Have You Heard Of These Neurone-killing Habits?
Did you know that certain routines and lifestyles are among the neurone-killing habits? The brain is the organ that allows the rest of the body to function. Thus, you need to take care of it. A healthy life, which includes healthy habits, such as relaxing, exercising, eating and sleeping well, can help prevent many problems, including neuronal death.
Thus, both physical and mental exercises are important when it comes to taking care of general and mental health. What habits do you need to avoid to protect your neurons? Today’s article will discuss seven of them.
The neurone-killing vane
As we mentioned above, taking care of your brain is also about taking care of your mind and improving your overall physical health. Certain habits kill neurons and weaken and damage the nervous system as a consequence. What are they? Well, they are related to stress, poor sleep, lack of brain stimulation, etc.
Stress
This is one of the most important habits that kills neurons. Stress is defined as a feeling of physical and emotional tension which in turn consists of a mechanism that is activated when a person encounters situations that exceed their personal resources. In other words, it appears when you are overwhelmed.
This mechanism can kill neurons if it extends over a long period of time (chronic stress). This is because the organism releases a large amount of cortisol (the stress hormone) when you are stressed. This hormone is used to divert resources to the biological processes required to meet urgent situations.
But what happens when the body releases a lot of cortisol continuously ? Well, neurons are left unattended and the immune system is weakened.
Excessive consumption of sugar
Eating large amounts of sugar has also been linked to neuronal death (in addition to other health problems). This is because excess sugar slows down the absorption of other nutrients and disrupts brain activities. As with everything, you need to consume it responsibly. Contrary to many people’s beliefs, sugar is only harmful in excess.
The neurone-killing habits: Lack of stimulation
Monotony (be it physical, sensory or cognitive, although especially the latter two) are also habits that kill neurons.
In this regard, thinking is the best way to stimulate the brain. This includes mental exercises, studying, writing, reading a book, etc. These are activities that train your brain and prevent serious diseases.
Dehydration
Being constantly dehydrated is another habit that kills neurons. Therefore , it is important to quench your thirst as soon as you can. Why? Because the organism will begin to extract water from the body’s cells, and this increases the likelihood of destroying some of them (including neurons).
Smoking (and drugs)
This toxic habit not only damages your health but can also destroy your brain cells. Tobacco is an addictive substance. In addition, it can damage and even kill your neurons permanently. This is also the case with many other medications.
Contamination
Breathing in a polluted environment not only damages the airways but can also kill neurons. This is because the brain is one of the most resource-intensive organs. You absorb a significant amount of toxic particles when you breathe, especially in a polluted environment.
These particles reach the brain (although the blood-brain barrier protects you from some of them). This is why it is good to get out of big cities from time to time (above all to visit natural environments such as the countryside).
The neurone-killing habits: Lack of sleep
Poor sleep is a neuronal killing habit. In fact, many studies found that there is an association between continuous lack of sleep and neuronal death, as well as with reduction in some parts of the brain ( such as the hippocampus ).
In the long run, these injuries can lead to memory problems, difficulty concentrating, etc.
The neurone-killing habits – take care of your mental health
Taking care of your mind means taking care of your brain. As you can see, the life you have has a direct impact on brain health. The brain is connected to your reality and habits, and a healthy lifestyle can protect you from many ailments.
In this connection, many of the disorders that affect the health of the brain, originate in hereditary factors, age or some kind of damage. However, habits such as those explained above can also affect this factor. This is because neurons need to function properly for your brain to do the same.