One of the best ways to keep your stress level down could be right outside your front or back door.  We’re talking about the brain-boosting effects of physical activity and the mood balancing effects of green spaces combined in one activity you can do from your own backyard, front yard, patio, or rooftop:  gardening.                 If you can’t get to the park or out of an urban environment during the week, new research suggests that you can still benefit from the psychological effects that puttering around in a home garden can give...

               Being successful means keeping all that inner noise from playing out in your facial expressions, right?  Not quite, according to a new study which challenges what we think we know about playing it cool to get the gig.                 From students to public speakers, interviews, and family holidays to game nights, we’re encouraged to be discreet about how we approach others if there’s something at stake.  Maintaining a civil presence means not giving away too much emotion and keeping that smile plastered on because we’re taught that self-expression could dampen our chance of...

         As you enter that next reminder in your phone, do you find yourself questioning why your brain seems to be overloaded all the time and why simple reminders like “defrost the chicken” seems to need the mental backup of being entered in a technological device?         New research suggests that this is a rapid change happening within society because there simply isn’t enough space left in our collective attention. Where once we felt like we had enough mental reserves and the capacity to keep everything orderly within our own minds or with the...

The last thing you want to encounter is feelings of frustration that your nootropics aren’t working. When you have high expectations that something will work as well for you as it does for others, it’s understandable to be frustrated when you don’t experience similar results—or sometimes even opposite results! The big question is: why does this happen? Below is what you need to know to make sure you’re getting the most out of your supplements. #1—You Need Cofactors One of the top reasons why your supplements may not be working for you is a lack of associated cofactors. A cofactor...

             These days, hustle culture has made it nearly impossible to feel productive or worthy when we aren’t ascribing to the ideal of working.  We’re first told we have to work on our jobs, then find time to work on our relationships, work on our diets, and work on ourselves.  Modern culture has made very little room for resting and has an overriding tendency to pass judgement on those who take time to rest, labeling them and perpetuating the negative mindset that resting equals laziness.                 What if what we thought we knew about striving...

The blank screen. The blinking cursor. Or, perhaps it’s the constant pop-up alerts from your business team messaging you or the incoming emails. The notification sounds and lights from your phone. Focus can be easily lost as the mind wanders and compartmentalizes trying to keep on task with all the extra stressors around you, whatever distractions they might be. Losing your focus seems to have a snowball effect, where the more time passes before you catch it seems to just make it harder and harder to get back to where you need to be. Below are some hacks to help...

              Did you know that reading this right now will affect how well you sleep tonight?  You may be saying, I’m reading this in the morning/afternoon, so what?—but it doesn’t matter to your melatonin!                  We’re talking about the blue light coming from the screen on which you are reading this.  Also about the blue light coming from all indoor light sources, such as LED lights, LED televisions, and overhead and compact fluorescent light bulbs.  You may have heard to avoid screen time before sleep, but why?                 Blue light refers to the length...

               Trying to get rid of distractions at work or find the motivation to push through deadlines?  Don’t reach for those noise-cancelling headphones!  Try the brain-wave altering science of binaural beats instead!                 Binaural beats have been popping up as a background setting in many meditation videos or relaxation and sleeping apps, so won’t they be counterproductive if you’re trying to rally against a tedious task?  Research says the opposite is true, and they can actually relieve mental fatigue.                 Binaural beats are basically two beats played at the same time but with different...

It’s important to manage stress these days.  Stress can be helpful or harmful, depending on the source.  Stress is a physiological response that can help you run from fear or help you fight an enemy or help you hunt for food sources effectively.  Our bodies aren’t able to distinguish from the stress that can arise from a criticism from a boss or the stress that you might need to defend yourself from attack from that mountain lion—so consequently, we remain stressed even when our bodies could benefit from a smaller reaction. Because it’s impossible to remove all sources of stress...

Going back to basics and seeking natural solutions for common conditions is what natural nootropics are all about!  Sometimes these natural solutions are in the forms of leaf extracts, root extracts, and mushrooms—or even bark, as is the case with Yohimbe.  Yohimbe (from the Pausinystalia yohimbe tree) has been coveted for its bark in its native African folklore. The bark of the P. yohimbe tree contains the alkaloid we’re all interested in:  Yohimbe.  The bark contains other alkaloids which can total up to 6% of the total content of the bark.  An alkaloid is a compound derived from a plant...

There is an old saying that if you’re good at language, you should be good at math.  After all, isn’t math (especially algebra) a language of its own?  This doesn’t always hold true for those of us who excel in language arts yet struggle with mathematics, but all is not lost:  new research has found that the areas of the brain geared for reading are also engaged during math. Researchers were initially studying dyslexia at the University of Buffalo when they noticed that the brain was using the same functional networks for reading as it was for math. When you’re...

Some of the best ways to protect your immune system are washing your hands often, keeping the surfaces in common areas and high-traffic areas wiped down with disinfectants, and being aware of keeping your hands away from your eyes, mouth, and nose.  As careful as you can be, you can never know if the person next to you is taking similar steps, so it helps to add in a few supplements to keep your level of protection high from the inside out. Vitamin D Vitamin D is an important immune system ally.  Your body can make Vitamin D from sun exposure, but...