It's amazing how little we know what the brain is and how it works. It is well known that the brain can generate electrical impulses and power a 25 watt lightbulb! Now imagine how much effort and energy is expended to keep all vital processes in the norm, how many resources are required to control vital activities at the highest level. How does this happen and why? And where does the brain get its energy for such powerful organizational work? Is it possible to prolong the tone and youth of the brain, and how to charge the brain, we will tell in the article.
How the brain works
The brain is like jelly and it's fragile jelly. In order to avoid damage and injuries, nature has made sure that it is reliably protected. First, a strong skull, and second, a soft connective tissue membrane that prevents the brain from hitting the skull walls. Finally, the cerebrospinal fluid in the skull protects the brain from concussions and injuries.
What is the brain?This is approximately one and a half kilograms of "intelligent" mass in the human body, made up of billions of neurons, processes of nerve cells (axons) through which nerve impulses and signals are transmitted. In addition, each signal is generated and received by a specific part of the brain. To prevent dysfunction, the brain needs 20% of all oxygen, which is transported in sufficient quantities by the body's cells, fats and carbohydrates. Their deficiency leads to impaired concentration of attention, memory, provokes psychoses, depressive states and deactivates other systems and organs. Disorders are common in people who regularly experiment with diets and dietary restrictions. People who feel hungry are also among those who suffer primarily from brain cells - irritation and aggression occur.
What functions does the brain have?
The brain is everything to us! It depends on him whether we raise our hands, scratch the back of the head, cry or laugh, fall in love, remember it or forget it. Whether we live happily or suffer, whether we are healthy or sick, depends on the quality of the processes that take place in the brain. Who we will or will not, what talents we will develop and what characters we will have. The brain controls everything and even a little more than we think. As the main organ of the central nervous system, it has a clear functional hierarchy. Each zone is responsible for certain functions.
- The frontal lobe is responsible for conscious movements, for speaking and writing skills, for our will and our desire to achieve results.
- The temporal zones are responsible for the perception of language, auditory and visual information, for long-term memory and facial recognition and for the ear for music, rhythm and musical perception.
- The parietal zone is responsible for orientation in space, conscious movements, recognizing the body and its parts, recognizing objects, calculating in the mind, feeling pain, touching, high and low temperatures.
- The occipital area is responsible for processing visual information. Eyes are a device that uses light to read an image of the world around us. But the back of the brain converts it, turning light into electrical impulses.
- The cerebellum is responsible for maintaining balance and coordinating movements.
The brain works all the time, all the time and all and not 3-5% as it was stated. Even in dreams. The statement that the brain rests at night is not entirely correct. The work of the brain in a nocturnal state of rest differs only in the activity of the regions. More precisely, the frequency of impulses in the cerebral cortex increases. But what's going on there? At the moment of sleep, the subconscious enters the scene, the experience, emotions and knowledge are sorted and distributed, and most importantly, the restoration of the systems and organs of the body. He argues that drowsiness is a signal from the body that it needs "investigation" and recovery.
How many resources the brain needs every day
Understanding how much data is in the brain and how many functions it performs, the reasonable question arises: what is required to improve the quality of the brain, improve its capabilities, and prolong the youth of its cells? And are there pills that would turn the brain into a supercomputer, as in the movie?
Brain nutrition
The brain spends the lion's share of the resources that arise in a day. For daily self-sufficiency at rest (we assume this is a normal day in "light" mode, without physical exertion or costly intellectual activity) the brain will use 250 kcal. When a person turns on the increased complexity mode, the brain takes the prescribed 750-1000 from daily caloric intake. Now imagine if a dieter with a caloric intake of 1300-1500 simply gets knocked down at the end of the day, even in light mode. Because to go to work every day, manage the baby at home, do physical labor, exercise abs, cook, consume and digest food, the body needs at least 2000 kcal, without the cost of maintaining the brainwith an average of +500 kcal. You will definitely lose weight quickly. However, it is needless to say that a person with a restricted diet will successfully overcome everyday stressful situations and burdens and get good results in the professional field or in sports.
Vitamins for the mind
In addition to energy costs, the brain needs vitamins and minerals for normal function. Their deficiency in the body can be created all the time. The reason can be regular physical activity, unhealthy diet, diet, stress, lack of sleep, change of seasons, malfunctions of some organs and systems (gastrointestinal tract or endocrine system), for which the brain is responsible.
Do you remember that famous phrase - all diseases originate from nerves? It is absolutely true! And the leader of the entire nervous system is the brain! So, by controlling the brain and feeding it regularly, you can not only pump the nervous system, but also protect yourself from many diseases.
