10 habits to take care of the brain

It is important to know certain habits to take care of the brain, since enjoying a good quality of life goes far beyond taking care of the physicist.

As well as other parts of the body require care, the brain also. It is true that, with age, mental deterioration can occur, however, continuous brain stimulation promotes new neuronal connections.

The brain and its health

Professor Yongiun Wang, in his study entitled What is brain health and why is it important?, It emphasizes that the human brain is the command center of the nervous system, it makes it possible for thoughts, memory, movement and emotions to take place through a complex function that is due to biological evolution.

With this, Professor Wang states that it is important to maintain a healthy brain during life, not only to have good health in general, but also for Gain longevity. Wang emphasizes that, as the population ages, the number of neurological disorders increases, as well as the challenges for the preservation of brain health.

Today there is no universal definition of what brain health is, since most definitions only make a general description of normal brain function. However, the centers for the control and prevention of diseases, of the USA. UU. have defined brain health as The ability to perform all mental cognition processes, including the ability to learn and judge, use language and remember.

On the other hand, the American heart association and strokes (AHA/ASA) has defined brain health as the average performance levels among all people of that age who do not suffer from known diseases of the brain, or as the ability to carry out all the activities that the subject wishes to undertake.

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In that order of ideas, Professor Wang indicates that The brain is a complex organ and has at least three levels of functions that affect all aspects of our daily life: interpretation of the senses and control of the movement, maintenance of cognitive, mental and emotional processes, as well as the maintenance of normal behavior and social cognition, so, brain health is defined as the preservation of brain integrity and mental and cognitive function, At a specific age, in the absence of manifest brain diseases that affect normal brain function.

Habits to take care of the brain

Some practices and habits to take care of the brain are the following:

1. Follow a Mediterranean diet: since extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, fish, cereals and eggs are included. Similarly, salt, fats of animal origin, pre -cooked food and sugar should be avoided.
2. Control hypertension: performing frequent medical controls to measure blood pressure, especially if it tends to rise.
3. Forget tobacco: Not only to take care of the brain, but all health in general.
4. Monitor obesity, diabetes and cholesterol: following a balanced diet and regularly going to the doctor.
5. Do daily exercises: This is a simple routine like taking a walk. Home tasks: such as DIY, playing with children and dancing, physical activities can also be considered.
6. Take care of emotional well -being: Since this is a pillar to have a balanced life and as quiet as possible.
7. Maintain an intellectual activity: either through reading, board games or chess. This will keep the memory, calculation skills and other functions activated. Learning new things is also recommended, such as a new language, cooking classes or playing a musical instrument.
8. Maintain social relationships: Leaving home and maintaining social ties is important. This includes talking with people, maintaining contact with loved ones, with neighbors and friends. Participating in clubs, associations or volunteers can help.
9. To rest well.
10. Hydrate what is necessary and avoid alcohol intake.

These are habits to take care of the brain that help a lot to fulfill the objective of preserving brain health.

As indicated by Professor Wang, brain health implies the Maintenance of multidimensional aspects of brain function. However, certain neurological disorders can affect the health of the brain, in one or more aspects, so it is important to promote the function and health of the brain, an organ that still involves mysteries for science.

Also, among habits to take care of the brain, food is relevant. In this regard, the author Fernando Gómez Pinilla, in his research on the effects of nutrients in brain function, points out that Food has effects on cognition, because neuronal circuits that are involved in food behavior show a precise coordination in brain centers that modulate energy homeostasis and cognitive function.

The author emphasizes that the effects of food on cognition and emotions can begin even before the act of feeding thanks to the memory of food through olfactory and visual sensory entries alters the emotional state of the brain.

Gómez Pinilla clarifies that food ingestion triggers the release of hormones or peptides, such as insulin, in circulation, substances that can then reach centers such as hypothalamus and hippocampus, and activate signal transduction routes that promote synaptic activity and contribute to learning and memory.

On the other hand, chemical messages derived from adipose tissue through leptin can activate specific receptors in the hippocampus and hypothalamus, and influence learning and memory. Leptin has positive actions on synaptic plasticity, hippocampus dependent.

Gómez, points out that the effects of Hypothalamus can also involve the immune system, since it is largely innervating the thymus and several molecules of the immune system, which could affect the synaptic plasticity of cognition.

Finally, it should be remembered, among the habits to take care of the brain, that lifestyle is very important. Well, as Jacobo Mintzer stands out, in his study Lifestyle Choices and Brain Health, Take care of nutrition, exercise, cognitively stimulating activities, sleep and social connection are areas that, taking care.

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Bibliography

• Gómez-Pinilla f. (2008). Brain Foods: The Effects of Nutrients On Brain Function. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 9(7), 568-578. https: // doi.org/10.1038/NRN2421
• Mintzer, j., Donovan, k. TO., Kindy, a. Z., Lock, s. L., Chura, l. R., & Barracca, N. (2019). Lifestyle Choices and Brain Health. Frontiers in medicine, 6, 204. https: // doi.org/10.3389/Fmed.2019.00204
• Wang, and., Bread, and., & Li, H. (2020). What is brain health and why is it important?. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 371, M3683. https: // doi.org/10.1136/BMJ.M3683