“The brain is an important gateway by which social environment on people’s health through the mind” – Michael Marmot
What do we mean by Brain Health?
When we call a person healthy, we generally mean that the person can perform his or her daily functions with ease, or the various processes like Digestion, Respiration, Circulation, and Excretion in one’s body are occurring unhampered at a smooth rate.
Similar is the case when it comes to our Brain. The human brain can be perceived as the ultimate product of Human Evolution. Our brain is the central organ of our nervous system which is responsible for coordinating our actions, thoughts, memory, judgement, and emotions. This 1.5 kg organ controls our behaviour, body movements, senses, and intelligence. When our brain can perform its function well at all times, we say the brain is healthy.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention defined brain health as an ability to perform all the mental processes of cognition, including the ability to learn and judge, use language, and remember.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) presidential advisory defined optimal brain health as “average performance levels among all the people at that age who are free of known brain or other organ system diseases in terms of decline from function levels, or as adequacy to perform all activities that the individual wishes to undertake”.
Why is brain health important?
Our brain health is important for our overall wellness. Our day-to-day lifestyle has a major impact on our brain health. What food we consume, how much we exercise, how much sleep or rest do we take, how well we socialize with the outside world all extremely vital considering our brain health. A healthy brain is not a concept but a lifestyle. A healthy brain is essential for a happy and long life and only when our brain is healthy, we can pay attention, solve our problems and communicate better.
What are the challenges when it comes to poor brain health?
It has been observed that human ageing increases the chances of the burden of brain dysfunction and neurological diseases.
Poor brain health can affect a person’s life by causing decreased cognitive and physical function. This can be a huge burden and gives rise to stress. When the brain is unable to perform well, for example, say if a person’s memory or sense of judgement is affected then it reduces the level of independence which in some cases even leads to a situation of premature removal from community or workplace and adds to the burden of care.
According to American Heart Association, by 2030, the total cost of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and stroke is expected to exceed $1 Trillion.
Poor brain health paves the way for various types of neurological disorders. These neurological disorders may have different or common effects on brain health. For instance, Alzheimer’s is the main type of dementia, with a decline in different domains of cognitive regulations.
The aim is to prevent ourselves from such neurological disorders by keeping our brains healthy.
How do we keep our brains healthy?
The latest studies show that certain changes in our lifestyles and actions no what our age is can improve the health and functioning of the brain. The main areas of focus should be:
Balanced nutrition
What you eat plays a major role in your mental health. Research shows that people who consume a Mediterranean-style diet which is said to be rich in whole grains, green vegetables, fish, olives, and nuts are able to maintain brain health and may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. with family and friends.
Enough sleep
It is essential to give at least eight hours of sleep per night to our bodies as it provides our brain the time to consolidate and store our memories effectively. A good sleep schedule helps lower the risk of sleep apnea which harmful to our brain health.
Physical exercise
Daily exercise results in increased blood flow to our brains which in turn improves brain health.
Stress management
Social interactions, engaging in new hobbies like singing, dancing, reading, etc. wards off stress.
In conclusion, the need to enhance brain health is fundamental in today’s day and age and we must start to take the necessary steps to prevent ourselves from poor brain health and understand the brain-body connection for happy and long life.
References
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/brain-health
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6787147/
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