Max Biocare :: Brain Health Products & Information

Abstract: We are social beings, and everything we do impacts our health. Lifestyle factors can have a large impact on brain health and function. Being able to recognise negative influences or lifestyle factors within your life is the first step in getting control of your life. Then, it is up to you to take the next step to do something about it. Positive lifestyle activities lead to inner health and wellbeing.

Key words: lifestyle factors, stress, exercise, brain health, sleep, helmet, alcohol, drug abuse

Many lifestyle factors can influence the health of our brain and mental well-being. Recognising those activities that are positive and those that are negative for our brain are sometimes obvious and sometimes not. The health of our brain is paramount as all bodily functions are controlled and regulated by the brain. Therefore, actively monitoring and adjusting our lifestyle is essential for brain and mental health.

Manage Your Stress

Stress is a common daily event stemming from work, family and personal relationships. These stress factors puts pressure on your mental health. Learning to help manage and deal with your levels of stress can be extremely beneficial in relieving symptoms of mental conditions, and allow your brain to work towards healthier functioning. Postponing life changing events is definitely recommended, and will be better handled once you are feeling better. Conflicts can cause considerable stress, therefore working on resolving such issues will be beneficial to your mental health. Getting control of your work, which may mean backing off a little and doing less overtime, will allow more time for doing the things that you enjoy. Talking to friends, relatives, counsellors and healthcare professionals can also help to reduce stress. Exercise provides extremely positive effects on mental health, assisting in the management of stress. Along with regular cardio and weight training, breathing and muscle relaxation exercises can greatly support overall body and mental well-being.

Exercise

We all know that regular exercise provides beneficial health outcomes for the cardiovascular system. It is also important for brain health and function. Sometimes it is difficult to find the energy to exercise. This is particularly so for people already suffering from mental conditions such as depression. Exercise can relieve muscle and mental tension, in turn aiding brain and mental health. Physical exercise such as walking, running, swimming, going to the gym, dancing and team sports are a great way to achieve your exercise goals whilst interacting with others. Planning activities like shopping, gardening, reading, and other domestic tasks is also a good idea. The main thing is to keep active and find exercise activities that you enjoy, and that will help you stay motivated.

Sleep

The quality of and the amount of sleep you’re getting is important for all areas of health, as a lack of sleep has been shown to be widely detrimental, compromising your immune system and increasing the risk of infection. Sleep allows for the normally active brain to rest and for the brain to re-equilibrate. Sleep allows our memories to be more effectively stored for later retrieval. Quality sleep or “deep sleep” can be difficult to obtain and is affected by a variety of environmental factors. In order to improve your sleep try to keep a regular sleep pattern, get up and exercise preferably in fresh air when you wake, don’t nap during the day, avoid drinking too much caffeine especially after 4pm, exercise but not too vigorously before sleeping, and avoid alcohol to put you to sleep.

Excessive Alcohol Consumption

Excessive alcohol consumption is never advisable for any reason. The socially detrimental effects of excessive alcohol consumption are widely known and publicised, however the dangerous effects of alcohol on the brain are far less recognised. Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with neuron loss and brain shrinkage resulting in reduced mental function. Mental illness and excessive alcohol consumption are closely related. People who drink excessively are more likely to suffer mental illness, and those suffering mental illness are more likely to abuse alcohol as a form of self-medication. Alcohol acts as a depressant on the central nervous system, however it can temporarily improve anxiety and other mental health symptoms. Unfortunately for those who suffer mental illness and choose to drink heavily, alcohol often worsens symptoms of brain and mental illness in the long-term. Therefore, people who suffer mental illnesses should be very careful with alcohol and attempt to restrict consumption. Importantly, most medication prescribed for mental health problems interact with alcohol within the brain and body to produce further undesirable health complications.

Drug Misuse/Abuse and Dependence

Although originally thought to only affect a small proportion of the population, drug misuse and the associated harm it causes is increasing. Some believed that drug users simply grew out of the habit as they got older but recent evidence suggests this is not necessarily the case. Commonly abused drugs are alcohol (mentioned above), nicotine, cannabis, ecstasy, heroin, cocaine, other forms of psychedelic drugs and prescription medicines. The brain is very vulnerable to drug use and abuse. Drugs of abuse are toxic to the brain and when used regularly can cause brain damage, resulting in symptoms of brain and mental illness. Drug abuse and dependence causes a considerable amount of harm not only to the individual but to those around them. Those who take drugs are more likely to be involved in criminal activity to support their habit, and drug abusers become dangerous and destructive to the community. Understanding and appreciating the damaging effects of drug misuse and dependence is important in making the right decision to stay away from drugs.

Wear a Helmet!

Riding bikes on the roads can be an intimidating experience as the dangers from other road users are obvious. Helmets are an inexpensive and effective way to protect your head and brain from injury. Being safe whilst riding your bike by wearing a helmet is an important practice that should be learnt early in childhood. Without a helmet, your head is more exposed to the dangers of riding bikes. The risk of brain injury is more than halved with the use of a helmet, therefore it is important to always wear your helmet. There are also other sports where protective headgear may be advised, in particular contact sports. These may include cricket, horse riding, and some football codes such as rugby.

Lifestyle Factors