One of the most necessary tools within the body is the brain. The brain is a helpful tool to guide people into making non-impulsive, thought-through decisions, memory, and other benefits of having a functional and healthy brain. So, having a healthy brain is essential to upkeep, and there are everyday things that you can do to keep it as healthy as possible.
Various ways to keep your brain as healthy as a possible range from eating healthy to socializing with others instead of spending too much time on your phone. These activities can help stimulate the brain and keep it active. However, some do not understand how the brain functions.
Read more to learn about what it means to have a healthy brain and know about the brain’s three main parts and their multiple parts. You can also continue to learn more about the eleven ways to keep your brain as healthy as possible.
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What does it mean to have a Healthy Brain?
So, what does it mean to have a healthy brain? Having a healthy brain means making sound decisions and using your cognitive, emotional, psychological, and behavioral functions for everyday situations, helping you deal with stress and knowing how to cope with it to the best of your ability. There are natural ways for people to keep their brains as healthy as possible. Some can include:
- Meditating
- Eating healthily
- Grounding
However, it is essential to note that while many others can keep their brain as healthy as possible, others are in situations beyond their control that are unable to. This can be due to sustained brain injury, brain deformities during birth, etc. With the help of a doctor, they can suggest ways to try and keep your brain as healthy as possible.
There are three main parts and multiple parts within the main ones regarding the brain and its functionalities. These brain parts make the brain as functional as designed to be.
Read more to learn about the three main parts of the brain and their multiple parts.
Three Main Parts of the Brain
There are three main parts of the brain. These parts and their multiples make the brain what it is supposed to be and help you create just decisions, control your emotions, help with your coordination, etc.
Read more to learn about the three divided parts of the brain and multiple roles within the main ones.
Forebrain
The brain’s forebrain is the most significant part: the cerebrum and its functionality associate itself with thoughts and actions. There is a wrinkled section within its surface, and six layers are often found in mammals called a neocortex. Within the forebrain, four areas feature different lobes. There are various functions within these lobes which include:
- Frontal lobe: Located beneath your forehead. It helps our brain reason, make facial expressions, problem-solve, speak, moves around, and organize. Any damage to the frontal lobe could result in paralysis, changes in mood and personality, difficulty focusing on your tasks and expressing yourself, etc.
- Parietal lobe: Located on the top of the head but near the back, the parietal lobe helps process and interpret the sense of touch, sight, spatial orientation, and body awareness. Any damage to the parietal lobe can result in difficulty focusing, reading, math, and lacking understanding of your surrounding space.
- Occipital lobe: The occipital lobe is located in the back of the brain and functions to help with visual recognition, processing, perception, attention, body language perception, and spatial analysis. Any damage to the occipital lobe can result in hallucinations, word blindness, difficulty identifying colors called color agnosia, etc.
- Temporal lobe: Located near the ears and the second-largest lobe, the temporal lobe is used for processing auditory information such as voices, focusing on a single sound, etc. Any damage to the temporal lobe can increase or decrease sexual behavior, difficulty learning, wanting to talk a lot, a problem with identifying objects, etc.
Midbrain
The midbrain is near the center of the brain and is the smallest. It is used as a reliable source for visual and auditory systems. Parts of the midbrain include:
- Limbic system: The limbic system functions as a helpful tool for memory, learning, and emotion and is often referred to as the “emotional” Any damage to the limbic system can develop dementia, changes in mood, epilepsy, or any other psychiatric disorder.
- Thalamus: All sensory information from other brain parts is passed through the thalamus to the cerebral cortex. Any damage to the thalamus can result in possible chronic pain, aphasia, insomnia, tremors, vision loss, etc.
- Hypothalamus: The hypothalamus functions to keep your body balance necessary for survival, i.e., appetite, body temperature, hydration, etc. Any damage to the hypothalamus can result in weight loss, muscle weakness, weight gain, irregular periods, etc.
- Amygdala: The amygdala’s role is to process emotional reactions and decision-making, learn new information, and store long-term emotional memories. Any damage to the amygdala can impair decision-making, memory loss, decrease in fear, etc.
- Hippocampus: The hippocampus’s job is to store, form, and organize memories and connect senses and emotions to these memories. Damage to the hippocampus develops Alzheimer’s disease, depression, amnesia, etc.
