It's amazing how little we know what the brain is and how it works. It is known reliably that the brain is capable of producing electrical impulses and is capable of turning on a 25 watt light bulb! Now imagine how much effort and energy is expended to keep all vital processes in the norm, how many resources are needed to control vital activities at the highest level. How did 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 fill the brain, we will tell in the article.
How the brain works
The brain is like jelly, and jelly is fragile. To avoid damage and injury, nature has kept it reliably protected. First, the strong cranium, and second, the soft membrane of connective tissue, which prevents the brain from hitting the skull wall. And finally, the cerebrospinal fluid inside the cranium protects the brain from concussions and injury. .
What is the brain?This is about one and a half kilograms of "smart" mass in the human body, made up of billions of neurons, nerve cell processes (axons), through which nerve impulses and signals are sent. In addition, each signal is generated and received by a specific part of the brain. To prevent malfunctions in its work, the brain requires 20% of all oxygen carried by the body's cells, fat and carbohydrates in sufficient quantities. Their deficiency causes impaired concentration of attention, memory, triggers psychosis, a depressive state and paralyzes other systems and organs. Disturbance is often observed in those who regularly experiment with diet and dietary restrictions. Hungry people are also among the people whose brain cells suffer the most - irritation and aggression develop.
What functions does the brain have?
The brain is everything to us! It depends on whether we raise our hand, scratch the back of our head, cry or laugh, fall in love, remember or forget about it. Whether we live happily ever after or suffer, whether we are healthy or sick depends on the quality of the processes that occur in the brain. Who we will or will not become, what talents will we 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 hierarchy of functions. Each zone is responsible for a specific function.
- The frontal lobe is responsible for conscious movement, for speech and writing skills, for our desires and desires to achieve results.
- The temporal zone is responsible for speech perception, auditory and visual information, for long-term memory, facial recognition, and is responsible for the ear for music, rhythm, and musical perception.
- The parietal zone is responsible for orientation in space, conscious movement, feeling 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. The eye is a device that reads an image of the world around us through exposure to light. But the back of the brain changes it, converting light into electrical impulses.
- The cerebellum is responsible for maintaining balance and coordinating movement.
The brain is working all the time, all the time and all the time, and not 3-5%, as stated. Even in dreams. The claim that the brain rests at night is not entirely true. The work of the brain in a resting state at night differs only in regional activity. More precisely, the frequency of impulses in the cerebral cortex increases. But what happened there? It is during this sleep that the subconscious enters the scene, experiences, emotions and knowledge are sorted and distributed, and most importantly, the restoration of the body's systems and organs. He argues that sleepiness is a signal from the body that it needs "checks" and recovery.
How many resources does the brain need every day
Understanding how much data is contained in the brain and how many functions it performs, the question arises - what is needed to improve the quality of the brain, increase its capabilities, and prolong the youth of its cells? And is there a pill that, like in the movies, will turn the brain into a supercomputer?
Brain nutrition
The brain consumes most of the resources that come in one day. So, for daily self-care at rest (we will assume that this is a normal day in "light" mode, without expensive physical and intellectual activity), the brain will consume 250 kcal. If a person activates the increased complexity mode, the brain will take 750-1000 as determined from daily calorie intake. Now imagine a dieter with 1300-1500 calories being broken down only at the end of the day, even in "light" mode. After all, to go to work every day, take care of the baby at home, do physical labor, train the stomach, cook food, consume and digest, the body needs a minimum of 2000 kcal, not including the cost of maintaining the brain an average of +500 kcal. You will definitely succeed in losing weight fast. But it is not necessary to say that a person on a restricted diet will successfully cope with everyday stressful situations and loads, and achieve good results in the professional or sports field.
Vitamins for the mind
In addition to energy expenditure, the brain needs vitamins and minerals to function normally. Their deficiencies in the body can be made continuously. The cause may be due to regular physical activity, unhealthy diet, diet, stress, lack of sleep, changing seasons, disturbances in the functioning of several organs and systems (digestive tract or endocrine system), which are again the responsibility of the brain.
Do you remember this famous phrase - all disease comes from the nerves? This is absolutely true! And the leader of the entire nervous system is the brain! So, by controlling the brain, feeding it regularly, you can not only pump up the nervous system, but also protect yourself from many diseases.
