As body parts go, your brain is up there with one of the most important organs in your body. Yes, you need all of your vital organs to survive, but you need your brain to be you. This is how you think, how you feel, and if your mind is anywhere, it’s in the brain. It’s not just about how you function, although it does regulate your bodily functions, but it’s also about your personality.
So, how can you help your brain? Well, what happens when you have poor brain health?
An Unhealthy Brain
You see the clearest view of an unhealthy brain is when you look at someone with an advanced cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. These diseases are age-related, although the symptoms can be helped for a while if you’re able to keep the brain active and healthy.
But what about if someone doesn’t have a medical problem that causes an impairment? You can still have an unhealthy brain. In this case, it can be seen by uncharacteristic sluggish thinking, confusion, brain fog, poor decision-making, fatigue, and even irritability.
Anyone can have an unhealthy brain, and anyone can improve the health of their brain as well.
Unhealthy Habits
Your brain is part of your body, so it makes sense that bad habits that harm your body will also harm your brain.
Cigarettes and alcohol both impair your brain function. Nicotine affects the brain directly and can cause increased stress. While a small amount of alcohol won’t have much of an impact on your brain, excessive drinking can cause some serious damage, to the point of causing alcohol-induced psychosis.
A Good Sleep Pattern
Sleep is vital for your body and especially your brain. This is the only chance your brain has to rest and repair, and it also helps you process information throughout the day.
Even one night without sleep has an obvious effect on your brain. You’re tired and sluggish, and it might be harder to think. You might also be more irritable. But after chronic sleep deprivation, you will notice some major signs of chronic impairment.
Create a sleeping schedule and stick to it. Go to sleep and get up at the same time each day. Relax before you go to sleep. Have a bath, drink herbal tea, and find a routine that works for you.
If you’re struggling to sleep properly, then it might be time to try taking some vitamins or seeing a doctor. Sleeping tablets aren’t the perfect solution, but they are better than chronic sleep deprivation due to insomnia or another sleep disorder.
What You Eat
The food you eat doesn’t just feed your body, but your brain as well. So what you eat will provide the building blocks your brain needs to be healthy. Foods with healthy fats and that are full of vitamins are ideal brain foods.
As well as eating healthily, it’s a good idea to take vitamins to make sure you get everything your brain needs to be as healthy as possible. For example, vitamin D3 and K2 are great for general health, but they’re especially important for your brain health.
You can also see a doctor or a nutritionist for advice about the healthiest diet for your body and brain.
Exercise Your Brain
As mentioned near the beginning of this post, exercising your brain can be helpful when managing cognitive disorders. Much like your body, your brain needs to be used.
In fact, physical activity can help your brain as well as your body. Moderate exercise can boost your energy levels and get your endorphins pumping, and reaching your fitness goals is good for your physical and mental health.
But cognitive exercise is something different. General life, which involves thinking and problem-solving, exercises your brain. Conversations and social interactions are other great ways to keep your mind active. Simply put, any activity that requires you to think deliberately will help.
You can do some activities that are targeted towards improving your brain health, however. Puzzles are amazing for this. Anything that requires you to work your way through a puzzle and find a solution won’t just keep you entertained, but it’ll keep your brain engaged.
Different kinds of puzzles and games can exercise your brain differently. For example, a strategy game like chess that you play with another person or a computer will provide a different kind of exercise to a sudoku puzzle that requires you to use logic to find a solution.
