What is Brain Health? Why Is It Important For You?
The far most important organ of our body is our brain. It is the sole reason for our logical & emotional thinking, learning, working patterns, habits, memories, actions, and subconscious actions, as well as the recognition of known & unknown tastes, smells, touches, and visions. In short, we can say that the brain is the CEO of the human body.
The brain processes the most complex functions of the human body. It develops with time and also gives intelligence to the upcoming generations of the human race. The brain is the sole evidence and result of millions of years of human evolution.
What Exactly Is Brain Health?
Let’s be clear. No health organization has yet defined a solid definition of brain health. Different health committees and organizations provide their own versions of the definition as per their understanding of this subject.
The American Heart Association defines it as a person’s average performance in relation to their age who is free of all known brain or other organ diseases in terms of decline from the function level or adequacy to perform activities that the individual wishes to engage in.
As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Brain health is the ability to perform all the daily activities that are important to living in a society. These activities are the process of cognition, the ability to learn, the use of language, and the memorization of incidents, places, things, and people.
Apart from the above definitions, an organization with suitable facts and data for their research can form their own version of it, as there is no universally accepted definition of “brain health.”
Why is it important?
The brain is the sole reason for all our actions throughout our lifetime. It never stops working for a single second. It is the most complex organ in the human body. It is said that the human race has only used nearly 10% of the brain’s full capabilities.
The human brain works at three levels of functioning in our daily activities.
– Interpretation of Senses and Movement Control
– Maintaining & Channelizing the Cognitive Mental & Emotional Controls
– Processing the normal and social cognitive behavior
It means that our brain functions to make us capable of being a part of the social environment around us as well as keeping us healthy & alive to the maximum extent. The complex actions that are uncontrollable by our conscious mind are performed by our brain and spinal cord. One of these actions is known as the “reflex action” of our body.
How Do Diseases Affect Brain Health?
Mental illness is still taboo in our society, especially in the regions of the East. Neurological disorders affect the normal functioning of the brain, causing a considerable change in human behavior. Sometimes these disruptions become dangerous to others and to the patients themselves.
Physical brain diseases that damage brain structures impair communication and cause sensory disorders. Such as Brain Tumours, Brain injuries, and cerebrovascular diseases.
The destruction of the brain’s internal connections, that is, brain networks, affects our thinking, decisions, memories, and other capabilities. These diseases can be divided into two parts. First are neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias. Second are mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and drug abuse.
Migraines and sleep disorders are examples of brain disorders that do not result from brain network impairment or brain injury.
Pillars to Keep Your Brain Healthy:
Our brain health affects all the cognitive, rational, & emotional thinking and the actions a person takes in his daily life. The brain is damaged due to several reasons that range from past trauma to physical brain injuries. Age is a primary factor in the degradation of brain functioning. After a certain age of 60–70, it is common to see one or several disrupted brain functions.
1. Exercise:
The one key to keeping yourself healthy is to exercise regularly. According to studies, 30 minutes of daily exercise slows the aging process of the brain. It improves the focus and cognitive abilities of the brain. Note that these abilities decrease with age.
Exercise helps your body maintain weight and become fit. It decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and improves blood flow to the brain. This means that your brain will be healthy for a longer period of time.
Exercise can be as easy as walking, playing, and running. However, if you prefer routine exercise, it will give you the best benefits.
2. Food & Nutrition:
In one way or another, diet is indeed an integral element of living healthily. Healthy nutrition is not only for your body but also for your brain. A balanced diet includes protein, fat, and healthy carbs in balance.
With age, you must concentrate on healthy eating. You should adopt a diet that includes fruits, fresh vegetables, and grains. Excessive consumption of fast food and fatty foods has a negative impact on our brain health.
3. Sleep & Relaxation:
Quality sleep is a must for everyone on this planet. Human beings spend one-third of each day sleeping. It helps them revitalize their body, mind, and spirit. Quality sleep improves your brain’s functioning, keeps you focused, and helps you optimize your memory power.
Different age groups require different amounts of sleep. A healthy adult needs 6-7 hours of straight, quality sleep to execute their activities with maximum efficiency.
4. Mental Fitness:
Just like physical exercise, there are brain exercises. You must adopt these activities in your lifestyle to keep your brain healthy, even in old age. Notably, these exercises are enjoyable. Crossword, Sudoku, and puzzle solving are the best examples of brain exercises.
Regularly developing new hobbies is also a great way to exercise your brain. Learning music or card games is an interesting way of developing your brain’s capabilities.
5. Social Interactions:
The human being is a social animal. Hence, we all crave true relationships as friends, family, and life partners. In the lack of these relationships, going into some kinds of mental disorders is very common.
Wherever you are, try to find good people and build healthy, warm relationships. You can do it online through social media platforms as well. Another way of gaining some healthy relationships is by getting into social work and philanthropy.
Conclusion:
Brain health is an integral part of a healthy life. But due to unawareness, people suffer from a disbalance in their regular brain functioning. A person needs to train their brain with available exercises and be satisfied with what they are doing in their lives. Above in this blog, we have discussed brain health, its importance, and how to maintain it in detail. Follow these and be healthy always.
