20 Ways to Take Care of Your Brain

Brain and intelligence are two different things. The brain is an organ, and like other organs in the body, it needs constant care for optimum performance. Intelligence is your ability to think, learn, and problem solve. It is a person’s ability to make a decision, cooperate, and communicate. 

The brain is the center of intelligence and activity. It regulates bodily functions like breathing, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature. It stores information for memory, learning new tasks, and also controls your emotions. Your brain also aids in complex motor skills such as speech or the coordination of hand-eye movement required in playing a musical instrument. It also affects your feelings of happiness, sadness, and love.

The brain has a great deal of complex structure and function. The brain structure consists of a large outer layer, the cerebral cortex, and is made up of billions of interconnected and interrelated neurons or nerve cells. This makeup allows for a variety of functions to unfold in coordination with each other.

The brain has three parts: the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem.

Cerebrum: is the biggest part of the brain and is composed of the right and left hemispheres. It carries out higher functions like interpreting touch, vision, hearing, speech, reasoning, emotions, learning, and fine control of movement.

Cerebellum: is located under the cerebrum. It coordinates muscle movements, maintains posture and balance.

Brainstem: is the relay center connecting the cerebrum and cerebellum to the spinal cord. It performs many automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, body temperature, pupillary response, wake and sleep cycles, digestion, urination, and sexual arousal.

The brain is an essential part of our body. It does not only control all other body systems, but it also controls our thoughts and feelings. You need to take good care of your brain. These practices will keep the body and mind in a healthy mind-body state.

Here are some ways on how to maintain an active and healthy brain during your lifetime.

20 Ways to Take Care of your Brain

1) Exercise. Brain-boosting hormones such as endorphins are released by exercise. This helps increase blood flow through one’s body, keeping the brain healthy. It also helps build muscle and stay fit.

Studies have shown that exercise can provide the following benefits: Better memory and concentration. Improved mood. Increased alertness and energy levels.

2) Read good books. Reading is healthy because it allows you to expand your knowledge, as well as your imagination and the things that you can do. Reading is one of the best habits that we all should have because it puts our brains in a constant state for learning, problem-solving, and creativity.

3) Limit Alcohol. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol consumption damages nerve cells in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory formation. If you’re going to drink, do so in moderation.

4) Learn about new things in different subjects. Your mind is like a muscle; you need to work it out and exercise it to keep it fit.

5) Have a good sleep schedule and enough sleep. Going to bed late and waking up too early in the morning will lead to your brain not working as well as it could. Try to go to bed at a specific time every night because your body needs that amount of time for you to be fully rested when you wake up. Get enough sleep every day.

Getting enough sleep is important, as sleep helps clear the brain’s waste and prunes unused connections.

Both of these things help you preserve valuable brain cells.

6) Drink less caffeine. Many people drink coffee every day, but caffeine can be very harmful to the brain. It can cause sleepiness and make you unable to concentrate. Limit your intake of coffee and caffeinated products such as chocolate, tea, energy drinks.

7) Manage Your Stress. Stress causes too much tension in the body that is not good for your brain. Think of ways to relax and see if you can get rid of any causes of stress. Too much stress can lead to memory loss. Reducing your stress through exercise and meditation can help you feel more relaxed and clear-headed.

8) Try to avoid eating processed foods. See if you can make your food from scratch because these foods usually contain chemicals, preservatives, food dyes, and other unnatural additives that are not good for the brain and can even cause damage.

9) Eat foods high in omega-3 fatty acids. Food such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, and herring. These fish are generally rich in omega-3 fatty acid DHA. Eat more fish, but don’t overdo it! Ensure you don’t overeat fish because traces of mercury in the sea may harm your body.

When you do eat fish, make sure it is from a certified source. This means that the fish has been caught in a manner that has not been distressed or harmed in any way. It also means that the fish has been measured and inspected for contaminants such as mercury.

This is important because mercury is a highly toxic metal that accumulates in the food chain along with other heavy metals and can cause significant damage to the nervous system, especially to young children. Mercury exposure can affect brain development and may result in learning disabilities, impaired coordination, and delayed reaction times.

10) Eat healthily. Eating healthy foods will help keep your brain sharp and functioning properly. Just make sure not to overeat, as this can be just as damaging as eating unhealthy foods. Try adding blueberries and almonds to your diet, which help fight age-related cognitive decline.

Keep your brain healthy by eating well. Foods that are rich in antioxidants are great to help you maintain healthy blood flow and brain function. Some foods that are also high in antioxidants are blueberries, cranberries, broccoli, and spinach.

11) Healthy Heart. A healthy heart and central nervous system go hand in hand. If your heart becomes enlarged or weakened, it will affect your brain’s ability to communicate with the rest of your body. That’s why it pays to stay active and eat right to keep both in good condition.

A healthy heart is important to brain health because the heart is the pump that pushes blood to the brain that provides the oxygen and nutrients the brain needs to function efficiently. This is how blood can provide your brain with all of the nutrients and vitamins it needs in order to function properly, as well as carry off waste that needs to leave the brain.

12) Drink more water. Water is the most critical component of your body’s functions, including those of your brain. It keeps it working smoothly and helps you think better.

Avoid sugary drinks. Sugary drinks tend to spike insulin, which can cause a drop in blood sugar levels. This can lead to drowsiness and fatigue.

13) Don’t take on too much. It’s easy to overdo and take on too much because there’s always something or someone to do. Make sure to take time to relax and have fun when you can. The feeling of having too much to do and not enough time can be exhausting. I assure you, it is also very harmful to your health, both physically and mentally. It is important that you have the knowledge on how to leverage your time and how to take care of your mental health.

14)Take a mental break every couple of hours. Mental breaks provide relief for the mind and body. They help you feel refreshed and revitalized This can be as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on the sounds around you.

15) Get up and walk for a few minutes before you go to bed. This will help your brain relax and work at its best when you wake up in the morning.

16) Yoga to improve balance; meditation to reduce stress. Yoga is a physical practice that involves stretching, breathing, and mindfulness. Meditation is a mental practice where you lose yourself in a state of awareness.

17) Maintaining a positive attitude, you have to stay optimistic. A positive attitude is a key to good mental health because it can help keep your moods in check and ease depression. Being positive also improves relationships with friends, family, and significant others. But the fundamental tenet is to maintain a positive outlook.

18) Doing Mental Exercises Daily. Brain training games are often referred to as a way to keep your mind sharp and healthy. They increase activity in the hippocampus and other brain regions critical for learning, memory, and spatial navigation. This can help stave off age-related cognitive decline. But the fundamental tenet is to maintain a positive outlook.

19) Find and do your passion. The words passion and brain health don’t usually go together. For most people, the idea of developing a passion is associated with finding fulfillment in life or adding meaning to their existence. However, in reality, it can be quite the opposite: passionate people are more likely to have better mental and physical health than those without one.

20) Spend time in nature. From research into neurogenesis, it turns out that a similar phenomenon is happening in humans – and it’s all to do with our visual system. When we see natural scenes, the brain releases dopamine and norepinephrine – neurotransmitters involved in learning and memory formation. These neurotransmitters make us more receptive to new information, which is why we feel so relaxed and can think more creatively. In fact, the more we see nature, the more creative we become.

In Summary

Unlike the heart, it cannot be replaced when it fails, and unlike the liver or kidneys, you cannot live without it. Therefore, it is vital to keep your brain healthy to prevent memory loss and other cognitive problems that will affect learning and living a full and fulfilling life.