In 2022 physical health is greatly spoken about, with the rise of TikTok, healthy habits have not only been more popular but are way more easily accessed. From daily gym routine videos to healthy low-calorie recipes, it seems that having a healthy body is right on trend. However, something that gets easily missed is your brain health. With a rise in mental health illnesses, it is more important now than ever to be maintaining and boosting your brain health.
Social media platforms are a fantastic way to gain knowledge on any topic you wish, with trends becoming more apparent in our day-to-day reality, there is a lot of false information out there making it harder to pick out the crazy trends from the actual facts. We have put together some scientifically proven ways to boost your brain health, so you don’t have to waste your valuable brain energy trying to figure out what’s a fad and what’s a fact.
What Is Brain Health?
The brain is the most important yet mysterious organ in our bodies. It functions in many different ways; in cognitive, social-emotional, sensory, behavioural, and motor domains. Brain health is how well our brains function in these areas. Mental health depends on how healthy your brain is, an unhealthy brain can lead to many physical and mental conditions such as anxiety and depression.
The biggest struggle in brain health is inflammation. If you are tackling brain fog, memory loss, and depression you most likely need to improve your brain health and function to reduce the inflammation. Thankfully due to neurogenesis, which is the process of a healthy brain forming new neurons, not only can we gain back our brain health but also rejuvenate it.
Improving Brain Function
One of the easiest ways you can improve your brain health is by exercising. The director of science and research at the Brain Health Network, Professor James Goodwin has looked at a number of studies that have proven a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week can increase your memory and ability to learn. Not only that but you should avoid sitting down for more than 45 minutes at a time. This might be quite hard for those that work in an office-based job. However, there are many ways you can incorporate movement into your life, starting with setting goals such as walking 10,000 steps a day.
If you have the space, try the innovative design of a treadmill desk. This allows you to work on your computer while walking or running on a treadmill, this not only allows you to keep yourself moving but can also improve your focus. If you haven’t got the space for a treadmill, then you can try and go for a walk after eating to help your body to digest your food and keep active.
Another recent study found that sex can be highly beneficial to your brain. Having regular sex with someone you are in a close relationship with can increase your cognitive health and even improve your memory.
The Best Foods For Brain Health
Your diet doesn’t only impact your shape and weight but also your brain function. What you put in your body has a huge impact on your brain health. Highly processed foods such as takeaways and ready meals rarely contain the nutrients that you need, they also increase your risks of inflammation in the brain. Some of the best nutrients for brain health are B12 and Vitamin D, these can be found in omega-3 fatty acid-rich food such as cold-water fish including cod, trout, and halibut.
If you live a fast-paced and busy lifestyle you might find it hard to prepare meals from scratch and exercise every day, this is why brain health supplements can be really helpful to get your brain back to its top health.
The Focus Capsules have ingredients that play a vital role within the rejuvenation of our brain health. Siberian Ginseng increases the oxygenation of cells and improves circulations in the brain. L-Tyrosine is an important component in the production of brain chemicals that help nerve cells to communicate, improving your mood. Bacopa Monnieri is derived from plants and increases brain chemicals involved in thinking, learning, and memory. It also protects cells from the chemical involved with Alzheimer’s. CDP-Choline increases your cerebral metabolism and dopamine levels, and Rhodiola Rosea stimulates and balances the neurotransmitters within your brain.
Staying Connected For Your Brain Health
Being lonely isn’t fun, but it’s also scientifically bad for you. Social connection is as important as food warmth and water, it’s ingrained into our brains. Being lonely can cause inflammation and speed up the aging process. The Harvard University research into the power and prevalence of loneliness has found that being lonely can be as bad for you as having 15 cigarettes a day making your life span about 8 years shorter. So, if you’re wondering whether you should say yes to that brunch date or walk in the park with your friends, you should absolutely go. Not only does seeing friends and family improve your brain health but also theirs too.
Dental Health
Believe it or not, your dental health can have quite an impact on your brain health. The University of Birmingham studies have shown that people with gum disease are more likely to have a higher risk of vascular dementia and poor mental health. The mouth is a key source of inflammation so along with putting the right food into your body, dental hygiene is a must. Make sure you are booking regular dental and hygienist appointments as well as maintaining a daily dental routine that’s consistent.
How To Maintain A Healthy Brain
A big part of keeping the brain healthy is getting enough sleep. The human body needs about 7-9 hours of sleep a night to be able to function properly. If you are skipping out on sleep you are less likely to be able to concentrate, remember things and of course, keep in good spirits. Sleep isn’t just good for our memory during the day though, when sleeping your body is taking time to store your thoughts and memories from the past day, without enough deep sleep our brains cannot consolidate the important pieces of information you need to remember making it harder on your memory the next day.
Sleep also is a vital part of how neurons communicate, your brain keeps active while you are sleeping and is found to help remove toxins that build up on your brain. Without enough sleep, your body can become deprived leading to a higher risk of developing, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and obesity. If you are struggling to sleep, there are a number of things you can do to help get that much-needed rest your brain needs. Try to avoid caffeine before bed, if you are used to having a coffee after lunchtime, switch to decaff or ditch the glass of coke or Pepsi at dinner to allow your body to naturally settle down. Look into a more structured sleeping routine, some people have found certain sleep apps you can download that can help with your routine. However, if you find yourself endlessly scrolling on your phone until the early hours of the morning, you’re stimulating your brain with the blue light from your phone screens. Set yourself a time to put your phone down and partake in other activities, most people find reading a great way to encourage sleep, by detoxing from the blue light and moving your consciousness to the fictional world allowing your body to calm down and relax.
Keeping your brain healthy is ultimately looking after yourself physically and mentally. Make sure you are keeping active and eating the right foods. Ensuring you are on top of your dental and overall hygiene. Not depriving yourself of sleep and social interaction. If you allow yourself to keep on top of all these things, you will be right on track for a very healthy brain.
