5 Types of Music To Enhance Brain Power

If you know what the UCAT is and how challenging it can be, you know that you need to do more than just the regular UCAT preparation. Your brain needs to evolve constantly, so that it can tackle even the toughest questions during the exam. For this, certain types of music can be highly useful.
Some of the benefits of listening to music during UCAT prep include an increase in productivity, creativity, efficiency during repetitive tasks and release of dopamine, which uplifts the mood.
But, the efficacy depends on the genre of music that you choose to listen to. Research has shown some types of music are better at enhancing cognitive abilities. Here’s a look.

Classical Music

Music from genius composers, such as Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, can help improve focus while working on UCAT preparation material. This is supported by research done by the University of Helsinki, which revealed that classical music can alter gene functioning, leading to better brain function.

Your Kind of Music

Personal preferences can also help in increasing the ability of music to enhance brain function. The songs you like can evoke positive emotions that can drive you to perform better. However, remember to steer clear of any music that might be associated with painful memories. After all, you don’t want to end up feeling sad or angry, rather than motivated to work hard.

Sounds of Nature

Remember the feeling that washes over you when you hear the sound of leaves rustling in the wind? Or the calmness that ensues on listening to water babbling down a stream? There are a number of studies that point to the restorative qualities of nature sounds on our psyche. These sounds alter the connections in the brain and decrease the fight or flight response of the body. To get these benefits, download such sounds online and listen to them as you solve UCAT practice questions. When your mind is relaxed, your performance can reach its peak levels.

Instrumental Music

If you feel distracted by lyrics, turn to purely instrumental tracks. This will act as white noise to shield you from the surrounding environment while providing peaceful study conditions.
Despite all the benefits associated with music, some students prefer to work in complete silence. That’s completely fine too, as long as you are able to focus and learn.
Also, to clear any doubts on how to prepare for UCAT, seek professional help from a reputed coaching institute, such as iCanMed, which not only acquaints you with what UCAT is but provides a wide variety of resources and interview guidance.

Here's How Crossword Puzzles Can Improve Your Brain Health

Checked out all those free UCAT resources online? Enrolled for professional coaching that offers sample UCAT questions? Preparing for UCAT sample tests? Brilliant, you are on the right track to preparing for the actual exam. But, what have you done to ensure your brain functions at its best, allowing you to make the most of all those months of preparation?
What you need are some useful tips to enhance brain health. No, we aren’t talking about memory supplements. Did you know that simply practicing crossword puzzles can improve various aspects of brain functioning so that you do your best not just on free UCAT questions but at the actual thing?

Enhances Memory

Working on crossword puzzles can gradually increase your memory. It strengthens the synaptic links between neurons, but also helps create new ones. An increase in these links improves mental speed and boosts the thought process, which will help you to solve sample UCAT questions with accuracy. It is also a great way to lower the risk of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

Boosts Dopamine Levels

If ever you have solved a tough puzzle, you do know how it feels. The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment is inexplicable. The reason for this is the dopamine that gets released in your brain, making you feel happy and satisfied. Dopamine has other functions too. It enhances motor skills and aids in concentration.

However, it isn’t necessary to solve the most complex crossword puzzles to boost dopamine levels. You can start with easy ones, and gradually move on to more difficult crossword puzzles.

Improves Concentration

Crossword puzzles need focus to solve. In the process of solving these puzzles, your concentration power will increase, so that you are able to make the most out of the available UCAT resources in a disciplined manner. Also, when you focus completely on finding the solution, you cut yourself loose from the stress of daily life.

Better Problem-Solving Abilities

Crossword puzzles bend our brain in different ways and help develop out-of-the-box thinking. Since solving these puzzles involves a lot of trial and error, it also helps you learn key methods of problem-solving. The effort that goes into discovering the right word helps strengthen cognition.
Also, keep in mind that free UCAT resources won’t be enough to ace the exam. It is better to choose a professional UCAT training program, such as ICanMed, which offers UCAT sample tests and helpful UCAT resources to improve your chances of success.

Ways to Calm Your Mind Before Your Medical School Interview

Are you stressed about answering the med school interview questions? Anxiety can affect even the best of us, but it's not all bad. Some degree of anxiety can actually work as motivation, giving you the required push and keeping you on your toes. But if the level of nervousness rises, it could impact your memory and have a negative impact on your medical school interview performance.

Here are some way to calm your mind and ease the stress.

1.    Note Down Your Thoughts

Writing down thoughts or any worrying questions asked in the medical school interview can help ease your mind. It is one of the most therapeutic things you can do to lower your anxiety. Putting down your thoughts on paper helps you revisit them at a later time. Also, it changes your thought pattern from chaotic to organised. You can also choose to record them in a digital format to get the pressure off your mind.

2.    Practice Cognitive Distancing

You can control your mind’s pessimistic tendencies by finding positive alternative scenarios. This is known as cognitive distancing. It is based on the concept that our mind worries about things that it feels are true, even if they are not. Remember that the worst-case scenario isn’t the only possibility.

3.    Try Breathing Exercises

When you’re feeling anxious, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. To counter this, breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, and then breathe out for 4 seconds. Slow and mindful breathing activates the hypothalamus to send neurohormones that inhibit the stress hormones and lead to a relaxation response.

This will relieve any anxiety through the physiological effect of the hypothalamus on the nervous system, allowing you to practice the medical school interview questions in a better way.

4.    Chant a Mantra

Mantra is a word or a phrase that you can repeat to calm yourself. It can be something like, “Everything will be okay,” or “I’ve got this,” or any other phrase that speaks to you. Research shows that chanting mantras reduces the activity in the part of the brain that is responsible for self-judgement. This is the same part of the brain makes you worry about the future and fret over the past.

Just repeat your mantra and focus your thoughts on it. If you find yourself getting distracted, return to the mantra. This will go a long way in helping you deal with the medical interview questions.

5.    Mind Your Diet

Make sure you eat a balanced diet in the weeks leading up to your UCAT interview. Some foods that can help reduce anxiety are salmon, yogurt, bananas, oats, green tea, dark chocolate and chamomile tea.

Although these techniques can help you to relax, what will clinch the deal is preparing for UCAT medical school interview under the guidance of a reputed institute like ICanMed, which will help you prepare for the med school interview questions in a systematic way