Keeping It Simple - 5 ways to nurture your Noggin

Keeping It Simple - 5 ways to nurture your Noggin

Tis the season to Eat Reading Keeping It Simple - 5 ways to nurture your Noggin 3 minutes Next "Chess is the gymnasium of the mind"

Looking after your brain health needn’t be taxing or expensive. In fact, there are things you can do on a daily basis which will support good brain health.

Here are 5 simple ways to support your brain health as of this moment and one of them involves the use of social media.

Do tweet me @DrClaraR with the ways in which you’re taking positive steps to improve your brain health, it’s a great way to stay connected and I’m interested in 

what steps you are taking to maintain good brain health.

Drink Water

Simple and free and easy to do but sometimes we forget to drink water.

Drinking water is great for improving concentration and cognition. 

Hydration also helps balance your mood, maintain a good mood and prevent headaches.

Staying hydrated also helps manage and reduce stress.

Aim to drink at least one litre of water per day if you can.

Sleep

Sleep plays a central role in our brain health it also plays a key role in memory.

Studies have found that sleep rinses the toxins from our brain which in turn enhances our attention, creativity and ability to solve problems.

We’ve blogged before on the power of a nap which can be beneficial for brain health.

Chess

If you’ve not watched The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, we highly recommend it. 

It’s a colourful, stylish drama based on a book by Walter Tevis who also wrote books which went onto become hugely successful films. 

This includes The Hustler, The Colour of Money and The Man Who Fell To Earth. 

The Queen’s Gambit is a fictitious tale set in the US in the 1960s and it may well encourage you to get into chess, which is a good thing. 

Games such as draughts or chess can improve creativity, problem solving, memory concentration and decision making.

Give a Hug

Many of us are missing hugging friends and family due to Covid restrictions to if you’re able to hug your partner or your pet we recommend this.

Hugging lowers cortisol levels and boosts oxytocin levels and can also relieve pain.

In 2010, The New York Times reported on a study that found that athletes performed better when they showed physical camaraderie such as hugging. 

The study found that teams that showed the most touch-bonding were among the highest ranking and best performing.

Social Media

There are many pitfalls to spending too much time on social media - doomscrolling. 

However, social media can help us stay connected with friends and family especiallyduring times of tighter Covid restrictions. 

Whether its  WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook You Tube, Zoom, Skype, Google hang outs or FaceTime, just one of these apps can help you stay

connected with the wider world. This study extols the benefits of social media and like everything else we suggest you consume and use it in a balanced way.

Keep well, Dr Clara Russell