Simple Tips for a Happy, Healthy Brain!
Although our spinal cords stop growing at age 4, our brains keep developing until age 25. Along with dementia, the three most common conditions that affect the brain are multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease and motor neurone disease.
Brain: An Owner’s Guide is a good informative guide to how your brain works and how to look after it. Written by a neuroscientist, she also looks at ways to improve your memory and concentration, as well as ways to help reduce low mood, depression and brain fog. She looks at what causes dementia and how you can help to prevent it.
Good Nutrition for Brain Health
Your brain is the fattiest organ (60%). What you eat directly affects your brain. Foods rich in plant-based omega-3 fatty acids (like nuts, seeds and ground flaxseeds), play a pivotal role. They support mental functioning and protect against cognitive decline. Think of them as brain fuel, essential for keeping your mind sharp and vibrant. You don’t need oily fish (cooking it destroys omega 3s anyway – but leaves mercury and over-fishing problems).
Hydration and Brain Function
Water isn’t just essential for the body; it plays a major role in brain performance too. Even mild dehydration can impair focus, memory, and cognitive processing. Aim to drink at least six to eight glasses of water daily. Herbal teas and water-rich fruits like cucumber or watermelon can also help you stay hydrated.
Physical Activity and Its Benefits
Aerobic exercises like walking, swimming, and cycling improve blood flow to the brain, helping with memory and problem-solving abilities. Strength training, such as lifting weights, can build stronger neural connections.
Exercise boosts endorphin levels, which lifts your mood and reduces stress. Lower stress means less exposure to hormonal imbalances that can harm brain cells over time. Even moderate daily movement, like a brisk walk or a 10-minute stretch, can reduce anxiety and sharpen your mind.
Keep Your Brain (not too) Busy!
Activities such as crossword puzzles, Sudoku, chess, or memory games are great for mental stimulation. These types of exercises challenge your brain, keeping it active and engaged. They improve cognitive function while also being an enjoyable way to spend spare time.
Taking up a hobby, learning a new language, or trying cooking from scratch keeps your brain stimulated. These activities activate parts of your brain you may not normally use. They also foster creativity and problem-solving skills, which help keep cognitive decline at bay.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends. Avoid screens close to bedtime as blue light disrupts melatonin production. Create a relaxing pre-sleep routine like reading a relaxing book, to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down.
During deep sleep, your brain processes and stores memories. Poor sleep leads to forgetfulness and difficulty focusing. Ensure you’re getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night to support your brain’s memory functions.
Donate to Humane Research Charities
Outdated, cruel and expensive animal experiments are a thing of the past, yet still used by the main brain research charities. Instead, switch donations to humane research charities, which fund pioneering work to help heal diseases of the brain, for both adults and children.
Forget ‘manifesting’, it’s Neuroscience!
Neuroscientists say that ‘the law of attraction’ is not science. It’s better to just build new habits to create new neural pathways in your brain. None of us know what is around the corner, so there is no point trying to control life or others. You can’t ‘manifest a loving partner’ simply by thinking about him or her.
But you could start by creating a daily routine of self-care (prayer, good food, exercise). Then get out and meet new people who share your interests. If you do this regularly, you’re more likely to meet someone than someone else who sits and writes ‘wish lists’.
You have to train your brain to be positive, just like you work out your body. Shawn Achor
Do Brain Defects Cause Some Crimes?
Some criminologists believe that (not to excuse such horrors) rapists, serial killers and murderers, may have something wrong with their brains. The case that came to light in the news was that of Fred West, who along wish his wife Rosemary, tortured and murdered several women (including his own daughter).
What’s interesting is that until a teenager, Fred was thought more of as the ‘village idiot’. But after a motorcycle accident age 17, he had a metal plate inserted into his head, and that’s when the serious problems really began (he had attacked many girls way before he met Rosemary, and together they formed a hideous horrible lifestyle).
One psychologist said often sexual deviants have damaged ‘frontal lobs’ (particularly in rapists and paedophiles). More modern surgeries are now performed for people with mental disorders of the frontal lobe, instead of the now mostly-discredited lobotomy surgery, which was carried out for decades on people with mental illness.
Sustainable Vegan Supplements for Healthy Brains
If your GP thinks you may benefit from a brain health supplement, these are good brands. Always consult before taking if you have medical conditions or take other medicines or supplements (avoid ginkgo for epilepsy, bleeding disorders, pregnancy or nursing). And avoid choline in supplements, for bi polar disorder.
Keep supplements away from children and pets. Recycled unused supplements/medicines at your local pharmacy.
Feel Focus is for brain fog, expect results in 90 days. It focuses on neurotransmitters, which can help brain fog and improve memory, due to high B vitamins and B12, plus zinc for cognitive health.
Dr Vegan Brain Fuel is devised by expert nutritionists, sold in a metal tin for the first order, then buy refills in sustainable pouches. This supplement is designed to help people with memory and focus, with nutrients designed to boost cognitive function. Customers who took this for 3 months found better focus, memory and energy.
