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Think About Your Brain!




Our brains are important. They act as the control centre for our bodies, allowing us to do many things. and controlling what we think, feel, remember, and how we move and talk. Just like other parts of our bodies that we work to keep healthy such as our muscles, our brain needs care and attention as well. Here are some ways you can think about your brain and contribute to its health:


Exercise Regularly: Moving your body and breaking a sweat is a great way to maintain a healthy brain. Working out benefits not only our overall health, but also our cognitive function. Exercise can improve learning, memory, and mental performance, as well as support our mental health (Cotman & Berchtold, 2002; Cotman et al., 2007). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 150 minutes of physical activity each week, which could mean just 30 minutes a day for 5 days of the week! Physical activity is one the most important things we can do to keep ourselves healthy - physically and mentally.


Prioritize Sleep Hygiene: Prioritizing your sleep is often easier said than done. Sleep is important for many brain functions, with recent research suggesting that it removes toxins that build up while we are awake (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2023). Sleep is crucially involved in our learning - and getting enough sleep helps us process new information and consolidate our memories (Tarokh et al., 2016). According to the CDC (2022), adults 18-60 years old should get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Stick to this 7-hour minimum rule and you should stay feeling well rested while contributing to your brain health and function!


Fix Your Gut Health: Microorganisms in our digestive system (called gut microbiota) can influence our memory, mood, and cognition (Gallan, 2014). Important signals are sent between our gut and brain, with changes in the gut microbiota potentially impacting the severity of impairments caused by brain disorders (Clapp et al., 2017; Sherwin et al., 2017). Obtaining enough dietary probiotics (found in yogurt, pickles, sourdough bread, and some cheeses) and prebiotics (found in asparagus, garlic, milk, peas, and beans) can help influence gut health and overall well-being (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020; National Institutes of Health, 2022; Davani-Davari et al., 2019; Wan et al., 2018). What we eat can and does impact our brain!


Use Preventative Measures: By 2031, it is expected that traumatic brain injuries will be among the most common neurological conditions affecting Canadians (Brain Injury Canada, 2022). Currently in Canada, 2% of the population lives with a traumatic brain injury, and 18,000 hospitalizations due to traumatic brain injuries occur each year (Brain Injury Canada, 2022). Therefore, another great way to look out for your brain is through preventative measures – such as wearing a helmet when biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, etc. or any recreational activity involving wheels (CDC, 2018). Always think about your safety first whenever engaging in activities that may put you at risk - your brain is worth it!



Overall, there are many things we can do to maintain a healthy brain! Brain health is important and it deserves your care and attention!


 

References


Brain Injury Canada. (2022). Traumatic Brain Injury: Statistics. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://braininjurycanada.ca/en/statistics/



Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Sleep and Sleep Disorders. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussion. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/


Clapp, M., Aurora, N., Herrera, L., Bhatia, M., Wilen, E., & Wakefield, S. (2017). Gut microbiota’s effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis. Clinics and practice, 7(4), 987.


Cotman, C. W., & Berchtold, N. C. (2002). Exercise: a behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity. Trends in neurosciences, 25(6), 295-301.


Cotman, C. W., Berchtold, N. C., & Christie, L. A. (2007). Exercise builds brain health: key roles of growth factor cascades and inflammation. Trends in neurosciences, 30(9), 464-472.


Davani-Davari, D., Negahdaripour, M., Karimzadeh, I., Seifan, M., Mohkam, M., Masoumi, S. J., & Ghasemi, Y. (2019). Prebiotics: definition, types, sources, mechanisms, and clinical applications. Foods, 8(3), 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8030092

Galland, L. (2014). The gut microbiome and the brain. Journal of medicinal food, 17(12), 1261-1272.


Harvard Health Publishing. (2020). How to get more probiotics. Harvard Medical School. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-get-more-probiotics#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20fermented%20foods,sourdough%20bread%20and%20some%20cheeses.


National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2023). Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep. Retrieved April 4, 2023, https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/public-education/brain-basics/brain-basics-understanding-sleep


National Institutes of Health. (2022). Probiotics. Retrieved April 4, 2023, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Probiotics-HealthProfessional/


Sherwin, E., Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2018). Recent developments in understanding the role of the gut microbiota in brain health and disease. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1420(1), 5-25.

Tarokh, L., Saletin, J. M., & Carskadon, M. A. (2016). Sleep in adolescence: Physiology, cognition and mental health. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 70, 182-188.

Wan, M. L., Ling, K. H., El-Nezami, H., & Wang, M. F. (2019). Influence of functional food components on gut health. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 59(12), 1927-1936.

 
 
 

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