brain health

Understanding how our brains are effected by food, exercise, sleep, socialization, and stress management

what is brain health?

Lifestyle has a profound impact on your brain health. What you eat and drink, how much you exercise, how well you sleep, the way you socialize, and how you manage stress are all critically important to your brain health.

Many habits contribute to poor brain health, but four areas can have the most influence. They are too much sitting, lack of socializing, inadequate sleep, and chronic stress.

the lack of physical activity

People who don't exercise much are more likely to get Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. That's in part because exercise helps prevent many of the things that are linked to dementia, like: Obesity. Diabetes.

The absence or reduction of PE has been associated with an increased risk of mental disorders such as anxiety and depression (18–20). Although there is not yet an ideal dose of exercise for this type of diseases, there is evidence demonstrating that any exercise is better than none on mental disorders

socialization and the brain

Building social networks and participating in social activities are like exercises for your brain because they keep your mind agile and improve cognitive function. Socialization can even help prevent mental decline and lower the risk of dementia.

Social media is made to be addictive. Each like or positive comment presents a little hit of dopamine to our brain, thus creating reward pathways in the brain causing you to desire likes, retweets, etc.

This heightened stress can bring along a whole slew of unfavorable effects on the brain, such as reduced memory and an increased chance of depression. Staying away from social media makes you less prone to such a high level of cortisol, leaving you calmer and more focused.

poor sleep habits

Without sleep you can't form or maintain the pathways in your brain that let you learn and create new memories, and it's harder to concentrate and respond quickly. Sleep is important to a number of brain functions, including how nerve cells (neurons) communicate with each other.

While the effects of sleep deprivation are well known, researchers discover sleeping too much could have a detrimental effect on your brain. A new study reports sleeping more than eight hours per night can reduce cognitive ability and reasoning skills.

stress management

While the overall volume of the brain tends to remain about the same, it has been found that chronic stress in otherwise healthy individuals can cause areas of the brain associated with emotions, metabolism, and memory to shrink.

Studying for a big test, preparing for a job interview, or applying to postsecondary school are all stressful situations. But what does it actually mean to be stressed? Stress is more than a feeling. It plays an important biological role for many living organisms. Understanding the importance of stress can help you to manage it. It can even lead to an improvement in your mood and how you think!

food and the brain

Amazingly, the food you eat affects neurons, which are the major cells of the brain. In the brain, an unhealthy diet that is rich in fats and sugars causes inflammation of neurons and inhibits the formation of new neurons. This can affect the way the brain works and contribute to brain disorders like depression.

Eating certain foods (and avoiding others) has been shown to slow brain aging by 7.5 years, and lessen the chances of developing Alzheimer's disease.

A newly published study showed eating fruit and vegetables improved mental well-being. Subjects tended to feel happier, less worried, and reported higher levels of overall life satisfaction. The link between diet quality and better mental health is now well-established.

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