Eight unhealthy habits harmful to your brain are daily routines that creep up on you, and you seem to accept them as being tolerable. Yes, you do a few things you know you shouldn’t. However, some of those unhealthy habits can take a toll on your brain. For instance, sitting syndrome, skipping sleep, constantly wearing high-volume headphones, little social contact, smoking, and feeding on junk food are some of the eight unhealthy habits harmful to your brain. So read on and learn what you can do to minimise these unhealthy bad habits, and save your brain from harm.
Sitting syndrome is when you don’t move enough. You’d rather flop on the settee for a long time. But the longer you go without exercise, the more likely you are to have dementia. Besides, you’re also more likely to get diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. All of these may be linked to Alzheimer’s. So you should get off your settee and those steps. You don’t have to run long distances. A thirty-minute walk in your garden or a brisk walk around the neighbourhood will do you a world of good. The most important thing is to get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week.
Missing your sleep may take a toll on your brain. When you miss your sleep too often, this triggers dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. So it’s best to stick to regular sleeping hours. If you are having trouble with sleep, try to stay away from alcohol, caffeine, and electronics in the evening, particularly before bedtime. Instead, start a soothing, calming bedtime routine that promotes sleep.
If you spend too much time alone, this may be hurting your brain. Humans are wired for genuine social contact. The most important thing is to have a real sense of connection, not the superficial Facebook contact, based on the number of friends you have. Reality is that when you have a few close, genuine friends, these make you happier and more productive than hundreds of friends on social media. Also, you are less likely to suffer from brain decline and Alzheimer’s. Therefore, when you feel alone, reach out to friends or start something new in your life that involves other people, such as fellowship, sports, dancing or singing classes, snooker, or volunteering.
Eating more natural foods like berries, nuts, grains, fruits, leafy vegetables, fish, and polyunsaturated fats helps part of the brain linked to learning, memory, and mental health. But if you eat mostly junk food like hamburgers, fries, potato chips, and soft drinks, part of your brain linked to these brain functions is smaller. So eat healthier foods to preserve your brain function and slow mental decline. Therefore, next time you get the urge to eat potato chips or chocolate cookies, grab a handful of nuts instead.
Headphones at full volume can permanently damage your hearing in only 30 minutes. However, not only damage your ears, but you may also suffer from hearing loss. Studies linked hearing loss in older adults to brain problems, such as Alzheimer’s and loss of brain tissue. Perhaps this is because your brain works harder to grasp what’s being said around you. Hence, your brain can’t store what you heard into memory. So turn the volume down. And no louder than 60% of your headphones’ maximum volume. Also, try to avoid listening for more than two hours at a time.
Smoking can shrink your brain, and that’s a bad thing. It makes your memory worse and makes you twice as likely to get dementia, including Alzheimer’s. It also causes heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure. So if you still smoke, or are about to. Stop and don’t start. You may book an appointment and have a candid discussion with your doctor, who will recommend the right way to tackle the problem.
Your tendency to eat too much food can be harmful to your brain. And the reality is that if you eat too much food, even healthy types, your brain may not be able to build the strong network of connections that help your memory and thinking process. Overeat for too long and you may become obese, which can cause heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. These are all linked to brain problems and Alzheimer’s.
If you stay in the darkness for too long, it can trigger depression. You need natural light to starve off depression, and that can slow your brain. Research also found that sunlight helps keep the brain working well. So, if you are in the habit of drawing your curtains shut in the morning or afternoon. Stop, don’t! Open your curtains to let in some natural light if you decide to stay indoors. However, taking a walk outside does your brain some good.