Brain Helpers, Part 1

1. Move*

In the simplest terms, exercise takes the bad stuff out of our blood so it can’t harm the brain. And it gets the brain to release the good stuff that heals it, protects it, and helps it grow.

2. Sleep

> 6 hours a night. Sleep is when the little sanitation workers clear the brain of its refuse, metaphorically and literally. If the garbage isn’t taken out, it becomes hard to process information or make new memories.

3. Eat

The brain loves beautiful nutrients, especially the kind found in leafy greens, berries, and nuts. The brain is not down with the fatty, sugary, refined craptacular deliciousness that surrounds us. Healthy fats are cool though. Omega-3s FTW.

4. Use it

Do new things. Learn new things. Enjoy it. Increase the complexity. This not only creates new pathways, it gives brains an overall resilience against stress and damage.

5. Love your people

Strong social bonds lower stress and inflammation and help us sleep better. Doing things in groups, especially challenging things like learning a new game or skill, is crazy good for the brain. When it comes to relationships, it’s about quality not quantity.

*Distilled from Sanjay Gupta’s Stay Sharp, which has both lots more and not nearly enough information on each of these categories. Next entry will include other things that have been found to preserve and/or fortify our brains but that didn't fit in these 5 main fields.

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