Love Your Brain

Most of us don’t tend to give our brains any thought… until something goes wrong. Let’s change that right now – in Brain Awareness Week, 2021.

We don’t often think about the fact that our brains control everything we think, everything we feel, and everything we do. Everything from flicking a piece of lint off a shoulder, to figuring out how we will handle this COVID-19 crisis, it’s our brains that are at the helm.

Our brains are the command-and-control centre for our bodies, our finances, our careers, our lives. Our brains even set a limit on how far we can go in life…. how fulfilling our relationships are, and how successful we are at work, sports, or anything else!

We cannot overestimate the importance of our brains. 

When our brains are injured traumatically, everything can change in one instant. So…

Buckle up.

Wear your helmet.

Be safe.

But physical trauma is not the only way to injure our brains. Many people do not realize that our brains are also impacted – good or bad – by the thoughts we think, the emotions we feel, what we eat, how much sleep we get, and how much we exercise our bodies and our minds.  Every choice we make in life either builds our brains up or tears them down.  If we mistreat ourselves for long enough, it will start to show in how our brains function.

We like to refer to the SLEDS anagram, developed by our Brainworks Neuropsychologist, Dr. Alexis Clarke, when recognizing ways to optimize our brain health.

Sleep: We all know how a good night’s sleep makes us feel! Sleep is actually thought to have a “housekeeping” function for the brain.

Love and Connection: We are social creatures! Many studies have shown behaviour and brain changes with interventions such as compassion and loving kindness meditations.

Exercise: There is very strong research pointing to exercise being key to brain health. Memory improvements, (Erikson et al., 2011) reduction in cognitive problems for people with existing problems. (Baker et al., 2010)

Diet: Diets including calorie reduction, Okinawan or Mediterranean diet, diets high in polyphenol (cocoa) and/or enriched with curcumin are shown to support optimal brain health.

Stimulation and Learning:  Newness and challenge is a powerful way to lengthen the “healthy lifespan”. (Mayo clinic study) People 70 or older who engaged in computers, crafts, playing games and social activities, had a decreased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.  (Krell- Roesch et al. 2017)

As much as we can optimize brain health using the SLEDS method, neuroplasticity works both ways. Our brains can also change for the worse with depression, stress, and poor sleep. Studies show that some parts of our brains actually shrink when impoverished for an extended time and grow when we are in an enriched environment.

Love your brain.

Investing in your brain is investing in YOU!

We love our brains and we love to help you love yours. Loving your brain means loving you. 

Brain awareness week 2021. Mark today down on your calendar as the time you started thinking about and nurturing your brain; or you renewed your commitment to do so.

You will not regret it.

#BrainAwarenessWeek #BrainHealth #MentalHealth #LoveYourBrain