a mat on the floor, or outside on the grass in a quiet place. Some people like to sit with their legs crossed, and some prefer a chair with their feet on the floor. More advanced mediators may choose the lotus position. Whatever works!

Take one or two deep breaths to relax you and prepare to enter meditation.

Close your eyes. That’s important.

Notice the movement of your breath as it enters and exits your nose. If you want, you can focus on the spot where it leaves your nostril. Keep your attention gentle. You don’t have to concentrate hard. If you lose track of your breath, that’s okay. Just return your attention easily to the breath if you notice you’ve forgotten about it.

Let your thoughts flow as they will. If anything, this is the tricky part. You do not have to “stop your thoughts.” In fact, if you try, you might notice that you cannot stop your thoughts. Thoughts just happen. The trick is to not get too entangled in them. Just let thoughts arise and pass by. Don’t try to control them, but don’t actively “follow” them either. After a while, you’ll notice that the thoughts just seem like so much chatter. You’ll feel detached from your thoughts, especially if you can maintain that gentle attention on your breath. You’ll be an observer of your thoughts.

When you’re done meditating, open your eyes slowly and take another deep breath. Then start with some gentle movements in the hands and feet. Don’t jump up from your chair or rush to do the next thing. Give yourself some moments to reorient.