Have you felt that your brain isn’t up to its normal cognitive abilities lately? Do you fear that your recent streak of poor memory is a sign of degenerative brain health? If so, then you need to learn about all the most common signs of an unhealthy brain.
Believe it or not, the decisions that you make each day could be starving your brain of some of its most essential vitamins and nutrients. If you know the signs of poor health, you can make changes accordingly.
See below for an in-depth guide on the signs of an unhealthy brain and the steps to take for improving brain health.
1. You’re Having Trouble Sleeping
Perhaps you find it difficult to clothes your eyes when you lay your head on your pillow at night. Maybe you feel that your endless thoughts are what’s complicating your sleeping patterns. That’s the case for most people who lack proper sleep.
Most people believe that this is a sign their brain is working too well; they think that the influx of thoughts shows cognitive functionality when it’s the opposite that’s true. If your thoughts are keeping you up at night, this is a sign of high stress.
Insomnia (the inability to sleep) is generally correlated with high levels of anxiety or depression. Other publications have shown more harm of insomnia such as losing focus, decreasing short-term memory retention. An unhealthy brain is a tired brain, and tired brains produce more cortisol—the stress hormone—into the body. That influx of cortisol can cause such side effects as:
- High blood pressure
- Mood swings
- Muscle fatigue
- Chronic pain (headaches, neck pain, etc.)
- Weight gain & more
If you’re having trouble sleeping, then there are a few ways you can combat it. First, try to get more exercise throughout the day. You should also try to avoid eating anything an hour or two before bed. Lastly, cut yourself off from all sources of caffeine by 3 pm every day.
2. You Lack Awareness
We all know the phrase, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” But the same can be said when you lack proper brain health as well.
You may have noticed times where you completely zone out for minutes on end. You might not even be able to recall the past few hours. This is a common sign that you’re having a certain degree of “brain fog”, a medical term for when you’re feeling fuzzy or “out of it.”
Another sign of poor mental awareness is when you find yourself easily distracted by things around you as you try to complete a task. Don’t take these symptoms for granted, as they could be connected to:
- High levels of stress
- Hormonal imbalance in your body
- Poor dieting
- Insomnia
- Side effects of the medication you’re on
Don’t simply run to the doctor for more medication to “heal” your lack of awareness. Instead, invest in cognitive health supplements that can help improve your brain’s functionality. You’ll find it easier to remain alert and stay focused on any given task.
Cognitive brain supplements can help you get your mojo back. By caring for your brain each day, you’re ensuring it’s prepared to take on whatever the day throws at it!
3. You’re Having Trouble Remembering Things
Make no mistake about it, we all forget things from time to time. We’re only human, so you’re bound to forget a thing or two while trying to balance your personal and professional life. That said, you should become more concerned if there’s a consistent trend of forgetfulness.
Most people automatically assume the worst. They fear that it’s early symptoms of severe diseases like Alzheimer’s or Dementia when it could just be your brain’s way of telling you it needs a change.
Think about the things you’ve changed since the forgetfulness started. Did you switch up your diet between now and then? Is there a medication that you started taking? Did your job start to cause you more stress around that time? Try to eliminate some things to find out the root cause.
4. You’re Eating More Junk Food
Whether we like to admit it or not, we all tend to become emotional eaters… if we let ourselves get to that point.
As we mentioned before, a fatigued brain will release more cortisol into your system. Studies have shown that cortisol increases your appetite, making you feel hungry, even though your body might have all the sustenance it needs.
If you’ve noticed that you’re reaching for the cookies more than usual, then try to combat this trend with more exercise or by investing in cognitive brain health supplements.
5. Lack of Social Interaction
This can become a vicious cycle. If you haven’t been getting enough social interaction lately, then your brain will become frustrated and make you want to withdraw even further from your friends.
Your brain and body naturally crave social interaction. Socialization has been proven to increase your memory and cognitive health, as well as boost your brain’s production of dopamine (the “feel-good” hormone).
Whenever you catch yourself feeling lonely or discouraged, push yourself to meet up with some friends and talk. You don’t have to spill your feelings to them if you don’t want to, just being around them will help turn things around.
Combat an Unhealthy Brain With These Tips
Now that you have seen an in-depth guide on the most common signs of an unhealthy brain, be sure to consider them and take action to correct them in your life.
Take the time to browse our website for more articles on an unhealthy brain, as well as many other topics that you will enjoy.