Scientists agree that the average person's life expectancy is grossly underestimated. In fact, under ideal conditions, healthy sleep, high-quality nutrition, regular meditation practice (a tool for stress relief, enhancing the nervous system, intellectual and spiritual growth), Homo Sapiens could possibly reach 150. Of course, vitamin supplements alone will not makeYou live to be 150 years old. many years, but they will certainly be able to help on the way to the coveted one.
Vitamins for the mind
Intelligence, like triceps, is pumpable. And to ensure youthfulness and plasticity of mind, clarity and freshness, it is better to pump it daily. What vitamins can help with this difficult, but very important problem?
Group B vitamins - ensure the normal function of transmission of nerve impulses from neurons to neurons, increase blood supply to the brain, and hence, increase access to oxygen - one of the brain's main resources. They nourish the nervous system, prevent insomnia, depression and fatigue, which directly affects the quality of brain cells, the quality of nerve connections and the impulses transmitted.
Group P vitamins. Currently, 5000 substances are known to be identical in nature to group P vitamins. These include flavonoids, anthocyanidins, isoflavonoids - powerful antioxidants. Vitamin P protects the brain and blood vessels, increases their tone. Slows down oxidative processes in the body, increases cellular metabolism.
Vitamin C - a vitamin C deficiency that causes degeneration of connective tissue in the body, slowing or stopping collagen production. Due to a deficiency in vitamin C, the balance of enzymes necessary for organ and system function is impaired. Vitamins act as a catalyst for metabolic processes. Protects the body and brain, protects from excessive mental or physical load.
Omega-3 is a source of docosahexaenoic, eicosapentaenoic and linolenic acids, which the body cannot synthesize on its own. And they have an important function - neuroprotection. Omega-3s help improve and maintain mental alertness, especially when dealing with seasonal stress and sadness.
Vitamin E is a valuable substance from cell membranes in brain cells. Due to vitamins, the body produces DHA-PC biomarkers, a deficiency of which increases the chance of developing Alzheimer's disease. Vitamin E prevents significant loss of a molecule that is essential for the brain and neuronal death.
Multivitamins and drugs that increase brain activity and nutrition of brain cells with proven effectiveness: dry extract of Ginkgo biloba leaf, glycine.
How to improve brain function
As long as I think about it, I'm still alive. Indeed, a person with common sense is able to move all mankind by the power of thought and by the blessing of thought. But, there is also a downside. Many think it is downright dangerous. A wandering stream of thoughts can dissipate brain energy to a "squeezed lemon" state. After all, every thought is energy that is wasted if it does not receive a physical manifestation. And the constant energy gaps in the head are incapable of giving the mind the strength to do anything real and useful. This is how laziness, depression, internal aggression are born, the brain starts to work differently and certainly doesn't get better. Learn to stop the flow of faces, memories, dreams, dialogue within you, learn to relax and meditate. Specific exercises to develop mindfulness and concentration will help you do this.
Feed your brain. In all respects. Don't offend or eliminate him, because he has you, and you - him. A match with one goal will sooner or later end in defeat. Give your brain a good intellectual dinner, eat a nutritious breakfast, play educational games for lunch. And soon he will respond to your treatment 10 times stronger. Will give new ideas, strength, a good figure and youth, good sleep, good mood and harmonious relationships. That's what you want, right? Then feed your brain with nuts, fish, delicious books, and smart people.
Stimulates the pleasure center. The brain craves pleasure. For him, it is an engine of progress. The best helper in this case is serotonin. Get it every day: whatever creativity you like, your favorite hobby and self-realization, sports, laughter, walking, singing, dancing. And if you think that you don't have time for this, then it would be useful for you to find out.
Learn something new every day. New foreign words, new countries and capitals, new words from the explanatory dictionary, new useful information. This can easily be done with a dedicated mobile app which will tell you a new word every day. Teaching is light. And this is the case when the brain will produce it in the form of energy for all desires and accomplishments!
Exercise also pumps the brain and, what's more, protects neurons and neural connections. Oddly enough, but a person who likes to relax on the couch reading a book will remember less information than someone who regularly works out and reads "smart" books in their spare time.
In an obscure situation - sleep! This joke has a right to exist, because in a dream the brain patches, repairs, heals not only itself, but the whole body as a whole. What do you usually do when you don't know your way out of the current situation, what's the best solution? You are wasting energy! Give your brain enough sleep to provide you with the best solutions to dead ends and the correct answers to your life's questions. The answers will come quickly and you will definitely find a way out. Lack of sleep coupled with endless thoughts before falling asleep can have devastating consequences.