- Pituitary gland: The pituitary gland helps to regulate Any damage to the pituitary gland could result in a possible medical condition such as hypopituitarism, hypogonadism, etc.
Hindbrain
The hindbrain contains the cerebellum, the “little brain.” The cerebellum helps coordinate movement, posture, balance, respiratory centers, etc. Within the hindbrain are three parts that lie within it that include:
- Brain stem: The midbrain helps with your heart beating, breathing, and blood pressure and is made from the midbrains, pons, and medulla. Any damage to the brain stem can result in becoming dizzy or a lack of motor functionality that could become severe.
- Pons: The responsibility of the pons includes biting, chewing, looking from side to side, the ability to hear, sleep, arousal, controlling the intensity of someone’s breathing, etc. Any damage to the pons can result in sleep problems, arousal dysfunction, coma, etc.
- Medulla: The medulla is responsible for regulating breathing, heart rate, and swallowing and transfers neural messages to and from the brain and the spinal cord. Any damage to the medulla can result in breathing problems, lack of muscle control, coordination issues, etc.
Along with learning about the three main parts of the brain and their multiple parts, learning about what damages can be done to your body if any of these parts are damaged, it is also essential to learn about some of the other things that can result from an unhealthy brain.
Read more about what can make a brain unhealthy.
What can make a brain unhealthy?
Just like having damaged different parts of your brain, this can cause for there to be unhealthy results. However, people do other habits every day, thinking that it is fine, but progresses the damage being done to your brain over time as you get older.
Let’s continue reading about six different ways to make your brain unhealthy.
Smoking
As a lot of people know, smoking can do damage to our lungs and also harm those through secondhand smoke. Tobacco smoking attacks your healthy cells and can cause neurological damage. Too much smoking, especially over the years or decades, can worsen memory, making you more susceptible to dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Isolating Yourself and Too Much Screen Time
Isolating yourself can lead to depression, a lack of socializing, and sunlight slows your brain down. Other forms of isolating yourself can result from too much use of technology. Due to its addictive nature, technology can cause people to not socialize with others face to face and stay home, sit, and a lot more.
Excessive use of technology can lead to mental health issues, such as depression, having a more challenging time understanding basic emotions, and difficulty reading.
Not Enough Movement
A lack of movement, and no form of exercise, is a likely chance of developing dementia. Sitting too much and not moving around for at least thirty minutes to an hour can lead to numerous health problems like obesity, diabetes, and dementia. It becomes even worse than possibly Alzheimer’s. Improving healthy muscle growth can help fight off these types of diseases along with the aide of holistic and in some cases modern medicines.
Eating Too Much and Unhealthily
Overeating and eating unhealthily can damage your brain. One who overeats and consumes sugary and salty foods can develop diabetes, increase their sugar levels and form an insulin resistance (which leads to type 2 diabetes).
Other developments due to overeating and poor eating habits can include heart disease and high blood pressure. These health problems link to making the brain unhealthy and developing Alzheimer’s.
Ignoring Your Mental Health and Thinking Too Negatively
Feeling down and pessimistic thinking happens to many people. Still, excessive pessimistic thinking is linked to a possibility in those 55 and older on the verge of developing Alzheimer’s disease due to more amyloid and tau deposits being formed in their brain. Identical with those who are feeling down and do not have a sense of purpose, ignoring their mental health, are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. How we talk to ourselves makes us feel accordingly. Our language shapes the way we think, therefore it shapes our brain.
Loud Noises
Bad hearing can result from constant use of your headphones and at a high volume or any other loud noise. Hearing loud noises like at a concert, subway, or listening to music on your headphones can cause hearing impairments. Those who become hearing impaired have a higher risk of being subjected to cognitive deterioration, possibly developing dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Having a basic idea of what harm can be caused to the brain, you will have an idea of why having a healthy brain is an essential part of your everyday life. However, there are other reasons why a healthy brain is a vital part of you and your being. Let’s read further to learn about why a healthy brain is essential.
Why a healthy brain is essential!
A healthy brain is an essential part of your everyday life. This is due to making correct decisions, communicating with others, and being productive. For a healthy brain, these benefits can be applied daily and is a vital organ within the human body, so if your brain is not healthy, then there is a likely chance that these benefits are not expected.
