The brain is one of the organs in our bodies that play a vital role in ensuring our survival and sanity. It is the control center for every function that takes place in our body and it is important that we ensure its healthy state by adopting healthy habits.
Are you exposing your brain to damage through your everyday habits? Below is a list for you to check;
Sleep Deprivation
Missing out on the required sleep required kills brain cells that could result in more serious consequences.
Health experts recommend uninterrupted eight hours of sleep for a healthy brain that is bound to result in a healthy body. Lack of sufficient sleep is also associated with dementia, including Alzheimer’s
If you suffer insomnia, then stop taking alcohol and caffeine, develop a ritual like a habit that will include switching off all the electronic devices and taking a shower.
Overeating
Overeating leads to obesity and this is more likely to happen if one is feeding on junk. This happens because the food we take in lacks in nutrition and the body is still hungry, hence the body doesn’t get what it needs.
Parts of the brain linked to learning, memory, and mental health are smaller in people with a high intake of fries, hamburgers, potato chips, and soft drinks.
Whole grains, Berries, nuts, and green leafy vegetables preserve brain function and reduce mental decline.
Loud Headphones
With your earbuds at full volume, you can permanently damage your hearing ability in as fast as in 30 minutes only.
Hearing loss is linked to brain problems such as Alzheimer’s and loss of brain tissue. Your device should not exceed 60 percent of the device’s maximum volume and the listening sessions should not be too long.
When the brain tissue is damaged, it becomes difficult for the brain to store what the ears hear into memory. It is therefore important to turn that volume down as even when one does not experience the repercussions today, consequences will soon catch up.
No Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and is recommended that you have it like a king. Missing breakfast leads to low blood sugar levels which easily leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain and high frequency of this leads to brain degeneration.
Smoking
Smoking has No health benefits to the smoker or those in the environment. The smoke emitted by a smoker has even worse consequences to those that inhale it.
Smoking damages the neutral viability and cell membranes in the midbrain and on the cell membranes of the cerebellar vermis. These are brain regions that enable fine and gross motor functions, balance and coordination.
Smoking can, therefore, shrink the brain and negatively affect the memory. Smoking also causes dementia, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure.
Dehydration
8 glasses a day is the recommended amount of water one is supposed to take in a day to ensure the well-being of your brain cells.
High Sugar Intake
A high sugar intake destroys the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients which leads to brain disorders.
A number of lifestyle diseases are linked to sugar intake.
Stress
Chronic stress pushes the body to form more cortisol than it has a chance to release which leads to death to brain cells and even reduce the size of the brain. Chronic stress has a shrinking effect on the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for memory and learning.
Do what makes you happy once in a while so as to relax, it could be reading a novel or listening to good soothing music.
You Have Too Much Alone Time
Humans are created to engage in social conversations and online conversations just not count!
Try to reach out to people whenever you feel alone, it does not have to be a big circle…as long as they are people close to you. Too much of alone time not only leads to brain damage but also causes Alzheimer’s.
You Don’t Move Enough
Regular exercise is healthy not just for your physical fitness but for your brain too.
Lack of exercises also causes heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, all of which may be linked to Alzheimer’s.
A walk around the neighborhood is likely to leave you feeling fresh, ensure to do so at least every 3 days of the week.
You Stay in the Dark Too Much
Lack of enough natural light is likely to get you depressed and depression does slow down your brain. Sunlight helps the brain to stay healthy.
When the natural sunshine hits the skin it triggers the body to produce vitamin D. Vitamin D is a crucial ingredient for the body’s overall health.
Vitamin D lowers high blood pressure, protects the body against inflammation, helps muscles and improves brain functioning.