The brain is one of the most vital organs in the human body, and it is everyone’s responsibility to keep it in optimal condition. People race for time, information and money nowadays and some even cling to limitless brain pills out of their desire to perform better mentally. However, even with the desperation to become mentally infinite, there is little to no attention given to brain health.
There are many movements and advocacies done to help people lose weight and become more aware of their heart health. Less attention is given to brain health, yet more people are diagnosed with brain illnesses every year.
This increasing growth of brain illnesses is probably because brain damages mostly produce degenerative diseases that aren’t experienced in real time by individuals and the physical changes aren’t so visible. Nonetheless, there is a need for you to know how bad your day-to-day routine might be affecting your brain.
Excessive Coffee
The aroma, the richness and the taste. That’s how we usually start our day. Quitting coffee is probably the craziest thing a sane man would do. However, studies showed that coffee is only healthy when you take in 4 cups with only 100 mg caffeine content. Coffee is an incredibly rich source of antioxidants, however, drinking too much can result in brain damage.
Many people believe coffee to be their morning wake-up call in a cup. Coffee lovers believe that coffee can imbue them with superhuman thinking and wakefulness that help them finish a 4-hour workload much much faster. Unfortunately, that’s not true.
Coffee is not a limitless pill. What coffee does is to hinder your brain’s adenosine receptors to make your brain think that you’re still good for the day and you’re not sleepy yet despite your adenosine levels shouting that you are. Of course, this wears off, and people who need to stay up late drink more coffee to stay awake.
The effect of caffeine hinders or alters the standard brain mechanisms and the body develops tolerance to its effects resulting in coffee addicts drinking more to stay awake and active as they were before.
Frequent Headbutts
There’s nothing wrong with boxing or football except the fact that you have higher chances of headbutts. A lot of sports superstars and athletes lost their brain health at an earlier age because they neglected to take headbutts seriously.
Muhammad Ali and Freddie Roach (Manny Pacquiao’s coach), to name a few, have Parkinson’s disease because they retired a little too late. Numerous football players also developed CTE ( Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a progressive, degenerative disease that can be a product of head traumas such as headbutts and concussions.
Constant Exposure To Devices
“Is the drug from Limitless real?”
You may think staying in bed and googling all day is safe, but it’s not.
Constant exposure to devices also has its fair share of damage to the brain as research says. Technology has granted us the capability to be better multi-taskers. However, this caused a shorter span of attention even among adults. This chronic lack of focus is a result of a rewiring in the brain.
Getting used to instant gratification from being able to search things instantly actually rewires the brain and this results in a lack of focus and attention. Expect generation Z to be like this, though.
See Also: 4 Ways Technology is Gradually Ruining Humanity and How to Tackle it
Lack Of Sleep
Aside from cutting off years from your average life expectancy, lack of sleep also damages the brain. Sleeping is the body’s natural way to regenerate new cells even for the brain. Sleeping is also one way for the brain to develop new neural connections, to process the left-over information during the day which usually appears as dreams.
Sleeping is also the time when the brain develops plasticity in brain neurons, aside from brain stimulation. Mental flexibility helps protect the brain from degeneration and eventual cell loss.
Sleep is not just for the weak; it is for everyone.
See Also: Are You Sleep Deprived? 8 Health Risks Of Poor Sleep
Missing Breakfast And Insufficient Water Intake
Not eating breakfast is not just starving your tummy. It is also starving your brain. Lack of nutrients and enough energy to keep your body up and running for another busy day will make your brain work harder. Using your brain without getting enough nutrition is like expecting your car to run without enough gasoline.
Failing during exams is no surprise especially when you don’t usually eat breakfast to start your school day. If you don’t want to fall behind your colleagues when it comes to performance, you should eat your breakfast.
No breakfast, no work.
Another lingering concern that has been given little attention is the lack of water intake. Almost everyone doesn’t count how many of glasses of water they have taken for the day, and this is the reason why most are dehydrated but know nothing nor care about it.
The brain is more than 80 percent water, and having enough water to function, it will result to faster thinking, better focus, creativity, and clarity. The brain knows no other way to store water on its own, so it is important to stay hydrated all the time. Drinking enough water will help both your body and brain in all of their vital functions.
Overeating
In addition to the last item, overeating or binge eating is also not healthy for the human brain. Ever remember having a headache after a hearty meal?
Overeating slows your brain down, and this is why some people feel sleepy when they eat too much. Doing it on a regular basis can also become an addiction in the long run. Eating affects the brain reward system, which releases the hormone Dopamine, or the “feel good” hormone. If you overeat, the brain’s circuitry will change, and it will be difficult for you to control your eating habits.
Researchers think this is the reason why obese or overweight people find it hard to go on a strict diet.
Vices
Needless to say, there’s too much harm in illegal drugs and smoking.
Drug addiction in itself is a brain illness. Nicotine is addictive, and that addiction is a brain disease. Mood and anxiety disorders are said to tie in with drug and nicotine abuse. In fact, researchers think schizophrenia is highly related to smoking.
Although no study has confirmed this yet, we have heard of substance abusers seeing the devil in their mother’s face and what happened next is yours to imagine. Illegal drugs are not the pill from Limitless. It was either Modafinil or Donepezil.
Alcoholics are also subject to long-term brain damages. No one takes alcohol seriously because its effect seems instant and short term, however, there are a few studies that link alcohol to diminishing brain size which affects mental functioning.
Thiamine deficiency among heavy alcohol drinkers also leads to WKS or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome which affects cognitive function, memory, learning ability, eye nerve paralysis and muscle coordination.
Too Much Sugar and Unhealthy Food
Just like any other drug, there is a need to regulate the use of sugar in every household, especially when you know excessive sugar is addictive. Sugar intake also signals the brain to release dopamine- the reward. The brain will think that this practice is something necessary for survival and will naturally make you desire for more.
People who have too much sugar will have insulin spikes and lows, which eventually makes a super perked person suddenly tired. The only way to become high again? Sugar. People think sugar to be the “new limitless pill,” but it’s not.
“Junk Foods” also have artificial sweetening and may have an excessive amount of sugar; even some cereals can be part of this category.
Lack Of Mental Stimulation
Yes, boredom kills. Lack of mental stimulation will cause brain cells to die faster. There is a need for your brain to develop plasticity to protect the brain from cell death in the future. Solving puzzles, doing a little arithmetic and chess can save you a ton of brain cells.
Researchers suggest that the lack of mental activity or stimulation is the cause of cognitive decline and even dementia. Depression is also highly related to lack of mental activity.
Exercise your brain! Sharpen your memory, solve problems, practice reason and logic, and read. Train your brain.
Lack Of Oxygen When Sleeping And Pollution
Air pollution also causes brain damage. Toxins that live in the city air kills brain cells as numerous studies suggest. Lead exposure, carbon monoxide poisoning, pesticides and mercury toxicity are just a few of the air pollutants that exists in big metros.
Covering your face while sleeping will also cause a severe lack of oxygen which will make the brain suffer. The brain needs oxygen to function, and without enough oxygen, in the bloodstream, it can cause instant brain cell death.
So sleep somewhere not too cold so you won’t have to cover your face when sleeping.
Takeaway
The brain is the body’s headquarters, and it has the chief function of maintaining balance and organization in the entire body. Taking care of the human brain should be on top of everyone’s list. Although the brain can still reproduce brain cells throughout its lifetime, there is no guarantee that the brain is going to replenish them as fast as we lose them.
If you think what you’re doing is not brain damaging, think twice.