There are various ways for you to keep your brain as healthy as possible. So, let’s read more to learn about the eleven different ways to keep your brain as healthy as possible.
11 Ways to Keep Your Brain as Healthy as Possible
There are many ways to keep your brain as healthy as possible so that you will have the ability to function daily in a healthy manner.
Let’s continue reading more to learn about the eleven ways to keep your brain as healthy as possible.
Be Physically Active
Be physically active. Exercise for at least twenty or thirty minutes a day or every other day releases serotonin and dopamine, which will help improve your mood and help with decreasing anxiety, stress, and depression. Consistent exercising helps the brain become healthier, and other health benefits help maintain balanced blood sugar, improve cholesterol levels, etc.
Eat a Balanced Meal
Eat a balanced meal that includes nutrients. Nutrients in balanced meals help stimulate your brain function, increasing the likelihood of your brain continuing to be healthy and functioning daily how it is supposed to function. The food that you consume every day can directly impact your thinking and how you feel.
So, eating healthily can stimulate your brain, improve your mental health, help you sleep better, regulate your emotions, and give you more energy. Some of the best options of food to consume for the betterment of your brain can include:
- Eggs
- Whole grains
- Dark chocolate
- Peanuts
- Kale
- Vitamin supplements
And many more. (Check out our review of MindBodyGreen Supplements.)
Read
Read more. For at least thirty minutes a day, reading every day can stimulate your brain. You can read a newspaper article or a novel aloud. If you do not have the time to read a book physically, another recommendation is to listen to an audiobook. Also, if you want, you can join book clubs which is another benefit because you are socializing with others in person.
Avoid Excessive Use of Alcohol and Smoking
Avoid excessive use of alcohol and tobacco. Excessive alcohol use, over time, can subject you to developing dementia, and the use of smoking can affect your mood and concentration levels and subject you to become impulsive. The nicotine within a cigarette can halt the development of some parts of the brain, leading to brain damage, so it is better to avoid it together.
Socialize
Socialize with others in a face-to-face fashion. Socializing and making connections can help lower the risks of dementia, extend your life expectancy, and lowers your blood pressure. A lack of socializing can increase your chances of developing depression and stress and contribute to memory loss.
Rest Well
Sleep more and well. It is recommended that adults receive at least eight hours of sleep while children are recommended between ten and twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. To have a good, continuous sleeping environment ensure that your room is dark, turn off your phone, and, if needed, you can use white noise or any other form to help you fall asleep.
Avoid Sustaining Injuries
Avoid sustaining injuries to your head. Any head injuries can increase the likelihood of cognitive impairment. So to avoid head injuries, this means avoiding falls, wearing a helmet, remove hazards from your path. If you sustain a head injury, immediately seek professional help from a medical professional.
Protect Your Mental Health
Protect your mental health and take care of your emotions. Those who do not take control of their mental health, whether by talking with a friend or family or a mental health professional, any developing mental health that you have can score low on cognitive function tests. This can be avoided by sleeping well, socializing, and seeking professional help.
Maintain Blood Sugar
Maintain a healthy blood sugar after eating every meal. A high blood sugar due to eating unhealthily can lead to developing diabetes, type 1 and 2, which can lead to the development of dementia if not appropriately treated. Ways to maintain a healthy blood sugar include a nutritious diet, regular exercise, and medication that will help control your blood sugar levels if a doctor recommends.
Try Brain Stimulating Activities
Try brain-stimulating activities such as puzzles or other strategy brain games. Stimulating brain activities can challenge your brain and further stimulate it. A lack of brain stimulation can cause your brain to decline and further become unhealthy. Other forms of brain stimulation can include taking classes, reading, etc.
Switch Up Your Morning and Evening Routines
Switch up your morning and evening routines. For some, embarking on a routine that you are used to can effortlessly bore them and develop into an unhealthy brain. Switching up your way, even slightly, will challenge your brain and make you accustomed to different things. Please do not wait until it is too late to do something about this. If you notice this, figure out what you need to change and then do it.
Final Thoughts
So, again, keeping the brain as healthy as possible is an essential part of functioning daily. Along with knowing the importance of having a healthy brain, you have also learned about the brain’s main features and what can make the brain unhealthy.
