7 Habits That Affect Our Brain Negatively
By
Humans feel many emotions and though it is perfectly normal to feel sad or angry, being in that state for too long is not a good sign. Distress, anxiety, facing difficulties while concentrating or not feeling excited about anything can indicate that something is affecting your brain negatively. Those unhealthy habits can include spending hours playing a video game, covering your head while you sleep or eating excess of sugary food. If you’ve still no clue which of your habits are affecting your mental health, maybe you can find the answer from the list mentioned below. Drinking Well, none of us are unaware of the sluggish voice we get after getting drunk, but most of us don’t know or don’t want to know that it does more than that to our bodies. From damaging your kidneys to affecting your brain, alcohol affects you in many ways. It interferes with the brain’s system and makes it hard to perform its job. It messes with memory, balance and speech. When a person is intoxicated, they can even experience blackouts. Moreover, overconsumption of alcohol can cause the brain to shut down some functions like breathing and heart rate. Therefore, consuming alcohol can be extremely risky and riskier for those who become addicted to it. If you or a family member is struggling with addiction, it is advisable to seek help from an addiction treatment center before it starts taking a toll on your mental health. Smoking Another unhealthy habit that can impact your brain more drastically than alcohol consumption is smoking. Infamous for causing cancer, smoking also causes a decrease in brain volume and increases the risk of stroke. Inadequate Sleep Your brain needs rest like every other organ of your body. It needs time to process thoughts. When you don’t sleep adequately, your brain doesn’t perform its best. Inadequate sleep can also be held responsible for your memory fading. To avoid memory loss, functionality issues and mood swings, it is crucial to sleep for 7-8 hours at least. It will help your brain repair and rejuvenate brain cells and body function properly. Too Much Sitting After sitting for eight hours in your office, do you spend the rest of your day resting on the couch? If yes, it’s time to change your sedentary habits. Too much sitting can cause various problems to your health like diabetes, obesity and heart disease. The list of issues doesn’t end there. A sedentary lifestyle can invite dementia and result in the thinning of the medial temporal lobe (MTL). 4. Being Alone While ‘Netflix and chill’ is a great way to spend your Saturday evening, going out with friends is also crucial. Not just to fill your social media with pictures but because it provides stimulation and strength to the brain. Those who do not interact with other people may feel depressed and low or develop anxiety, stress and dementia with time. Thus, interact with friends, go out with your family and indulge in intellectual conversation to increase your brain’s capacity and make it creative. 5. Over-eating If the reason that over-eating leads to obesity or makes you nauseous is not enough to stop you, then maybe knowing how it impacts your brain can do the job for you. Overeating, apart from other health issues, can lead to memory loss or mental decline in senior citizens. Over-eating causes the blood vessels to get thicker because of cholesterol decomposition, which can result in affecting the functioning of the brain by reducing the blood flow to the brain cells. 7. No Exercise Exercise, a solution to every problem, should be a part of your daily routine. Apart from keeping you physically fit, exercising can help make you mentally well. The release of feel-good hormones when you exercise can make you forget the painful moments. It takes the edge off by giving you time to process your thoughts. Without exercise, our brain might start to feel tired as a result of a decrease in the brain’s mobility. It can transform a person into a state of self-doubt and low self-esteem. Conclusion You might need some time to figure out what you’re doing wrong that’s affecting your brain negatively. Evaluating your lifestyle and habits can help you work towards a brighter life.
