Memory Supplements: 8 Natural Ingredients to Keep Your Brain Sharp

If you’re hitting the gym, roads, or trails in a quest to build a sound body, why not devote some of that energy to keeping a sound mind? It’s easy to neglect our brain health. After all, it isn’t something we can get a gauge on by looking in the mirror or stepping on a scale. But without a sound mind, how much is that sound body really worth? We need to stay sharp, not just for now, but for the future. 

To some of us “staying sharp” unfortunately means jacking ourselves up with a mega cup of coffee, a convenience-store energy drink or potion, or at least a refreshing cup of tea. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a quick pick-me-up when a deadline looms or you’ve still got three hours left on that drive. 

But, our focus here is staying sharp by keeping our brains healthy and well-balanced for the long-run. 

By supplementing our daily diet with some well-chosen, natural ingredient memory supplements and vitamins, we can keep our brain as healthy as we want the rest of our body to be!

Stay Sharp With These Supplements

What are some natural ingredients that get the job done as memory supplements? Here are some of the best.

Omega 3 Fish Oil
Our bodies are amazing chemical factories, and one of the most powerful and useful compounds they produce are omega-3 fatty acids, which are also found in abundance in cold-water fish. Through pregnancy and into old age, omega-3 fatty acids play a big role in brain health.

The benefits of omega-3s are manifold. They’ve been linked to faster reaction times, better memory, and improved brain function. There is even some evidence that they promote brain health and cognitive function even into old age. 

Omega-3 supplements are readily available, and you’ll also find them as part of whole-body supplement systems like the Men's Essentials by ASYSTEM.

Ashwagandha
Ayurveda often prescribes ashwagandha for stress and mood disorders, and to boost alertness and concentration. A study reported in Natural Medicine Journal backed up that wisdom. Patients who took ashwagandha over two weeks scored higher on tests of cognitive and psychomotor performance than those who took a placebo. 

Purity matters with supplements, so look for KSM66 Ashwagandha. This trademarked ashwagandha extract is all-natural and safely produced. You can find this powerful brain booster in Men's Essentials, too!

Pregnenolone
Pregnenolone is an important precursor steroid that allows our bodies to produce the other vital steroids it needs. It also plays an important role in the production of neurons in our brains.

Advocates for pregnenolone claim that taking pregnenolone supplements improves cognitive and memory function, plus improves mood and supports mental health. 

DHEA
This natural steroid is abundant in our bodies and performs many important functions, including those associated with the brain. DHEA levels have been found to correlate with cognitive function, so it’s smart to ask yourself if your body is producing enough to optimize your brain’s functions. 

Ginkgo Biloba
Gingko biloba promotes healthy blood circulation in the brain, and this blood circulation may help sharpen our cognition and support overall brain health. While scientific studies have been mixed, some suggest that it may improve attention, memory, and brain function.  

Iodine
Keeping our iodine levels at recommended levels is a smart investment in our brains, especially since iodine deficiencies can really take a toll on cognitive function. 

Vitamins for Staying Sharp

Vitamins serve a vital role in keeping our bodies healthy--in fact, we need vitamins to be able to function, not just physically but mentally, too! Here are some vitamins have been linked to brain and memory health.

B Vitamins
There are three B vitamins that are often cited as being good for our brains and memory. Here’s the lowdown on each.

• Vitamin B6. We don’t know everything we’d like to know about vitamin B6 and the brain. But, we do know that low levels of B6 have been linked to a higher likelihood of depression. Your body doesn’t make B6, so be smart and supplement!
• Vitamin B9. Also known as folic acid or folate, this vitamin plays a key role in the function of our nervous system. As such it’s vital for the proper functioning of our brains and it’s crucial to our mental health. 
• Vitamin B12. This powerhouse B vitamin is a winner when it comes to keeping our brains sharp. Authorities often cite the power of this vitamin in improving energy, boosting mood, aiding learning, and improving our memories. It has even been linked to a decrease in depressive symptoms. 

Vitamin D
Vitamin D does more than build strong bones — it can help keep your brain strong too. Unfortunately, many of us don’t get enough vitamin D from our diets or sun-time, and we’re deficient in this vital nutrient. There is some compelling correlation between having healthy levels of vitamin D and mental health, so it’s no joke when they say that getting outside and getting some sun really can do some good!

Getting enough sun is an easy way to produce vitamin D naturally, but a diet rich in cold-water fish like salmon and tuna, plus egg yolks can also help. If in doubt, get some vitamin D tablets and have one with your morning coffee each day. 

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is prized for its anti-inflammatory properties, and there are reasons to believe that some issues with memory as we age may be in part due to high levels of inflammation and oxidation. In fact, low levels of vitamin C in our bodies have been correlated with impaired cognitive abilities. It’s a smart idea to keep up with your vitamin C intake for this reason!

Keep Your Doctor in the Loop

It’s a good idea to check in with your doctor before adding any new supplements into your regular routine. That’s especially the case if your reason for starting isn’t simply preventative but is intended to treat a specific condition. Don’t put a visit off if you’re concerned about your memory, cognitive functions, or mood.

Exercise Your Mind

Memory supplements and vitamins can be an important tool in keeping our brains sharp. But, it’s important to also incorporate a few other ways essential in keeping your mind as healthy as your body. 

• Exercise. Regular exercise not only helps our mood, it can help keep our brains healthy! 
• Meditation. Meditation does more than just calm us down. It can improve our cognitive function, too!
• Brain exercises. Crossword puzzles, chess, learning a new language, and much more — they’re all great exercises for our brains and contribute to our overall mental health.
• Sleep. Getting enough sleep lets our minds and bodies charge up for the next day.
• Staying social. Positive social interactions are a wonderful tonic for our brains. 

Stay Sharp the Natural Way

There’s a lot that goes into keeping your brain sharp. Eating right, getting enough sleep, exercise, and regular stimulating mental activity all are part of the equation. There are also some great arguments to be made that the smart use of supplements and vitamins can also provide our brains the boost they need to do their best work, now and in the future. 

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Sources:

https://www.asystem.com/products/superhuman-supplements-system

http://j-alz.com/content/can-omega-3-help-prevent-alzheimers-disease

https://www.asystem.com/products/superhuman-supplements-system

https://www.mariongluckclinic.com/blog/benefits-of-pregnenolone.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-ginkgo/art-20362032

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18838531

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/vitamin-b9-folic-acid

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-b12-benefits

http://n.neurology.org/content/neurology/83/10/920.full.pdf

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