Dear friends, we all know that our brain is one of the most important parts of our body. The capacity of our brain differentiates us from animals. Apart from the ‘thinking’ function, it controls functions of all of our body parts.

It is therefore very important that we take good care of our brain to make the best use of it not only for our own benefit, but also for the good of our country.

One way of achieving this is to avoid habits that can lead to limiting the capacity of our brain or which cause some psychological or biological problems that may hamper our performance and growth. Today, I’ll share with you some basic facts about the human brain and how it is affected by certain things.

Lack of sleep

Sometimes we do wrong things knowingly — yes, we all do! And can you guess what is the most frequent thing we do in the wrong way — we don’t sleep and get up on time. Yes, most of us have very unhealthy sleeping habits and either we don’t get enough sleep or we just sleep too much!

Lack of sleep, which usually results from sleeping very late in the night on weekdays when we have to go to school, is common. This is often because we are so engrossed in misusing technology — cellphones, tabs, laptops — for ‘cyber-tainment’ and cyber-libraries. Yes, knowledge is available, entertainment is good, but the question is how much? And at what cost?

According to researches, lack of sleep for prolonged period may lead to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. We can avoid these diseases if we regulate our sleep in terms of timing, as well as the hours of sleep.

Research has established that around eight hours of sound sleep at night is necessary to give rest to our brain. Children under 10 years of age need more sleep time than adults, so kids should go to bed early to remain healthy always.

If you have problem sleeping, one of the ways to avoid it is to avoid caffeine, and regulate and limit the use of electronics.

Sometimes we do wrong things knowingly — yes, we all do! And can you guess what is the most frequent thing we do in the wrong way — we don’t sleep and get up on time. Yes, most of us have very unhealthy sleeping habits and either we don’t get enough sleep or we just sleep too much!

Spending time alone

Today, everyone is connected with others in one way or the other. It’s not about how many Facebook friends you have, it’s about how well you are connected with your friends, family and people living around you.

Whenever you are with someone you know, like a family member, friend or a neighbour, share knowledge and ideas to have a good time. Learn and practice how to communicate with those you don’t know.

People who have friends are happier and more productive than those who don’t have friends. Being ‘alone’ or developing a habit of living a lonely life can also cause disease like Alzheimer’s or depression.

At times when you feel alone, call some friends or go out to find one to spend time with and have some healthy activity.

Eating junk food

A specific part of our brain is linked with our memory — like the hard disc of a computer. Researchers have found that people who eat too much junk food may suffer from memory loss.

So it is advisable to limit the use of burgers, potatoes chips, fries and soft drinks. On the other hand, foods like berries, wholegrain, nuts and green leafy vegetables, like spinach and cabbage, help protect and boost our brain power.

So try to avoid junk food as much as possible. It doesn’t mean that never ever eat junk food. What I am suggesting is to try to eat less junk food; like once a week or twice in a month.

Listening to loud music

If you are usually listening to music loudly using your headphones, then you should quit this habit as soon as possible because this is damaging your ears as well as brain. It can seriously have an effect on your eardrums, resulting in partial or complete hearing loss. Therefore, always listen on medium volume and not for more than an hour.

Not moving enough

We all know that exercise is very important for our health. If one is not in the habit of regular exercise (at least four-five days a week), this may lead to weight gain, dementia, increased chances of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart diseases and Alzheimer’s.

We don’t have to run like marathoners, but we should at least have a brisk walk for 30 minutes, if not twice then once a day. Exercise is not only good for the body, but also for our brain. Exercise refreshes our brain.

Eating too much

If you eat more than your body needs or can consume, even healthy food can be dangerous for your body and brain. Overeating makes one obese, which may result in various diseases like joint pains, blood pressure or diabetics. So avoid overeating. Remember, these diseases are not limited to adults, but kids have also become the victims of diseases which were once thought to occur in old age only.

Skipping breakfast

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. Because our body starves all night, so it needs energy to work properly throughout the day.

Kids who skip breakfast frequently may see severe affects on their overall performance. They may feel lethargic, suffer loss of memory and mood swings and also show poor physical and intellectual performance. So always have breakfast for a healthy mind and body.

These were a few tips and reminders to keep your brain working at its peak. The more you take care of yourself now, the better your future will be.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 7th, 2017