bad habits that damage your brain (2)

材料由Bella提供。致谢！

                            Bad habits that damage your brain (2)

Your brain is the control system for all of the activities that occur in your body. But do you know that most of us engage in daily habits that actually hinder our brain’s ability to do its things? Even worse, many of these habits can have serious long-term consequences! Knowing how to look after your most important organ is vital. This means taking into consideration things that help your brain stay healthy, and things that may actually cause harm. The following habits damage your brain more than you think!

Number 1-Multitasking

   Research has shown that people who regularly multitask are susceptible to harming their brains by hindering brain development. Well, the brain’s gray matter, which is responsible for emotional control, decision-making and empathy tends to shrink during multitasking. To avoid this from happening, it’s best to stick to one task at a time-regardless of what you’re doing. This will not only increase your productivity, but it will also protect your brain.

Number 2-Sleep deprivation

   Sleep is vital part of the body’s physical and mental health. When you sleep after a long day, your brain gets the chance to rest and recover. But, when you don’t get adequate sleep, your brain doesn’t get the chance to rest – and this can lead to a loss of brain cells, and early memory loss, or Alzheimer’s disease. This is why it’s so important to get enough sleep. You should be getting about 8 hours every night. If you find yourself struggling with the insomnia, to remedy the situation, limit your caffeine and alcohol intake, and cut down on the screen time before bed. By doing this, you will not only be taking long-term care of your cognitive powers, but you’ll feel much better in the morning as well.

Number 3-Working when you’re sick

   There are so many people who sacrifice their health for their studies and careers. But forcing your brain to work or study when you’re sick or recovering from an illness is a bad idea. You see, when you are not well and fighting with an illness, your body tries to concentrate all of its resources on healing. And it’s the same for your brain. When you give your brain other things to focus on, you are essentially overworking it, and it can’t do either of the two things well. Do yourself a favor, and recognize when you need a day off to recover and stay home from school or work, and take care of yourself.

Number 4-Not engaging in stimulating activities

   Much like a muscle, if you don’t exercise your brain regularly, it will shrink. For example, by putting off reading on a regular basis, you’re only speeding up the deterioration of your cognitive and verbal skills over the long run. Research also shows that people who rarely talk and interact with others, suffer from negative impacts on the brain. When you’re not actively engaging in conversation, your brain cells become dormant, and this causes your brain to shrink. So, to keep your brain working at its best, be sure to read often, play some puzzle games, and engage in intellectual conversations regularly.

Number 5-Sleeping with your head covered

   You may find a blanket over your head comforting and warm-but sleeping with your head covered, leads to increased intake of carbon dioxide and decreased intake of oxygen. When you inhale large amounts of carbon dioxide, your brain experiences negative impacts that are not favorable to your overall health. Since oxygen is vital for brain function, it is best not to cover your head. If you find that you’re too cold at night, it’s better to adjust the temperature instead.

Number 6-Not drinking enough water

   We all know that drinking water is not only essential, but it’s literally the best thing we can do for our bodies. Water helps us regulate our internal body temperature, digest our food, lubricate our joints, and acts as a “shock absorber” for our brains and spinal cord. However, if you become dehydrated because you don’t replenish your body’s water supply, your body won’t be unable to perform its normal functions-including attention and memory. Dehydration affects electrolyte levels in the body-which has also been linked to cognitive changes. In order to keep your brain function healthy, you need to drink water regularly. This becomes even more important on those hot summer days, when you’re active outdoors. So grab a reusable water bottle, and keep filling it up throughout your day!

   I know that it may seem like everything you do can be detrimental to your brain. But, there

is good news. You can always change your habits! Now that you have a little bit more insight, it will be much easier to maintain the health of your brain.