10 Ways to Maintain Brain Health

Use your Brain, or you will soon lose it! Don’t let your smart brain turn into a couch potato! Keeping our brains active and healthy is crucial for our overall well-being. The brain is the command center of our body. It is responsible for controlling our thoughts, movements, emotions, behaviors, and respiratory functions and also regulates our body. Thus, it is crucial to keep our brains healthy and sharp. Good brain health involves a lack of brain disorders or diseases. It also comprises of cognitive abilities across various domains like memory, attention, reasoning, and processing speed.

Here are ten ways to maintain our brain health

1) Healthy and Balanced Diet:

Diet is one the most important aspects for maintaining a healthy body as well as a healthy mind. We read and hear a lot about maintaining a healthy and balanced diet but often overlook it. Our elders always advise us to eat healthy food like fruits, vegetables and nuts. Although, we still ignore them and eat junk food. It isn’t easy to avoid eating junk food, especially if you are a foodie, but we can try to reduce our consumption of junk food. Instead of eating it every day, we can try to reduce it by once or twice a month. Once you start changing your routine diet, you will soon notice a change in your body. You will start feeling energetic and fresh.

Also Read: Cerebral Cortex: The most important part of human brain

2) Exercise Regularly:

I know, we hear this all the time! Yet, we often procrastinate to exercise, work out, or go for a jog. Exercising daily can be practised by performing activities like yoga, gymnastics, Zumba, jogging, walking, and cardio workout. This helps in weight management, decreases the risk of diseases, improves our bone and muscle strength, and enhances our brain health. Regular exercise increases our heart rate, which leads to more flow of blood to the brain, which enhances the functioning of the brain. Research has shown that exercise has increased the size of the hippocampus of the brain, which plays a crucial role in learning and memory functioning. Exercise has also been shown to slow down the aging of the brain and prevent individuals, especially older people, from brain-related disorders like Alzheimer’s or Dementia.

3) Keep your brain buzzing:

Imagine it’s your vacation and you are sitting on your couch and watching Netflix one fine afternoon. You sit there the whole day binge-watching series on Netflix. This continues for more than two days; now, slowly, your mind starts becoming numb, and you don’t feel like engaging in any other activities or hobbies. The longer you stay inactive, the harder it becomes to gather the motivation to change. If you don’t consciously try to engage in mentally stimulating activities, your cognitive abilities will soon decay. Thus, maintaining brain health requires consistent mental stimulation through activities like reading, puzzles, learning new skills, etc.

4) Sleep Tight and think bright:

Why is sleep important for our brain? Sleep is crucial for maintaining brain health. Our brain works all day for us, so it requires some rest. Sleep regenerates the brain to help us function better. Have you faced this situation where you stayed up all night before the exam, and on the day of the exam, you went blank?

This happens because our brain doesn’t receive the sleep it requires in order to function. When we don’t get enough sleep, our brain neurons start malfunctioning, affecting our behaviour and performance. This is why we black out if we stay up at night. It is important to have seven to eight hours of quality sleep daily.

5) Be a social butterfly and stay socially active:

An active social life exposes our brain to new activities and conversations. Instead of staying home all day, go for a walk, meet some friends, and engage in different activities. Spend quality time with your friends and family. An active social life exposes us to new challenges and experiences that stimulate our brains. Social connections and relationships are crucial for our cognitive functioning. You can join groups, classes or workshops and volunteer in social work. You also learn new things, information, and knowledge by engaging yourself with others. Research has shown that social relationships also reduce the risk of depression and anxiety disorders. Thus, immersing yourself in social circles improves your brain health.

Also Read: The science of sleep: what goes on in your brain when you sleep?

6) Manage stress and master your mind:

Research says chronic stress can damage our brain cells and lead to shrinkage in key brain areas such as the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. Stress also can lead to swelling or inflammation in the brain, and chronic brain inflammation can lead to disruption in neuronal communication and damage the brain. Thus, it is important to manage stress. You can manage stress by incorporating simple relaxation practices like meditation or yoga. It is important to consult a mental health practitioner if you persistently experience stress.

7) Quit smoking:

“Smoking is injurious to health.” We see a lot of advertisements on the adverse effects of smoking. Smoking leads to an increased risk of cardiac-related diseases, cancer, lung diseases, etc. It impacts our body as well as our brain. Smoking has adverse effects on the functioning of the brain and leads to cognitive decline. The toxins in cigarettes restrict blood flow to the brain, which, over time, damages and kills the brain cells. Brain scanning studies show that people who smoke regularly have a thinner layer of cortex. Quitting smoking can help restore blood flow levels and minimize further brain damage. So, the sooner you quit, the better!

8) Reduce Alcohol consumption:

Another substance use that should be eliminated or, if not eliminated, must be reduced is alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to brain damage over time. It affects brain areas such as the frontal lobe, which controls emotions, judgment, thinking, and decision-making abilities. People who consume alcohol have poor judgement and also have trouble controlling their impulses. Heavy drinking can also damage the cerebellum, which maintains balance and coordinate movements. Alcohol consumption can, over time, lead to brain damage, and increased cognitive impairments like dementia and memory-related disorders. Thus, quitting alcohol can help repair or regenerate areas of the brain and help maintain a healthy brain.

9) Do Brain Exercises:

Individuals who engage in brain exercises have a sharp and active mind. Research shows that doing brain exercises helps our brain become active and healthy. Brain exercise helps improve your memory, concentration, and focus. Brain exercises like solving jigsaw puzzles, building vocabulary, learning a new language, learning new skills, etc, improve our brain health. Playing chess or other board games can also improve our judgment and concentration, thereby making our brains sharp and active.

10) Continuous learning:

Keeping ourselves updated with current news and information helps to explain our knowledge base. We should be involved in continuous learning to keep our brains up-to-date and active. Our brains have the capacity to grow and rewire. This is called neuroplasticity. By engaging in continuous exposure to new information and experiences, our brain creates new neural networks and strengthens connections between neurons. Learning needs to be an ongoing process that is beneficial for our brain health. Thus, seeking out new hobbies, reading books, learning new skills, taking up new courses, etc., can help increase our capabilities and keep our brains sharp.

Also Read: Vaping and the Brain: A Deep Dive into Mental Health Impacts

By engaging in these ten habits, you can maintain your brain health. So, from exercising regularly to continuous learning, we can keep our brains sharp, active, and healthy.

So, USE IT OR LOSE IT!