People who don't like to open windows are more likely to have brain atrophy?! These 5 things we do every day are actually very harmful to our brains

There is a saying on the Internet: "People who don't like to open windows are more likely to have brain atrophy, and the brain will be damaged if it lacks oxygen for 5 seconds." Is this true? What habits in life are harmful to the brain? How can we delay brain aging?

01

Can damage be caused to the brain if the brain is deprived of oxygen for just 5 seconds?

Although the brain accounts for only 2% of the body's weight, it consumes the most oxygen. Studies have shown that 15% of the heart's blood supply is sent to the brain to maintain its energy and oxygen consumption. It can be said that the brain is an organ that is very afraid of lack of oxygen.

If oxygen is not available for even just 5 seconds, the brain will change:

1. First, there is mental confusion and dizziness;

2. If you are deprived of blood and oxygen for 15 seconds, you may faint;

3. If the brain is deprived of blood and oxygen for 5 minutes, irreversible damage will occur. Ischemic changes in the brain can be seen through MRI and CT scans.

Oxygen is so important to the brain, yet many people may suffer from chronic cerebral hypoxia for a long time without knowing it!

Generally speaking, the early typical symptoms of chronic brain hypoxia are poor sleep and memory loss . Later, you may experience dizziness, headache, memory loss, lack of concentration, insomnia and other problems. If you encounter the above problems and cannot find a clear cause, you should be alert.

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02

Are people who don’t like opening windows more likely to have brain atrophy?

People usually like to stay indoors and don’t like to open windows for ventilation, which will cause the indoor oxygen concentration to drop and easily lead to brain hypoxia.

A test was conducted in a certain program. With the doors and windows closed, the oxygen content in the bedroom was measured to be 19.6%, and the oxygen contents in the parents' room were 19.5% and 19.4% respectively. The oxygen concentration in the general atmosphere is about 21%.

If you stay in such a closed room for a long time, it is inevitable that you will suffer from hypoxia, headache, mood swings, insomnia and other symptoms. Over time, it may even lead to brain atrophy. If there are many people in the bedroom, it is not ventilated and the space is small, the situation will be more serious.

03

These 5 common habits are actually damaging to your brain

1. Eating too much makes your brain age faster

Obesity is the root of all chronic diseases. A study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging pointed out that the brains of overweight people are 10 years older than those of thin people of the same age . Especially after middle age, the brains of fat people age faster. Comparative studies have found that overweight people have far less white matter in their brains than thin people. White matter is the white nerve tissue in the brain that connects different areas of the brain and promotes information exchange.

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2. Sleeping with your head covered will cause lack of oxygen and damage your brain

Covering your head when sleeping will increase the concentration of carbon dioxide and reduce the concentration of oxygen in the bed. After a night, due to poor breathing and insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, it is easy to cause low oxygen content in the brain's blood vessels, which can damage the brain. Therefore, you often feel dizzy and confused after waking up, and your energy cannot be focused.

3. Not talkative and taciturn

There is a lobe in our brain that is responsible for language. Talking frequently will promote the development of the brain and exercise its functions. People who are silent and serious all day will have this part of the function degenerated and the brain will begin to age. Many patients with Alzheimer's disease (senile dementia) will become less talkative in the early stages of their illness.

4. Often stay up late and lack of sleep

The main way for the brain to eliminate fatigue is sleep. Long-term lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep will only accelerate the decline of brain cells, and smart people will become confused. Therefore, people who often stay up late and lack sleep tend to experience brain degeneration earlier.

5. Don’t like thinking and reading

Nowadays, many people don't like reading or thinking. As the saying goes, "If you don't use your brain, it will rust." The best way to prevent brain aging is to think more. If you don't think about things, the brain's reaction, mobilization, organization and other functions will decline. The brain, like the body, follows the principle of "use it or lose it." If you don't like to use your brain or read, your brain will become stupid.

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04

How to replenish oxygen to the brain?

1. Open windows frequently for ventilation

Opening windows is a traditional and effective way of ventilation, which is very important for keeping indoor air clean and fresh. Long-term lack of ventilation will lead to insufficient oxygen in the room. Long-term exposure to such an environment will cause dizziness, headaches, high blood pressure, and even other diseases due to lack of oxygen.

Keeping windows open for proper ventilation can increase fresh air, reduce carbon dioxide, lower the total number of colonies, prevent and control viruses and bacteria, and also bring negative ions that are beneficial to the body into the room and send away excessive positive ions that are harmful to the body.

The correct way to open windows for ventilation is to maintain 2 to 3 times a day, 30 minutes each time , which can effectively improve the indoor air quality. Convection ventilation should be selected as much as possible. At the same time, for people living on low floors, in addition to natural ventilation, forced air supply or exhaust can also be selected.

2. Appropriate supplementation of methionine + omega-3 fatty acids

Methionine helps people increase the speed at which the brain transmits and receives information and helps relieve brain pressure; omega-3 fatty acids can supplement nutrition for the brain and help the growth of brain nerve cells.

The combination of the two produces a new lipoprotein compound that controls the absorption and release of oxygen and keeps the body's oxygen content at a certain level.

Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, dairy products, yeast, seaweed, leafy vegetables, etc. are rich in methionine; flax seeds, chia seeds, deep-sea fish, nuts, etc. are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and you can eat more of them on a daily basis.

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3. Do aerobic exercise regularly

Aerobic exercise refers to physical exercise performed by the human body with sufficient oxygen supply. It can promote blood circulation, enhance cardiopulmonary function and increase the body's oxygen content.

It is recommended to do aerobic exercise 3 to 5 times a week, for at least 30 minutes each time. Brisk walking, jogging, swimming, skipping rope, cycling, Tai Chi, etc. are all good.

05

How to delay brain aging?

1. Eat some brain-boosting foods

①Eggs

Eggs are rich in lecithin, which is the most important basic structural material of brain cells. It can provide choline and is closely related to brain health. Lack of lecithin can cause memory loss and affect cognitive function.

The most recommended way to eat eggs is to boil them or cook them in egg custard. Fried eggs with less oil are also acceptable. Fried eggs are not recommended because they will not only destroy more nutrients but also have a high calorie content. The oil absorption rate of fried eggs is as high as 43%, which is not conducive to weight control and will increase the risk of chronic diseases.

②Seafood

Seafood is rich in DHA, which belongs to the n-3 series of unsaturated fatty acids and is an important component of the brain. It is known as "brain gold" and is not only beneficial to the health of the nervous system, but also has anti-inflammatory effects. Eating fish is a direct and effective way to obtain DHA. Studies have also shown that people who eat fish regularly have a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Common seafood rich in DHA include: mackerel, salmon, cod, sea bass, hairtail, yellow croaker, grouper, etc. 60 grams of salmon can provide more than 500 mg of DHA, and 50 grams of mackerel can provide more than 700 mg of DHA. Both are very good choices.

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③Green leafy vegetables

Green leafy vegetables are generally rich in vitamin E, folic acid, flavonoids and carotenoids, which can delay the aging of the brain.

Among the common green leafy vegetables, amaranth, Chinese cabbage, chrysanthemum, rape, Chinese cabbage, water spinach, spinach, leek, celery, lettuce, coriander, etc. are recommended. It should be noted that vegetables with high oxalic acid content such as spinach, amaranth, and water spinach need to be blanched before eating to avoid affecting the absorption and utilization of other nutrients. It is recommended to eat 300 grams to 500 grams of vegetables every day, of which green leafy vegetables should account for half of the amount.

2. Keep learning and don’t let your brain stop thinking

Studies have shown that the process of learning new skills is actually a process of constantly reshaping the brain's function and structure. Therefore, in theory, as long as we don't stop thinking and keep learning, we can effectively delay brain aging.

3. Maintain your passion for life

When people do things they are interested in, their brains will be active, especially those that require thinking, such as playing chess, dancing, playing musical instruments, exercising, knitting, doing handicrafts, growing flowers and plants, and writing articles, which can exercise the brain. Even taking a walk around the community or chatting with relatives and friends is better than staying at home all day without interacting with people. In short, we must maintain our enthusiasm for life and not let our brains "idle" for a long time.

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4. Maintain a nap habit

In 2021, a study published online in the journal General Psychiatry, a subsidiary of the British Medical Journal, by Professor Sun Lin of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Professor Han Cai of the Fourth People's Hospital of Wuhu City, Anhui Province, showed that naps can effectively prevent Alzheimer's disease, and regular naps can also improve thinking agility.

The best time for a nap is from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. A 15-minute to half-hour break at noon can allow the body to transition in a balanced manner, refresh the mind and replenish energy.

5. Actively prevent related diseases

Diseases such as high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes can affect brain function. Many of these diseases appear when people are young or even very young, and some are hereditary. For high-risk groups, if they can be detected early in the early stages of the disease, they can be effectively treated.

Taking precautions and avoiding controllable factors that increase the risk of disease can greatly reduce the damage these diseases will cause to brain function in the future. Early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment can delay and control the progression of the disease. In mild cases, the patient can adjust his lifestyle, improve his nutritional structure, and correct his bad living habits. In severe cases, the patient can be controlled with medication . Of course, medication should be used gradually and persistently.

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6. Do brain-boosting finger exercises regularly

① Rub your hands

Rub your palms together and massage for 1 minute. You will feel a slight warmth in your palms.

② Press your fingertips

Open the fingers of both hands, and use your thumb to press the pads of other fingers in turn. You can feel a slight pressure on the fingertips.

③Stretch your fingers

Open one hand, and use the other hand to slowly stretch from the base of the fingers toward the fingertips. You can use a little force and your fingers will feel a slight stretching sensation, which helps promote blood circulation in the fingers.

④Open your fingers

Make fists with both hands, starting with the index finger, and open the fingers outward one by one. You can use a little force in this movement and feel a slight stretch in each finger.

Reviewer: Qian Lai, deputy chief physician, Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital

Review: Li Nannan Director of Hunan Science Writers Association Deputy Director of Research and Publicity Department of Hunan Science and Technology Association Second-level Researcher Chinese Science Writer (Medical)

Source: CCTV Life Circle

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