Top 10 Ways To Increase BDNF And Supercharge Your Brain

BDNF or Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor plays a vital role in mental health.

But many people don’t understand why it’s so important or how to increase the levels of BDNF that they already have.

So, we’ve got this quick guide to increasing BDNF and supercharging your brain.

What Is BDNF and Why Does It Matter?

BDNF is a protein in the brain that helps deliver mental health, focus and mental agility.

Aging can reduce BDNF, antidepressants and cannabis can increase it (in the short-term but may cause problems in the longer term), low levels of BDNF are associated with alcoholism, Alzheimer’s and dementia.

In short, you want to maximize your BDNF levels and the best way to do this is not with drugs but with natural methods that are easy to do.

The Best Ways To Increases Your BDNF And Supercharge Your Brain

Exercise

To build BDNF you need to exercise regularly and while strength training is awesome for a lot of things, BDNF does better with long periods of cardio.

Aim to utilize around 80% of your heart rate reserve for at least 30 minutes each time you exercise for great results.

Reduce Stress (and Inflammation)

The more stress you feel, the more inflammation that you have, the worse your body works and this is as true for BDNF production as anything else.

So, cut down on stress and, in particular, sleep more if you want to feel in good condition mentally.

Cut Out Sugar (Especially HFCS)

Rats that eat a high sugar diet (including high fructose corn syrup which is sugar on steroids) tend to exhibit lower levels of BDNF in their brains than those that eat more healthily.

Now, you’re not a rat, so this study might not mean the same in humans, but rat trials of diets are often highly indicative of how human bodies respond.

Spend Time With Family And Friends

There is a direct connection between loneliness, depression and low levels of BDNF in the brain.

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix to this – spend time with your family and friends and enjoy their company.

Try Intermittent Fasting

We don’t know why but intermittent fasting seems to lead to much higher levels of BDNF production and oddly, so does caloric restriction (that is cutting the amount of calories you eat).

Intermittent fasting is easier though, just eat one (or two) meals a day and always at the same time.

Get Outside (And Maybe, Get Naked)

Going outside in the fresh air (not polluted air – fresh air) has been shown to boost BDNF levels and so has sunlight.

And if you want to maximize your sunlight gains and you have privacy, then getting naked is a good idea – don’t overdo it and burn, mind you.

Stimulate Your Mind

No surprises, the more you exercise your mind, the easier it becomes for the brain to produce BDNF.

It also helps with mental toughness, so you might want to try these mental toughness podcasts for some ideas for mental stimulation and exercise.

Drink Coffee (Consider Supplements)

Coffee contains polyphenols and antioxidants and appears this helps to boost BDNF levels, in fact, it’s really good at this.

In addition, research suggests that coffee fruit may be even better at this and you might want to consider taking a coffee fruit supplement.

Eat Some Oily Fishes

Omega 3 intake, that is the fat that’s found in oily fishes, is associated with brain recovery after brain trauma and thus, research shows it can help to produce BDNF.

The biggest gains appear to be from eating oily fish that were pulled out of cold-water, though we’re not sure why the temperature of the water a fish lives in is beneficial to our brains.