Many people prefer staying at home, even during holidays, listening to loud music instead of socializing with friends and family. However, this habit can significantly harm their brain. In this article, we will explore 11 habits that negatively impact your brain and mental health. The information presented here is sourced from BBC, Harvard Medical School, and other prestigious medical journals.
1. Insufficient Sleep
One of the most significant factors affecting brain health is insufficient sleep. Experts recommend that adults get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, with at least 7 hours being essential. During sleep, the brain rests, removes toxins, and generates new cells to maintain its health. If you sleep for less than 7 hours, these vital processes are disrupted, affecting the formation of new brain cells. Consequently, you may experience difficulty focusing, memory problems, lack of concentration, and irritability. Insufficient sleep also increases the risk of developing conditions such as Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Tips for Better Sleep:
- Aim to go to bed an hour earlier.
- Avoid screens before bedtime and consider reading a book instead—it can help you relax and fall asleep.
- Clean your room thoroughly and keep it clutter-free.
- Dim the lights to create a soothing atmosphere.
- Wear soft, loose, cotton sleepwear for comfort.
- Pay attention to room temperature and make sure it’s conducive to good sleep.
- A dark and quiet room is essential for deep, restorative sleep.
- A room’s aroma is also very important.
Never cover your head with a blanket while sleeping. This can create a layer of carbon dioxide around your head as you exhale, which you then breathe back in. This reduces the oxygen supply to your brain, potentially impacting its health.
2. Staying Alone and Avoiding Social Interaction
Socializing—meeting people, engaging in conversations, and attending gatherings—is vital for maintaining brain health. Prolonged isolation can impact your brain in a manner similar to insufficient sleep. Interacting with others stimulates the brain in ways that solitude cannot. On the other hand, staying alone for extended periods can lead to frustration, depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. Additionally, it increases the risk of conditions like Alzheimer’s or dementia.
To keep your brain healthy, make an effort to spend quality time with your favorite people in a positive and uplifting environment.
3. Skipping Breakfast
Breakfast provides the essential energy your body and brain need after an overnight fast. Unfortunately, in today’s fast-paced lifestyle, many people skip this crucial meal to save time. This habit creates a shortage of glucose in the body, which directly affects brain function. Over time, consistently skipping breakfast can impair brain health, leading to a decline in cognitive abilities.
As a result, you may experience difficulties in thinking clearly, making decisions, and retaining information, all of which can complicate daily life and productivity.
4. Drink Insufficient Water
Did you know that 75% of the brain is composed of water? Keeping it hydrated is essential for maintaining its functionality. When the brain doesn’t receive enough water, its tissues shrink, and brain cells dry out. This can lead to a decrease in brain activity, ultimately affecting your logical thinking and decision-making abilities.
To ensure optimal brain health, it’s recommended to drink at least 2 liters of water daily. However, the exact amount can vary depending on factors such as age, health, weight, climate, and lifestyle. Adjust your water intake accordingly to keep your brain active and healthy.
5. Extra Mental Pressure and Lack of Physical Activity
Working for extended periods under intense mental pressure can be harmful to your brain. Excessive stress causes brain cells to die and leads to the shrinking of the frontal cortex, the area responsible for memory and thinking. This can impair your cognitive abilities over time. People who are overly meticulous, struggle to rely on others, or find it hard to say “no” are often the most affected by mental pressure.
To protect your brain, it’s crucial to avoid unnecessary mental stress. Additionally, pushing yourself to work while sick adds even more strain to your brain, which is already focused on fighting illness. Instead, prioritize rest and recovery during sickness to prevent long-term damage to your brain health.
Similarly, prolonged inactivity—such as lying or sitting idle for long periods—can also harm your brain. Many jobs require extended sitting, and a lack of physical activity increases the risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues. These conditions can, in turn, lead to dementia.
Tips for Brain Health:
- Incorporate regular exercise into your routine.
- Take breaks from sitting by moving around at least once every hour. Use a timer or smartwatch to remind yourself.
- Aim for at least 30 minutes of walking or other physical activity, three times a week, to keep your brain and body healthy.
6. Using Your Brain Instead of Technology
If you compare generations, you’ll notice that older individuals often perform simple calculations without a calculator and can recall events, dates, and phone numbers from memory. Their general knowledge is enriched through extensive reading and mental exercises. These activities act as a workout for the brain, sharpening memory and thinking skills.
