Practice nasal breathing during focused work, listening, or learning to increase alertness, attention, focus, and ability to remember information. The act of inhaling through the nose itself wakes up the brain and enhances learning.
To improve your sense of smell and taste, perform 10-15 nasal inhales (sniffs) followed by exhales, then smell an object like an orange or food. This practice increases brain alertness and olfactory neuron sensitivity, leading to richer perception and long-term discrimination ability.
Perform near-far viewing exercises for about five minutes, three times a week, to exercise the accommodation reflex and help offset myopia (nearsightedness). Bring an object close to your eyes, then look far into the distance, and repeat.
Spend two hours outside daily, even while doing other activities like gardening or walking, to help offset myopia and nearsightedness. Sunlight and blue light from the sun benefit your visual system and brain.
Use Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) protocols, such as those found in the Waking Up app, to greatly restore levels of cognitive and physical energy. Even short 10-minute sessions can be highly effective.
Ensure proper hydration and adequate electrolyte intake (sodium, magnesium, potassium) for optimal brain and body function, preventing diminished cognitive and physical performance. Consider dissolving one packet of Element in 16-32 ounces of water first thing in the morning and during exercise.
Take an all-in-one vitamin-mineral probiotic drink like Athletic Greens once or twice a day to cover basic nutritional needs, address potential deficiencies, and support microbiome health. Supplement with Vitamin D3K2, essential for brain/body health and cardiovascular function.
If recovering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), engage in active olfactory training by closely interacting with odors and focusing on inhales to wake up the brain and perceive nuances. This can stimulate new neuron creation and aid sensory performance recovery.
Enhance your ability to taste and discern different components of foods by actively paying attention to what you are tasting. This practice can develop a more sensitive and nuanced palate over time.
Ingest miracle berry (or miracle fruit) to temporarily alter taste perception, making sour foods taste sweet. This can help you understand the contribution of sweetness to various foods and explore taste perception.
Inhale peppermint or other minty scents to increase attention and create an arousal response, which can heighten alertness. This effect is less intense than that of ammonia salts.
With extreme caution and professional guidance, ammonia inhalants (smelling salts) can trigger the brain’s arousal systems, leading to a ‘psyching up effect’ and increased maximal force in strength and power performance. Direct inhalation of ammonia can severely damage olfactory pathways and vision; use only with extreme care.