Grey matter does matter
Look after your brain and it will look after you
THERE are many things you can do to improve your health and your experience here on planet Earth by focusing on the most important organ in your body, the organ that controls all the rest: your brain.
Scientists have known for a long time that it is possible to rewire your brain. This is exciting because if you alter the part of you that experiences the world, and runs everything else, you can improve your life.
As you age, your brain starts to shrink (atrophy in medical terms). This should come as no surprise as most other body parts also tend to degenerate.
Two important parts that atrophy are the prefrontal cortex where your personality expresses itself, social behaviour is managed, and all your planning and decision making takes place.
The other part that shrinks is the hippocampus, which allows you to form new brain cells (some of us can ill afford to lose this ability). Your memory, emotions and learning also take place here.
The good news is there are three simple ways to improve brain function.
1. Exercise
A long-term study has shown that exercise not only shrinks your waistline and keeps you looking healthier, but may also keep your brain healthier.
People in their 40s and older who had better cardiovascular fitness had bigger brains than their couch-sitting counterparts.
This is probably due to the improved oxygen and blood flow to the brain from exercise, which prevents shrinking and improves new brain cell growth.
2. Get enough sleep
Reducing toxicity is an obvious step to improving health, but did you know that if you deprive yourself of sleep, you get more toxic waste build-up in the brain?
This is one of the reasons you feel groggy and grumpy after poor sleep. When you sleep, your brain has more cerebrospinal fluid moving through and around it, which essentially cleans and nourishes it. Getting those 7–8 hours sleep a night is crucial to keeping your brain healthy.
3. Care of your spine
The final tip may be one you hadn’t considered. Remember the prefrontal cortex mentioned earlier?
If not, you may really need to heed this advice as your prefrontal cortex is responsible for short-term memory! It also acts as a mental ‘sketch pad’ allowing you to guide thought and emotions, and avoid those thoughts and emotions that are unwanted.
Cutting-edge research indicates that chiropractic spinal corrections actually stimulate this part of the brain.
This shouldn’t be surprising considering the spine houses the spinal cord, which is the connection between your brain and body.
Motion in and around the spine plays an important role in activating the brain, another reason exercise is beneficial.
Ensuring proper spinal movement through chiropractic adjustments is another great way to maintain a healthy brain.