As much as you strive to maintain a healthy body, taking good care of your brain is crucial, too. The brain is the most important organ as this controls all functions and senses of a person. Keeping it healthy is as important as keeping your heart, lungs, kidneys, or any part of your body in good shape.
Unconsciously, some of your daily activities might have been compromising your brain’s health. These habits, if not stopped immediately, can cause severe brain damage.
Learn more about these dangerous acts and start getting rid of them NOW!
1) Not Getting Enough Sleep
After a long and stressful day, your brain and body need to rest. The best way to do this is through sleeping. But just having 1-2 hours of sleep will not suffice.
Getting adequate hours of sleep is essential for you to work at your best the next day. Depriving yourself of enough sleep continuously can lead to serious brain damage. You are killing your brain cells every time you do this.
Hard to focus, lack of concentration and grumpiness are effects of a restless night.
Do not compromise your health and start a good sleeping habit immediately.
2) Forcing Oneself to Work when Sick
When you are sick, you know very well that you cannot function at your optimum level. It is in fact, your body telling you to take things slow and rest.
Forcing yourself to work, aside from getting sicker for doing so, decreases the effectiveness and damages your brain.
Take that sick leave and give yourself a break. Let your body recover and recuperate.
Read
3) Not Eating Breakfast
Do you often skip breakfast rushing to office and school? Well, it’s time to change your routine!
You’ve heard your mom telling you over and over; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast, in the long run, can damage your brain if you don’t start quitting on on this habit.
When you skip breakfast, your blood sugar level decreases. This greatly affects the supply of nutrients to the brain. Lack of energy, poor memory, and difficulty in focusing are some effects of not fueling your stomach every morning.
Jumpstart your morning with a healthy breakfast and conquer your day.
4) Excessive Sugar Consumption
Pretty much every food nowadays contains sugar. This will very much be a hard thing to get rid of. But you know very well, too much of anything will never be good.
Sugar causes acne, tooth decay, and that additional weight on you. This is also the main culprit for Diabetes. Aside from that, too much consumption of sugar hinders the body’s ability to absorb proteins and nutrients. The effects – malnutrition and problems with brain development.
As much as possible control your sugar intake. Time to get rid of sodas and drink water instead. Cut out on sugar-loaded chocolates. If you can’t live without them, then choose the dark ones. They have lower sugar content.
5) Smoking
Smoking is dangerous to your health. You don’t need a doctor to tell you that.
Now if you are not yet convinced on why you should quit, then, here is another reason. Smoking causes brain shrinkage. Yes! Aside from it causing lung cancer, stroke, and decreasing lifespan, it damages your brain too.
Prolonged cigarette smoking can thin your brain’s cortex. This plays a major role in your brain functions such as language, memory, and perception.
In addition to that, smokers have a higher risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease.
Quit NOW for a healthier you!
6) Too Much Alcohol
Excessive alcohol is the main culprit for liver diseases. But do you know that it also causes brain damage? In fact, it destroys connections between the brain cells.
Blurred vision, difficulty to walk, impaired memory, and poor decision making; these are just some of the bad effects of alcohol on a person. You probably had these symptoms the last time you get drunk.
Too much alcohol over time can lead to brain shrinkage, loss of memory, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
Drinking liquors are completely fine but make sure to take it moderately to avoid health issues.
7) Lack of Stimulating Activities and Thoughts
Your brain’s main function is to think. And when you don’t, then your brain size will decrease.
Reading, writing, and solving crossword puzzles are some of the activities you can practice to exercise your brain. Another way is through downloading and playing brain games.
Paint and unleash your creative side. Don’t stop thinking and learning new things every day.
8) Talking Rarely and Not Socializing
No man is an island. Every one of us has our own sets of friends and even an introverted person still have one or two. Being alone cause stress which is not good for the brain.
Go out and socialize! Talk to your friends and meet new people. Engage yourself in intellectual conversations that can boost your brain’s capacity.
As much as possible, opt for face to face conversation rather than just talking through your phone or social media. It helps to further develop your brain.
How to Take Care Of The Brain
Whether you’ve checked out one or two items from the list above, don’t fret. You may start protecting your brain’s health through these tips.
- Sleep as much as 8 hours a day. Give your body and brain a rest.
- Stay active. Exercise both your brain and your body.
- Eat healthy. Avoid overeating and stay away from junk foods.
- Spend time with friends and family. Don’t always lock yourself at home.
- Minimize your sugar intake. Time to cross out those candies on your grocery list.
- Take vitamins and supplements for the brain. You may ask your doctor about it.
- Quit smoking! You don’t want to die early, do you?
- Drink liquors moderately. Besides being dangerous to your health, you’ll get into trouble a lot.
- Drink plenty of water. Easier said than done but its benefits for overall health is astounding.
- Take a rest when you’re feeling under the weather. Don’t force yourself to work.
- Stop skipping breakfast. Change your morning routine immediately.
- Think positively. Avoid worrying too much.
Final Thoughts
Your brain always does the thinking but when was the last time you actually thought of taking care of it? Well, you can always start NOW. Get rid of these dangerous habits and you can definitely prolong your life.
