Leaky Brain
What is leaky brain and what can we do to prevent Leaky brain.
A leaky brain is when the blood brain barrier has been compromised in some way causing what is known as leaky brain. It is related to the gut-brain barrier which will be covered in upcoming blogs about gut health.
Here is how you can have a healthy brain;
Focus-mindset & and being positive
I am, is a positive saying or thought on what you want, then we become.
It’s your main foundation. Every thought creates a chemical reaction. Our brain is geared towards negative, it is how we evolved to protect ourselves, so we want to gear it towards more positive thoughts.
What was good today? Reflect on your day, write it down, celebrate that, look at the positives no matter how small!
Dont beat yourself up or self sabotage as it sends chemicals to your brain. You might get frustrated or discouraged but keep going and go to bed with good stuff on your mind!
Food-nutrition & fuel.
it’s not just what you eat, it’s what your body absorbs. Have you tried a nutrient rich smoothie? There are so many different ingredients, experiment with ingredients, mix it up and change it each week for balance.
Leafy greens are loaded with magnesium which is great for the brain. Choline which is in eggs helps to heal the brain, it’s best to eat free range or organic. Look at herbs & spices and include them into your diet, curcumin, tumeric, cinnamon, ginger, thyme & parsley to name a few.
If you need coffee or tea then try decaf as caffeine in coffee or tea is not good for your health and here is why. Caffeine releases glucose from the liver, which triggers a rise in cortisol and insulin, followed by a drop in blood sugar which leads to craving more caffeine. Caffeine interferes with mineral absorption. There are many health disorders related to caffeine intake that can effect your heart & circulation, nervous system, adrenal glands, hormonal imbalances, low blood sugar, diabetes, digestive disorders, urinary tract, allergies, asthma and autoimmune diseases, you only have to research this!
Drink lots of water, try a bit of lemon in it!
Fitness-Exercise-Movement
This boosts the brain and protects cells and helps promote new brain blood cell formations. Fitness is great for serotonin uptake into the brain, helps mood and memory and overall function.
Make a list of activities you do enjoy, it could be gardening, mowing the lawn, swimming, walking, sports, cardio, flexibility, cross fit, lifting weights, or going to the park with your kids. Dont use excuses as reasons to not do this. Try, even if it’s for 5 minutes, if after that time you dont want to continue on then dont, also do not beat yourself up about it! Count this as a win as part of that focus mentioned in number 1 about your mindset. It is still helping with your circulation, oxygen and blood flow to your brain. Start fitness at your level and work your way up from there.
Function & Posture
Posture comes from your spine, most people dont realise that they are hunched over when sitting or watching TV, playing on your phone or laptop, even driving and working at a desk in an office as a job. When your spine is not in alignment then that is causing stress on the spinal cord & the nerves causing less oxygen and nutrients, and your body starts to break down quicker, ending up being inflamed and you have less function. Our brains need oxygen. Studies have shown that this can lead to diseases & linked to increased mortality. You can live up to 15 years less.
Your correct posture should be aligned with your ear being over your shoulder and in alignment with your hips.
Refresh & Sleep
Sleep is vital to our brain health as sleep regenerates and recuperates our brain. In general 7-9 hours sleep is ideal.
Sleep loss impairs the immune system, increases inflammation in the brain, increases sympathetic nervous system activation, that’s when your brain is going and going and going where it cant relax.
The brain has it’s own drainage system called the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system which is in your body then passes that out eventually through urine. It does that at night when you are sleeping, so if you are not sleeping or getting adequate sleep then it’s not draining to get those toxins out of your brain and body!
So how can you regulate a good pattern of sleep? Go to bed each night and wake up each morning around the same time frame, it could be give or take say half an hour each way. Grab that time when you are starting to feel tired, for most people that is around 10-10.30pm and dont try to push through that tiredness as suddenly you will get a burst of being awake, then that tends to lead to a bad habitual pattern of staying up longer. Turn lights off earlier, use an app for blue light on your phone or try not to sit on your phone close to bedtime.
Sleep is so so important!
Faith-purpose & community
Contribution and belonging in your life is so important for brain health. Everyone has there own beliefs, so you need to find what you believe in inside you. Alone time is good and so is being around people that uplift you. It’s about balance. Limiting or removing people that don’t support or believe in you, or are using or abusing you helps to prevent toxic stressors and inflammatory responses in your brain.
Find your purpose, and believe in yourself. Mindfulness, meditation and breathing techniques helps to oxygenate your brain. Find your happy place in life. Find that sense of purpose 🙂