In contrast, today’s reliance on technology has diminished our need to use our brain for such tasks. From taking notes and setting reminders to creating calendar events, performing Google searches, and saving contacts on phones, smartwatches, or laptops, we’ve outsourced many mental tasks to devices. This convenience has led to a decline in the brain’s natural efficiency and capacity, weakening our memory and cognitive abilities.
To keep your brain sharp, make a conscious effort to memorize information, such as phone numbers or important dates, instead of relying solely on devices. Researchers suggest engaging in activities that challenge the brain.
Tips to Activate Your Brain:
- Practice memorizing small details, like lists or tasks.
- Play word games, sudoku, or puzzles to stimulate your brain and improve cognitive function.
7. Using Headphones and Listening to Music at High Volume
Frequent use of headphones or earbuds can significantly affect your hearing ability, even after just 30 minutes of use. Listening to music at high volumes or spending time in noisy environments can severely damage your hearing. The most alarming fact is that once your hearing is impaired, the damage is often permanent.
Hearing loss doesn’t just affect your ears—it also impacts your brain. Research from the USA reveals that individuals with hearing loss experience brain tissue damage, which increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, hearing impairment can disrupt concentration, making it harder for students to study and for others to focus on tasks.
Tips for Safe Listening:
- Before using headphones or earbuds, consider the potential risks.
- Keep the volume below 60% of the maximum level.
- Limit headphone use to no more than 1 hour at a time and take breaks in between.
- Avoid headbanging while listening to music. According to a British medical journal, this habit can kill brain cells and cause significant damage to the brain.
Protect your hearing and brain by practicing safe listening habits.
8. Negative Thinking and Negative People
If you frequently engage in negative thinking—such as believing you’re worthless, doubting your abilities, or feeling hopeless about the future or world situations—it’s essential to address this habit. Negative thinking can have a severe impact on your mental health, increasing stress, depression, and anxiety. It also triggers the release of harmful hormones that may heighten the risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia.
To protect your mental well-being, work on eliminating negative thoughts from your mind. Consistently practicing positive thinking can turn it into a habit over time. If you struggle to overcome negative thoughts on your own, don’t hesitate to seek help from a psychiatrist or mental health professional.
Tips for Improvement:
- Avoid spending time with people who have a negative mentality, as their influence can worsen your mindset.
- Steer clear of negative news, movies, or content that fosters pessimism.
- Surround yourself with positivity, uplifting people, and activities that bring you joy and motivation.
9. Spending Time in Darkness
Research conducted in the USA has found that spending extended periods in darkness or in confined spaces with little to no light can create significant mental pressure. Sunlight plays a crucial role in brain health, and a lack of exposure to natural light may lead to mental health issues such as depression.
To keep your brain healthy, it’s important to get sunlight daily. If you’re working from home or in an office, open the windows to allow natural light to fill the space. Regular exposure to sunlight can boost your mood and support overall brain function.
10. Food Habits
Overeating, even when consuming healthy foods, can negatively impact the brain. Excessive eating leads to cholesterol buildup in the brain’s nerves, which impairs blood circulation. This, in turn, reduces cognitive abilities, including thinking and memory. In the long run, it may increase the risk of conditions like Alzheimer’s or dementia. Additionally, junk food, fried items, soft drinks, and oily foods contribute to similar risks.
To protect your brain, it’s important to maintain a balanced diet and eat healthy foods in the right quantities. Rather than relying on apps, seek the guidance of a nutritionist to create a personalized diet plan tailored to your age, weight, lifestyle, health conditions, and medications.
Important Reminder:
Don’t completely eliminate fats from your diet, as 60% of your brain is made up of fat. Ensure you consume a variety of foods, but in moderation. Also, remember that drinking alcohol and smoking are detrimental to your health and have a significant negative effect on the brain, impairing memory development and increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia.
11. Excessive Screen Time
Excessive screen time can hinder the natural development and size of the brain, especially in individuals aged 1 to 25 years. Research has shown that children who spend more than 7 hours a day in front of screens experience thinning of the cerebral cortex, which impacts cognitive function. Additionally, the electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones may lead to various brain-related issues. Prolonged exposure to mobile phones can cause headaches, hallucinations, and even increase the risk of brain tumors.
To protect your brain, it’s important to minimize screen time as much as possible. Here are some tips:
- Adjust the brightness of your screen to reduce strain on your eyes.
- Keep your phone away from your bed while sleeping.
- Store your phone in a bag rather than in your pocket to limit direct exposure.
- For long conversations, use speaker mode instead of holding the phone to your ear.
- Consider texting instead of making calls when possible.
Taking these precautions can help reduce the negative impact of excessive screen time on your brain.