Do brain exercises increase alertness?
Combining bodily senses like vision, taste, touch, and hearing with emotional feelings stimulates the brain to establish more connections between various parts provoking nerve cells to produce essential nutrients for the brain. As a result, it enhances memory, strengthening other surrounding cells and making them more resistant to aging effects. Laurence. C. Katz, neurobiologist, and Manning Rubin, author of the book “Keep Your Brain Alive” recommend trying these brain training exercises in the morning or at bedtime to see if you feel any difference.
• Showering with closed eyes
Even with your eyes closed, your hands will notice the surface and texture of your body and send signals back to the brain. All you should do is take a shower with closed eyes. Try to locate shampoos, set the water temperature, washing, brush, or even shave with your eyes shut. To prevent injury or burn, please remember to use your commonsense, too.
• Turn objects upside-down
When we look at ordinary everyday objects, our left verbal brain instantly recognizes and labels them and redirects our attention to something else. On the other hand, if the familiar item is upside-down, your brain’s right part network gets stimulated and tries to understand the shapes, colours, and the connection between different parts of it. So, as a brain training exercise, you can try turning objects upside down. Family pictures, desk clocks, or desk calendars are some objects you can try turning upside down.