5 Ways To Improve Brain Blood Flow
The blood flow of the brain is the amount of blood that reaches this organ. Perhaps you will be surprised to learn that our brains need about 20% of the total blood that is pumped with each heartbeat.
This percentage includes glucose, which is essential for obtaining the necessary energy.
Do you know what happens if, at a specific time, not enough blood reaches the brain?
There is a risk of suffering from an ischemic attack and this means that a small part of the brain tissue is dying, there are fewer connections, you have memory problems, the risk of stroke increases, etc.
It is also important to know that simply improving the blood flow of the brain helps prevent very serious diseases and improve brain and cognitive health: it improves memory and concentration.
Do you want to know how to do it? Here are 5 ways to improve brain blood flow.
1. Aerobic exercises
The so-called aerobic or cardio-fitness exercises help improve cardiovascular functions, which also increases the blood flow to the brain.
They are great for oxygenating the body, which improves the health of brain cells and neuronal connections.
Want to know which are the best aerobic exercises that promote cerebral blood flow? You can choose any of these:
- Walk every day for half an hour.
- Run for 15 minutes every day.
- Take dance lessons.
- 15 minutes by bike.
- Do aerobics at home.
2. The best foods that promote blood flow to the brain
Some ingredients are better suited than others for improving brain health.
As we have already mentioned, this organ needs 20% of the blood pumped with each heartbeat, which means that it needs high levels of energy which are satisfied with glucose, carbohydrates and, of course, the right proteins.
Here are the ingredients that should never be missing in your diet.
- Cereals such as quinoa, brown rice, oats, barley, rye.
- Essential fatty acids such as those contained in salmon, sardines, avocado, olive oil, walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
- Blueberries, strawberries and citrus fruits.
- Tomatoes, kale, broccoli, spinach, asparagus.
- The eggs.
- The infusion of sage.
3. No to smoking, overweight and stress
It is vital to always remember that tobacco, overweight and stress are the three big enemies of brain health.
Tobacco, for example, when it enters the bloodstream in the form of nicotine, stimulates the adrenal glands to release the adrenaline hormone.
Adrenaline is released in the body even when we are stressed and it is this hormone that stimulates the central nervous system, which causes tachycardia and hypertension.
This also reduces the insulin production of the pancreas, increasing blood glucose levels and overexciting the brain. It’s a real time bomb.
And what about obesity, how does it affect cerebral blood flow? Being overweight increases the risk of cerebral infarction.
The accumulation of fat hardens the veins and arteries, which slows down blood flow.
All of this increases the risk of serious health problems that can be avoided by following your diet and maintaining healthier lifestyle habits.
Believe us, it’s worth it!
4. Exercise your brain every day
Do you often train your “brain muscles”? To improve the blood flow to the brain, it is necessary to exercise its cognitive functions.
Memory, curiosity, daily interest, motivation.
All this creates new neuronal connections and, little by little, generates new tissues, structures more resistant to old age and to any diseases that can attack the brain.
For this reason, the best thing to do is to learn new things every day, to read, to enroll in different courses, to keep a journal in which to write down your thoughts.
You can also consult the internet to discover exercises aimed at stimulating memory and concentration.
These are great habits for your brain health.
5. The power of positive emotions
Daily stress, anxiety or seeing things from a negative or fatalistic point of view alters the neurochemistry of the brain.
They stimulate the appearance of cortisol, increase the levels of adrenaline in the blood. .. All this causes imbalances in the cerebral circulation which, if repeated for a long time, can have serious consequences.
Positive emotions work better than vitamins and pain relievers. They give the energy that the body needs day after day and in fact happiness and well-being are reflected in health.
So try to follow these tips :
- Maintain a sense of humor. Talk about what makes you happy!
- Do relaxation exercises, yoga. .. All this helps you to get in touch with yourself and with what surrounds you “here and now”, giving value to the important things.
- Cultivate social relationships, enjoy friends and family. Don’t stay closed in the house!
