5 Brain-Boosting Essentials for a Sharp Mind
Is your memory not as sharp as it used to be?
Do you seem to be living in a perpetual fog?
Maybe you can’t find your words as quickly, or simple things like remembering when your child's practice starts are slipping your mind. Don't let the myth of "I'm just getting older" into your vocabulary! You can do so much to sharpen your mind and improve your mental clarity. Here are a few things to consider.
Optimize Thyroid Function
An under-functioning thyroid causes things to slow down, including metabolism, circulation and brain function. When our clients mention brain fog and fuzzy thinking, trouble focusing, sleep issues, stubborn weight and trouble regulating body temperature, we will often find thyroid dysfunction when we run a functional thyroid panel. The thyroid must be optimized for cognitive health!
Enhance the Gut-Brain
Gut dysbiosis is a major cause of cognitive decline. Due to factors like a poor diet, daily toxin exposure and antibiotic use, the microbial balance in the gut can easily become disrupted, leading to an overgrowth of yeast and bad bacteria in the microbiome and can allow pathogens like parasites and other microbes to flourish. Brain fog, mental fatigue, poor mood and memory and mental health issues, even in early stages, are all signs that point to gut-brain disfunction that need to be addressed.
Interestingly, the gut barrier and the blood brain barrier in the brain are made from the same tissues, have similar structures and are very interconnected. If the gut is damaged, the barrier in the brain that helps keep pathogens, heavy metals and other toxins out of the brain, can also become damaged, allowing things to enter that were never meant to.
Eat Brain-Boosting Foods
Have you ever noticed that walnuts show a striking resemblance to the brain!? Fatty acids found in foods like walnuts, wild-caught fatty fish, avocados and coconut oil are crucial for brain health. Other brain-nourishing foods to get in your diet are a variety of leafy greens, antioxidant-rich, colourful veggies, berries and herbs.
More details coming in my next article on How to Eat for Optimal Brain Function!
Sleep REALLY Does Matter
When we sleep, we’re doing a lot more than replenishing our energy reserves. We’re building, detoxifying and clearing out the junk from our day, including in our brain! Your brain cleanses via an intricate network of channels and nodes called the glymphatic system. As an extension of your lymphatic system, properly functioning glymphatics are essential for keeping your brain sharp as you age and preventing cognitive decline and brain disorders.
How Our Brain Cleanses During Sleep
The main way to cleanse this important area of our brain is through sleep! During the night, our brain actually shrinks to allow for space for cerebral spinal fluid to flow through the cavities in our brain, literally giving us a brain bath! Both quality and quantity matters here, so aim for 7-9 hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep and try to get to bed between 10-11pm for optimal health.
Look In Your… Mouth??
What’s really interesting is your mouth can have a big impact on brain health also! Hidden dental infections from common dental surgeries such as wisdom teeth extraction and root canals play a major role in cognitive dysfunction and cardiovascular issues and are seen much more frequently than we realize. Metal fillings are another layer to address when healing the brain due to their ability to leech toxic metals like mercury into the brain.
What’s one way you can start improving your brain health today? Comment below!
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