Chapter 5: Habits That Support Brain Health
Your actions and lifestyle aren’t neutral. They either enhance your brain health and brain function or make them worse. Below are some beneficial habits you can inculcate that can improve your brain health and brain power:
The importance of exercise cannot be emphasized enough. We have earlier examined the scientific studies that showed that exercise plays a vital role in brain health and brain power. It has always been known that regular exercise has physical benefits such as weight reduction, keeping fit, building muscle mass, and helping you develop the kind of physique you desire. However, scientists have made it clear that it also helps in brain development.
So, if you have been procrastinating the decision to start regular exercise or have been inconsistent, you have an added reason to be motivated now. No one wants a physically fit person that is not mentally sound. Exercise helps you to be both physically and mentally fit. So, you don’t have an excuse to delay the decision. Note that you don’t have to hit the gym to do this. You can have home workout routines and still enjoy the same benefits.
There has been so much emphasis on the harmful effects of excessive exposure to sunlight that we might forget the benefits of this gift of nature. There is no doubt that excessive exposure to sunlight is dangerous. Still, it’s also harmful when you have too little of it. When you don’t have adequate sunlight, it’s not good for your brain because it will not have enough Vitamin D. The danger of inadequate Vitamin D is that it inhibits brain functions and can also speed up the aging process.
So, ensure that you have enough sunlight, especially in the early hours of the day. If you’re not getting enough sunlight due to the part of the world you live in, or the period of the year, you should consider taking Vitamin D supplements. However, you should ensure that you take it in moderation to avoid suffering side effects.
Tetris is a common game that many people play for fun. Unknown to many people that play it, it has several positive impacts on the brain. Studies have proven that it could increase grey matter for a short period. The result of this increase is that your efficiency when performing spatially-related tasks will be enhanced. Interestingly, playing this game after suffering a traumatic experience can help your brain avoid solidifying those memories.
Therefore, people who play Tetris are less likely to have frequent flashbacks to negative memories over the long haul. If you have a phone or tablet, try to install this game and play it during your leisure period. It’s remarkably easy to play. So, you won’t have issues getting used to it. Still, ensure that you don’t get excessive with it. Anything that isn’t controlled will lead to harmful effects. So, it’s recommended that you time yourself when playing it.
The quality of sleep you get goes a long way in determining your efficiency during the day. Don’t let starting early and sleeping late become your culture. Of course, there might be situations that will require you to cut down on how much you sleep to enable you to give more to your career or any other thing that is important to you. However, you shouldn’t let it be the norm.
When you have irregular sleep patterns, it will affect your brain. Your brain likes habits and patterns because it enables it to save more energy. So, you’ll be doing your brain health and brain power a lot of good if you have a stable time you sleep and wake up. You’ll hardly need an alarm when you have a regular sleeping pattern, which bodes well for your cognitive functioning.
Meditation and mindfulness are increasingly popular in the West because more people are beginning to realize their importance. You cannot afford to live life at a fast pace where you don’t have time to appreciate your success. More entrepreneurs and celebrities and practicing meditation because it’s vital in helping them to reduce their stress levels. Studies have also proven that it’s effective in preventing age-related disorders such as Alzheimer's or dementia. You can practice meditation for just fifteen minutes a day.
However, the impact is more than what you can get from pills and supplements worth a billion dollars. It boosts your cognitive longevity and also ensures that you’re not overwhelmed by stress. Studies have also proven that this practice boosts the immune system and helps to avert the risk of depression. So, apart from enhancing your brain power and brain health, it also has other benefits you can enjoy.
In the bid to get to the pinnacle of our careers, many people are often alone and lonely in order to create enough time for their work. Indeed, you need all the focus you can get to hit your targets. Yet, it’s not too good for your cognitive functions when you are often in your world without interacting with others. In these days when freelancing and remote working are rampant, many people are in danger of living in a lonely world.
In order to maintain a balance, ensure that you’re deliberate about linking up with your friends and family as much as possible. If you often feel lonely, it can lead to the deterioration of your cognitive abilities and psychological health. This is because these feelings affect your blood pressure, reduce the quality of your sleep, contribute to depression, and even lower your overall wellbeing.
This list will not be complete if we don’t mention your eating habit. We have explored the scientific studies that showed that what you eat affects your physical, mental, emotional, and social health. According to the World Health Organization, health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This shows that you cannot be termed “healthy” unless you have fulfilled these criteria.
You have to be emotionally, physically, and socially healthy to be a whole individual. Your feeding habit plays a crucial role in ensuring that your wellbeing in every area is intact. Consume antioxidants and amino acids, and vitamin E. Drinking wine in moderation can also be beneficial to improve your cognitive function. Nuts, blueberries, whole grains, and avocados will also do your cognitive functioning a lot of good. A good body without a good brain is of no use. So, eat for your brain.
Telling you to avoid stress altogether isn’t feasible due to the nature of the modern world. We are all under constant pressure to fulfill our potentials and be the best we can be, which isn’t bad. However, it’s problematic when you allow pressure to overwhelm you such that it begins to affect your physiological and cognitive functioning. So, it’s essential that you leverage stress management techniques that can help you release tension.
Exercise, meditation, journaling, mindfulness, and yoga are some of the best out there. Don’t fall to the temptation to reduce stress by consuming food or alcohol. During those periods, it’s not likely that you consider what you are doing. So, you might be ingesting content that will have a damaging impact on your brain and other parts of your body. Always ensure that you are deliberate about easing stress without resorting to dangerous tactics.