3 forgotten but critical things for your brain health

You might think that ingesting adequate amounts of oxygen and water would be automatic.

But most people use oxygen inefficiently and drink too little water.

And this can have surprising repercussions for your brain.

We all know that a balanced diet is very important for our brain and overall health. A healthy diet is a great beginning. But there are other things that our brain needs that are less talked about. If we are going to intentionally care for our brain, we need to know about body balance in ways that we don’t often hear about.

#1. Your brain needs oxygen

Your brain needs oxygen to function. In fact, the brain uses about a fifth of your body’s total oxygen supply and about three times as much oxygen as muscles in the body do.

Oxygen helps send nerve signals and messages throughout the body. When the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen, brain cells begin to die. Your brain can’t live without for more than a few minutes.

We need to do as many things as possible to get the best circulation of blood to the brain that we can. This is important because our blood carries the oxygen to our brain, and oxygen is vital to brain growth and healing.

While clearly you are getting enough oxygen to survive, you may not be getting enough for your brain to thrive.

Here’s how to get the most from every breath you take:

• Practice good posture. Standing up straight can increase lung capacity by 5%.
• Practice breathing from your diaphragm. Most people breathe shallowly instead of deeply.
• If you smoke, stop. Smokers have less oxygen flow to their brains.
• Exercise! Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your brain. It doesn’t need to be strenuous. Walking is particularly beneficial for the brain as are exercises with a strong mind-body connection like yoga and tai chi.
• Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. This increases your blood’s ability to transport oxygen to your brain cells.
• Take brain-boosting vitamins or brain supplements that work by enhancing oxygen uptake by the brain. Ingredients that do this include bacopa, vinpocetine, huperzine A, acetyl-l-carnitine, and vitamins E and C.

#2. Your brain needs water

Your brain is 73% water. It takes only 2% dehydration to negatively affect your attention, memory, and other cognitive skills. The effects of dehydration on the brain can be so noticeable that they mimic the symptoms of dementia. Some researchers believe that Alzheimer’s may be the result of long-term dehydration of the brain.

Water helps your brain cells communicate with each other, which is important when you go about your day. Water also clears out toxins and waste that impair brain function. Not to mention, it also carries nutrients to your brain to keep your brain healthy.

Ninety minutes of sweating can shrink the brain as much as one year of aging!

Getting adequate water isn’t a given. Drinking water can improve your brain health by simply increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain – which, in turn, helps balance moods and emotions, reducing stress and headaches.

Always take water with you when exercising and pre-hydrate at least an hour before any strenuous exercise.

#3. Your brain needs sugar

Your brain needs sugar, glucose, to be precise. Glucose is the only food and fuel for your brain. Brain functions such as thinking, memory, and learning are closely linked to glucose levels and how efficiently the brain uses this fuel source. If there isn’t enough glucose in the brain, neurotransmitters, the brain’s chemical messengers, are not produced and communication between neurons breaks down.

Glucose is required to provide the precursors for neurotransmitter synthesis and the ATP to fuel their actions as well as the brain’s energy demands not related to signaling.

The brain lacks fuel stores and requires a continuous supply of glucose and oxygen. Therefore, continuous cerebral blood flow, cerebral oxygen tension and delivery, and normal mitochondrial function are of vital importance for the maintenance of brain function and tissue viability.