The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that drinking 5 or more cups of green tea each day can lower the possibility of psychological distress by as much as 20%. It can also give you a good boost, like caffeine, to help keep your brain going all day.

A good way to help your brain charge up is to take a break. This can either mean cruising the internet for 15 minutes, or switching to something else for a while, as a change of pace for your brain. It's also a good idea to spend no more than an hour on something before switching to something else for a while. If you haven't finished that something in an hour, set aside time later to work on it some more.

People always say that laughter is the best medicine, but it also stimulates different areas of the brain, allowing people to think in a broader and freer manner. Laughter is also a natural stress reducer, and stress is something that inhibits and limits brainpower.

There are lots of different foods that can help boost your brainpower. Of course, on the flipside there are foods that do the opposite like foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, "junk food" and soda. These are foods that dull brain processes and make you foggy and sluggish. Try foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids like walnuts and salmon (although eat this sparingly because of the possibility of a higher mercury content), ground flaxseed, winter squash, kidney and pinto beans, spinach, broccoli, pumpkin seeds, and soybeans. Omega-3 fatty acids improve blood circulation, and boost the function of neurotransmitters, which help your brain process and your thinking powers.

When you aren't getting enough sleep, everything that your brain does is worsened because of it. So creativity, thinking, cognitive functioning, problem solving, memory, all of these are tied to getting enough sleep. Sleep is especially necessary for memory functions, so make sure you're getting to the deeper stages of sleep to allow for memory processing. Turn off any electronics at least 30 minutes before going to bed. That means cell phones, computers, iPods, etc., otherwise your brain will be over-stimulated while you're trying to sleep, and you'll have greater difficulty in falling asleep and getting to the necessary stages of sleep.

Physical exercise can do things like enhancing the oxygen flow to your brain, which will help it process and function better. It also releases chemicals that enhance your overall mood, as well as protect your brain cells. Scientists have found that exercising actually helps spark the production of more neurons in the brain. Dance and martial arts are especially good ways to boost your brainpower, because they stimulate a wide variety of brain systems, such as organization, coordination, planning, and judgement. You're having to move your body (and various parts of it, too) in synch with the music.

Meditating, especially mindfulness meditation, can help to retrain the brain to work better, and not go down certain negative neuro-pathways. Meditation both reduces stress, (which helps the brain function better), but it also increases memory as well. Find a place to sit quietly, even if only for 15 minutes. Focus on your breathing. Say to yourself as you breathe "breath in, breath out." Whenever you find your mind wandering, gently draw it back to focusing on your breath. As you get better at meditating, notice what is going on around you, feel the sun on your face, notice the sound of the birds and the cars outside, smell your roommate's pasta lunch.

Getting enough liquid in your system is super important since your brain is about 80% water. It won't function as well if you're dehydrated. So make sure to keep drinking water all day, at least 8 6-ounce glasses. It's also a good idea to drink fruit or vegetable juice. Polyphenols, which are the antioxidants in fruit and vegetables, can help protect brain cells from damage, and keep your brain at a high-functioning level.

Learning something new gives your brain a workout, in the same way that you would do a physical workout to increase your strength and endurance. If you stick to the well-worn paths of the stuff you already know, your brain isn't going to keep developing and growing. Learning a language stimulates lots of different parts of your brain and helps make new neuro-pathways. It takes mental effort and will help expand your knowledge base.