7 Habits That Kill Neurons
Did you know that some routines and lifestyles kill neurons? And is that the brain is the organ that allows the rest of the body to function. Therefore, we must take care of it. A healthy life, which includes healthy habits such as relaxing, exercising, eating and sleeping well, etc., can help us prevent a host of problems, including neuronal death.
Thus, both physical and mental exercise are important when it comes to taking care of our general health and our mental health. But what habits are better to avoid if we want to protect our neurons? We leave you 7 of them, although there are more!
Habits that kill neurons
As we said, taking care of the brain is taking care of the mind and physical health in general. And there are certain habits that kill neurons and, as a consequence, weaken and damage our nervous system. Which are? These have to do with stress, with little sleep, with not stimulating our brain. .. However, there is more. Here we leave you some of them.
Stress
Stress is one of the main habits that kill neurons. Stress is defined as a feeling of physical and emotional tension; It consists, in turn, of a mechanism that is activated when a person must face situations that exceed their personal resources. That is, it appears when we feel overwhelmed.
This mechanism, especially if it appears for a long time (chronic stress), can kill neurons, since when we are stressed, the body releases a large amount of cortisol (the stress hormone). This hormone is used to divert resources to the biological processes required to face urgent situations.
But what happens when the body releases large amounts of cortisol and also for a long time? That neurons are neglected and the immune system is weakened.
Consume sugar
Eating large amounts of sugar has also been linked to neuronal death (in addition to other health problems). In this way, excess sugar delays the absorption of other nutrients and interrupts brain activities. And it is that, like everything in the feeding, the ideal thing will be to carry out a responsible consumption; Eating sugar is not harmful, but taking it too much is.
Lack of stimulation
The lack of stimulation (be it physical, sensory or cognitive, although especially the last two), that is, monotony, is also a habit that kills neurons.
In this sense, thinking is the best way to stimulate the brain. This includes doing mental exercises, studying, writing, reading a book, etc. They are activities that help our brain to “work” and prevent serious pathologies.
Dehydration
Being continuously dehydrated is another of the habits that kill neurons. Thus, when we are thirsty, it is important to quench it as soon as possible. Why? Because, if not, the organism will begin to extract water from the cells of the body and that increases the probability that some of them will be destroyed (including neurons).
Smoking (and drugs)
This toxic habit, in addition to damaging your health, can also destroy your neurons. Tobacco is a drug that, like many others, is capable of generating a significant addiction.
Furthermore, it can permanently damage neurons and even kill them. This happens with many other drugs as well.
Pollution
Breathing in polluted environments not only damages the respiratory system, it can also kill neurons. This is so because the brain is one of the body’s organs that consumes the most resources ; when we inhale (breathe), especially in polluted environments, we absorb a large amount of toxic particles.
And these particles reach the brain (despite the fact that the blood-brain barrier protects us from some of them). That is why it is so good to leave the big cities from time to time (and above all, to live in natural environments such as the countryside).
Lack of sleep
Sleeping little, or sleeping poorly, is also one of the habits that kill neurons. In this sense, many investigations have linked prolonged lack of sleep with neuronal death, as well as with the decrease in some parts of the brain (such as the hippocampus).
In the long term, these damages can lead to memory problems, concentration difficulties, etc.
Habits that kill neurons: taking care of mental health
Taking care of our mind implies taking care of the brain. And, as we see, the life we lead directly affects brain health. The brain is connected to our reality and our habits, and a healthy life can protect us from many ailments.
In this sense, we know that many of the disorders that affect brain health have their origin in hereditary factors, age or some type of injury; However, habits such as those explained can also influence its appearance, since neurons need to function properly so that our brain does too.
