brain health

šŸ˜Ž Todayā€™s Happy Brain ~ Should You Keep Multitasking?

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Multitasking Feels Good, But May Not Be Good for You

If youā€™re reading this while streaming a TV show and writing a note to your partner, you might want to stop. Contrary to popular belief, people are less efficientā€”not moreā€”when they multitask. Your brain can only do one thing at a time, says Zientz. ā€œWhen you multitask, you force it to bounce back and forth, which causes a great deal of stress on the brain.ā€ Cortisol levels rise, and too much of the hormone is toxic to neural function.

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šŸ˜Ž Todayā€™s Happy Brain ~ Never Stop Learning

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One piece of advice my mom preached to my brother and me, “Never stop learning. Learn something new everyday.” She was on to something. Thanks, Mom.

“The brain craves novelty,” says Tracey Shors, PhD, a distinguished professor of psychology and neuroscience atĀ Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. And it doesn’t get it from a sudoku or brain-training app, which recruits the same skills repeatedly. “It’s like exercising one muscleā€”that one gets stronger, but your overall fitness doesn’t change,” says Langbaum. She and Shors agree it’s best to pick up interests that command your full attentionĀ andĀ keep developing your skills, like playing a new instrument or learning a foreign language.

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šŸ˜Ž Todayā€™s Happy Brain ~ Shake The Blues Out of Your Brain

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Dive into a Page Turner

The fastest ticket out of a bad mood is still the simplest: a riveting read. Studies have linked reading to improvements in depression symptoms, as well as mental flexibility and brain function. Make sure itā€™s a pleasure read — not the news, your computer manual, or even your latest book club pick. Find a book youā€™ve wanted to check out or a juicy magazine. Sock away at least 30 minutes every day to read in peace.

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šŸ˜Ž Todayā€™s Happy Brain ~ Use it or Lose It

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Our Brains Need Exercise as Well as Our Muscles

Your brain is similar to a muscle ā€” you need to use it or you lose it. There are many things that you can do to keep your brain in shape, such as doing crossword puzzles or Sudoku, reading, playing cards or putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Consider it cross-training your brain. So incorporate different activities to increase the effectiveness.

I donā€™t recommend any of the paid brain-training programs available today. These programs often make promises that they canā€™t keep or focus on memorization skills that arenā€™t useful in everyday life. Your brain can get just as good of a workout through reading or challenging yourself with puzzles.Ā  Finally, donā€™t watch too much television, as that is a passive activity and does little to stimulate your brain.

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šŸ˜Ž Todayā€™s Happy Brain ~ Hit the Snooze Alarm

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Our Brains Need Down Time

A key way to keep your brain working is shut it off for 7-9 hours a night. “Sleep is the most important thing you can do to reset the brain, allow it to heal, and to restore mental health,” says Romie Mushtaq, MD, a neurologist and integrative medicine specialist.Ā New research shows that during sleep, the brain clears out toxins called beta-amyloids that can lead to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

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šŸ˜Ž Todayā€™s Happy Brain ~ Optimists Have Healthier Brains

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Negative Thinking Takes its Toll on the Brain

Negative thinking slows down brain coordination, making it difficult to process thoughts and find solutions. Feeling frightened, which often happens when focused on negative outcomes, has been shown to decrease activity in your cerebellum, which slows the brain’s ability to process new information-limiting your ability to practice creative problem-solving. Additionally, theĀ fearĀ factor impacts your left temporal lobe, which affects mood,Ā memory, and impulse control. . . . Start by thinking happy thoughts, looking on the bright side, and refocusing your brain when negative thoughts occur. Your mind has the ability to determine how your brain thinks about what happens in your life. Use it to your own advantage to reframe events and think positively.

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šŸ˜Ž Todayā€™s Happy Brain ~ Your Brain Will Thank You

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Get Up and Get Moving. Your Brain Will Thank You Later

People who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing Alzheimerā€™s disease. Exercise improves blood flow and memory; it stimulates chemical changes in the brain that enhance learning, mood and thinking. Be fit. Be smart.

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šŸ˜Ž Todayā€™s Happy Brain ~ Singing in the Shower? Keep it Up!

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Singing, Cognition and Dementia

As British researchers reported in the journal Dementia, a group singing program developed by the U.K.-based Alzheimer’s Society, called “Singing for the Brain,” may help improve aspects of memory, sociability, and mood in people with dementia. Though thereā€™s no evidence that memory-dependent activities, such as singing, can prevent dementia, many experts think they may help delay the onset of some age-related cognitive problems.

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šŸ˜Ž Todayā€™s Happy Brain ~ Can You Remember a List of 10 Items?

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How to remember a list of 10 Items

I use the following strategyĀ to keep a list in my head when I head to the grocery store.

I visualize the item I want with each number on my list.

  1. One Bun
  2. Two Shoe
  3. Three Tree
  4. Four Door
  5. Five Hive
  6. Six Sticks
  7. Seven Heaven
  8. Eight Gate
  9. Nine Vine
  10. Ten Hen

Here’s how I do it. I’m heading to the grocery this morning. I need blackberries. I’ll visualize blackberries inside a hamburger bun. I need mustard so I’ll visualize a mustard bottle sticking out of my running shoes. I’ll continue this process for the items I need. After I make up my list. I review it. I might go over again on the way to the grocery. It never fails me.

 

šŸ˜Ž Todayā€™s Happy Brain ~ Your Brain is Hungry

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What Foods Feed the Brain?

Like your body, your brain needs healthy and nutrient-rich foods to increase productivity. The specific nutrients it needs areĀ omega-3 fatty acids and flavonoids. Omega-3 fatty acids improve mental concentration and fight memory loss.Ā Omega-3 fatty acids are in walnuts, eggs, pecans, leafy greens, oily cold-water fish such as herring, salmon, and trout, and oils such as flaxseed oil and chia oil. As for flavonoids, you can find them in coffee, berries, leafy greens–and dark chocolate.

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