Your brain was meant to last a lifetime, but the assaults of modern life take it’s toll. Brain fog, lack of focus, indecision, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and feeling overwhelmed are common signs that your brain is not working as well as it should.
When this happens most people ignore the problem as long as they can. Very few people look for answer when their mind starts to slip because:
- They think it’s inevitable. (It’s not)
- They don’t believe there’s anything that can help. (This is definitely not true)
- They don’t know where to turn. They’ve heard that doctors have little to offer. (This is true)
- They’re so frightened of dementia or Alzheimer’s, they forestall a possible diagnosis as long as possible.
The latest research reveals the REAL reason for mental decline. It’s not luck and it’s not your genes. It’s your lifestyle.
How Lifestyle Affects Your Brain
There are powerful forces in the modern lifestyle that work against your brain.
- The modern diet is loaded with sugar, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives known to kill brain cells. This diet has already led to epidemics of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and now Alzheimer’s. Unhealthy food is sold everywhere with a surprising amount of it being sold in “health food” stores. Much of what is considered “healthy” is flat out wrong. And some brain-essential nutrients, like omega-3 fatty acids, are virtually missing from our food supply!
- Our sedentary lifestyle is a brain-cell killer. Adequate physical activity is needed to form a brain chemical that produces new brain cells and neural connections. Lack of exercise literally means fewer brain cells.
- Watching TV or staring at a computer screen does not supply the mental stimulation the brain needs to rewire itself to create new neural connections. These activities are passive, not active and if they are your main form of entertainment, your brain is at risk.
- There’s an epidemic of insomnia and sleep disorders, but it’s during sleep that the brain repairs itself. Even one night of poor sleep and your brain misses its chance to rejuvenate and consolidate memories.
- The chronic stress of daily life changes the structure and function of your brain. The part that retains memories (the hippocampus) shrinks, while the part where fear and anxiety reside (the amygdala) grows.
- We live in a toxic environment. There are over 80,000 man-made chemicals and few have been tested for safety. Additives in our food, pollution in our air, and toxins in our water have been shown to lower IQ, kill brain cells, and contribute to Alzheimer’s.
- Electromagnetic frequencies emanating from your computer and mobile phone fry your brain. EMFs rupture delicate brain cell membranes causing them to leak.
- Dozens of categories of prescription drugs cause memory loss, brain fog, and mental confusion. Drug interactions can cause dementia and even Alzheimer’s. Board-certified geriatric pharmacist Aarmon Neel, author of Are Your Prescriptions Killing You?, contends that as many as 3 out of 4 Alzheimer’s cases could be caused by drug interactions. This is shocking!
When you consider everything we’re up against, it’s a wonder that most of us function as well as we do! But our brains don’t get by unscathed. With rising levels of anxiety, depression, insomnia, addictions, dementia, and Alzheimer’s, we are clearly suffering from an epidemic of “broken brains”.
Don’t Leave the State of Your Brain to Chance
We’ve been misinformed by mainstream media, Big Pharma, government agencies, and even non-profit organizations about all aspects of health including brain health and Alzheimer’s prevention. ALZ.org, the largest Alzheimer’s charity, has flat out stated that you can’t prevent Alzheimer’s when this just isn’t true. This large organization seems more interested in raising money for research to support drug research than in giving you practical advice you can use.
If you are concerned about the current state of your brain or your future, you must take matters into your own hands. Don’t leave your future to chance. Learn the three most common brain mistakes that sabotage your brain and how to avoid them. Almost everyone makes at least one of these mistakes, no matter how healthy their lifestyle is!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Deane Alban is co-founder of BeBrainFit.com, where you can learn how to keep your brain young, healthy, and fit for life. Sign up for her newsletter Brain Builder and claim your FREE Special Bonus Report – “5 Causes of Brain Aging“. This is information anyone interested in preserving their brain for the long haul needs to know.
Deane holds a bachelor's degree in biology from University of South Florida, where she also studied journalism. She has taught and written on a wide variety of natural health topics for over 20 years, including teaching healthy cooking classes.
As a baby boomer, Deane has turned her passion for healthy living to focus on a major problem people everywhere are facing – issues with mental decline right now and worries about Alzheimer's disease and dementia in the future. Deane brings the science down to earth in an entertaining and engaging way, giving her readers practical, easy-to-follow advice to keep their minds sharp for life.
Deane lives near Tucson, Arizona with her husband and business partner, Patrick, a retired chiropractor. She loves living in the desert where plenty of sunshine and outdoor activities help keep her mind young!
