More than math exercises or memory games, the health of the brain is connected to the health of our whole body. So to preserve it, there are some simple rules and common sense that Dr. Michel Lejoyeux explains to us.
Stimulating your brain is above all about protecting it. And to keep it healthy, there are a number of simple rules.
Many books or specialists regularly offer methods or exercises to stimulate the brain : crosswords, arrows, calculation exercises, etc.
“But stimulating your brain is above all protecting it to keep it in good health as long as possible … explains Dr Michel Lejoyeux, psychiatrist. This development is essential because we cannot dissociate the brain from the rest of our body. The health of the latter is connected to the health of the whole body. We are therefore not going to stimulate the brain on one side, then the arms, or the legs. Everything works in synergy. And for that, no need for very complicated exercises!
The most toxic substance for the brain … is alcohol
“What is essential is to protect your brain from anything that can be toxic to it”, emphasizes the specialist. The most toxic substance remains alcohol. It may sound trivial, but drinking causes memory impairment. But not only. It also disrupts the emotional processing of situations.
Morality: we do not exceed one drink for women and two drinks for men per day. Beyond, we damage our brain.
And the consequence is that if on one side you drink too much and on the other you do a lot of crosswords and arrow words, it will be of no use. “We forget that alcohol causes dementias. And that they are extremely harmful to the brain”, reminds the psychiatrist.
What’s more, you should know that the brain needs good vascularization. However, there are harmful toxins for it. The tobacco above all. Smoking exposes you to a cardiovascular risk, which itself will affect the brain and harm it. Which means if you drink alcohol in moderation and don’t smoke, you get the average 80% brain stimulation. Remember also that the cannabis gives major intellectual and memory disorders.
Stimulate your brain while moving
Rather than relying on games that stimulate and which have not been the subject of studies proving their effectiveness, we must first look at the consumption of these three toxins. Apart from these instructions, physical activity is also a pillar to preserve the brain. It reduces the risk of dementia, helps strengthen memory and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.
Ideally, you should be able to exercise for 30 minutes a day, and choose a discipline that increases your heart rate by 30%. It is not a question of exhausting yourself daily, but of stimulating your heart by moving. It is also a way to stimulate his brain and boost his memory. So keep the advice in mind: if you hesitate between a game of sudoku or a walk in the forest, opt for the latter! By going to ventilate yourself, you oxygenate your brain and put the odds in your favor so that it stays in shape for a long time! Of course, if you like crosswords, you can keep doing crosswords, but there is no point in imposing them as the best way to stimulate your brain. A half hour of walking will do him much more good …
Thanks to Dr Michel Lejoyeux, psychiatrist at Bichat hospital, author of “Les 4 temps de la renaissance”, published by Jean Claude Lattès.
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