Scientists agree that the average life expectancy of a person is greatly underestimated. In reality, under ideal conditions, healthy sleep, quality nutrition, regular meditation practices (an instrument for reducing stress, improving the nervous system, promoting intellectual and spiritual growth), Homo Sapiens may make it to 150. Of course, vitamin supplements alone will not make you 150 years old, but they will definitely help on the way to the coveted figure.
Vitamins for the mind
Intelligence can be pumped like triceps. And in order to ensure the youth and plasticity of the mind, its clarity and freshness, it is better to pump it daily. What vitamins can help in this difficult but extremely important matter?
Vitamins of group B - ensure the normal function of the transmission of nerve impulses from neuron to neuron, improve the blood supply to the brain and thus increase access to oxygen - one of the main resources of the brain. They nourish the nervous system and prevent insomnia, depression and fatigue - which has a direct effect on the quality of brain cells, the quality of neural connections and the impulses transmitted.
Vitamins of group P. Today 5000 substances are known whose properties are identical to those of vitamins of group P. These include flavonoids, anthocyanidins, isoflavonoids - powerful antioxidants. P vitamins protect the brain and blood vessels, improve their tone. Slow down oxidative processes in the body, improve cell metabolism.
Vitamin C - a deficiency in vitamin C leads to degeneration of connective tissue in the body, which slows down or stops collagen production. Due to the lack of vitamin C, the balance of the enzymes necessary for the function of organs and systems is disturbed. Vitamin acts as a catalyst for metabolic processes. Protects body and brain, protects against mental or physical overload.
Omega-3 is a source of docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and linolenic acid, which the body cannot synthesize itself. And they have an important function - neuroprotective. Omega-3 helps increase and maintain mental alertness, especially in the face of stress and seasonal blues.
Vitamin E is a valuable substance of the cell membrane in brain cells. Because of the vitamin, the body produces the DHA-PC biomarker, the absence of which increases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's. Vitamin E prevents a significant loss of molecules that are very important to the brain and the death of neurons.
Multivitamins and drugs that improve brain activity and nutrition of brain cells with proven effectiveness: dry extract from Ginkgo biloba leaves, glycine.
How to improve brain function
As long as I think, I live. Indeed, a sane man is able to move all of humanity with the power of thought and thanks to thought. But the coin also has a disadvantage. To think a lot is really harmful. A wandering stream of thoughts can put the brain in the state of a "squeezed lemon". After all, every thought is energy that is thrown away when not given physical embodiment. And the constant energy gap in the head cannot give the strength to do anything real and valuable instead of thoughts. This creates laziness, depression, inner aggression, the brain begins to work differently and certainly not for the better. Learn to stop the flow of faces, memories, dreams, and dialogues within yourself, relax, and meditate. Special exercises to develop attention and concentration will help you with this.
Feed your brain. In every sense. Do not offend or rob him, for he contains you and you - him. The game with only one goal ends sooner or later in defeat. Give your brain a good intellectual dinner, eat a nutritious breakfast, and play educational games for lunch. And very soon he will be ten times more responsive to your care. Gives new ideas, strength, a good figure and youth, good sleep, good mood and harmonious relationships. You want that, don't you? Then feed your brain with nuts, fish, delicious books, and smart people.
Stimulate amusement centers. The brain really needs pleasure. For him it is the engine of progress. The best helper in this matter is serotonin. Get it every day: any creativity you like, your favorite hobby and self-expression, sports, laughing, walking, singing, dancing. And if you think you don't have the time for that, it helps if you read up about it.
Learn something new every day. A new foreign word, a new country and its capital, a new word from an explanatory dictionary, new useful information. This can easily be achieved through special mobile applications that tell you a new word every day. Teaching is easy. And this is the case when the brain generates it in the form of energy for all desires and achievements!
Exercise can also pump the brain and also protect neurons and neural connections. Oddly enough, a couch potato reading a book remembers less information than someone who regularly exercises and reads “smart” books in their spare time.
In every unclear situation - sleep! This joke has the right to life, because in a dream the brain mends, heals, heals not only itself, but the whole body as a whole. What do you usually do when you don't know the way out of the current situation? What's the best solution? You are wasting energy! Give your brain enough sleep to find the best solution to the dead end and the right answer to your life question. The answer will come quickly and you will definitely find a way out. Lack of sleep, accompanied by endless thoughts before going to sleep, can lead to dire consequences.