Regenerate Your Brain

You need a healthy brain for memory, learning, mental energy, and mood.  A healthy brain will also help prevent mental health issues and other brain disorders.  Even though most of your brain cells were formed in the womb and during infancy, new research suggests that you can regenerate your brain by creating new cells on an on-going basis.  This means that you can keep your brain health, mental energy, and memory even as you age.  Here are some ways you can help your body regenerate your brain.

Movement is critical for your overall health and for the health of your brain.  It is especially valuable for those areas of your brain that are important for memory formation, concentration and learning.  A sedentary life style is not only harmful to your brain, it can lead the to many other health problems.  Lack of movement has been associated with back problems, blood clots, organ diseases, and chronic fatigue.  Ideally this involves a combination of cardiovascular exercise, strength and resistance training, and low-impact exercise.  But the important this is to stay active, even it's taking a 30 minute walk every day.  You can also incorporate movement in your  day by choosing to take the stairs, stretching regularly, gardening, or dancing to your favorite song.

There are brain exercises you can do that can help you regenerate your brain.  The exercises involve challenging the brain to think and move in unique and different ways.   Depending on what your daily habits are now, good exercises for your brain may include things like  crossword puzzles, standing on one leg, using your non-dominant hand, trying a new instrument, walking barefoot, and keeping a  journal.  It can include anything that is out of your normal daily routine including taking a different route to a destination, playing a new game, sitting in a different spot, etc.

Toxins are everywhere.  But there are some toxins that are more damaging to the brain than others.  These are known as neurotoxins.  MSG, also known as yeast extract, is one of the worst foods for your brain that you can consume.   Another potent neurotoxin is anything that is labeled as a “fragrance”, meaning it is a synthetic scent.  Some of the worst toxic ingredients are used in commercial lotions, shampoos, laundry detergents, and cleaning products.   More than two thirds of the chemicals used in synthetic fragrances are derived from petroleum (crude oil).  You can go to ewg.org to check the products you may be using to see the rating for it on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most toxic.  Other neurotoxins to avoid if possible are mercury in fish, aluminum in cookware, arsenic in water, plastics, herbicides, pesticides, flame retardants, and artificial sweeteners.

Your body is always working to detox.  This on-going process allows your body to recycle and get rid of old and unhealthy cells   As the old cells are eliminated, your body can create new and healthy cells to replace them.  To support your body's natural detox processes, you'll want to drink lots of pure water and eat a healthy diet composed of fruits and vegetables in the colors of the rainbow.  You can also add herbs and supplements that support the the body's natural process of replacing old and unhealthy cells with new cells.  This includes things like  green tea, ginger, and turmeric.  The plant polyphenol, quercetin, is also helpful and can be found in foods like red onions, cranberries, and elderberry.  Dark berries and grapes contain another plant phenol, called resveratrol, that also supports the turnover of cells and brain health.

Getting high quality sleep is critical if you want to regenerate your brain and maintain good mental health.  The brain has a complex system that clears wastes and other harmful chemicals from the brain.  Studies have shown that it works most optimally when people sleep on their sides.  Similar to the how the body’s lymphatic system clears waste from organs, the glymphatic system is responsible for clearing waste from the brain.  When you sleep, the glymphatic system becomes 10 times more active in clearing waste from the brain.  If you sleep poorly or go without sufficient sleep on a regular basis, you risk missing out on the full effects of this cleansing process.  In addition, lack of sleep or not enough sleep can cause some neurons in your brain to malfunction.  In addition, certain stages of sleep are needed for the regeneration of neurons while other stages of sleep seem to be used for forming new memories.

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