00:0012 Signs Your Brain Is Not Healthy, and How To Improve It
00:05This video is for educational purposes only, so please speak with your doctor if you have
00:11any of the following symptoms.
00:131.
00:14Is Recurrent Headaches Everyone gets a headache when they don't
00:18get enough sleep, or they are dehydrated.
00:21However if you are getting headaches more than 10 days out of the average month, this
00:26is a positive sign that something is wrong.
00:29You may be getting frequent headaches because your brain is not receiving enough blood flow
00:34and oxygen.
00:35This is a very common problem in people with high or low blood pressure, or if they have
00:40low blood cell count, which is anaemia.
00:432.
00:44Waking Up Too Often If you frequently wake up in the early hours
00:48of the night, you are overthinking and you can't get back to sleep.
00:53This is likely caused by high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone which causes the brain to
00:59shrink.
01:00If you aren't getting enough deep slow wave sleep each night, the hypothalamus does not
01:05have a chance to balance out your stress hormones, which causes more of your brain cells to die
01:11over time.
01:133.
01:14Brain Fog If parts of the brain are shrinking because
01:18of low blood flow, stress, lack of sleep or insulin resistance, you'll struggle to concentrate
01:24and think clearly during the day, particularly in the morning.
01:29This happens more often in people who eat lots of sugar and refined carbohydrates.
01:34Your brain cells start to resist these carbohydrates, and then they begin to starve.
01:40You will have problems forming connections and thinking clearly if this is the case.
01:45Later in the video I'll talk about how you can improve these problems.
01:494.
01:51Mood Swings Have you ever noticed that you're feeling
01:54absolutely fine when suddenly your mood shifts, and you suddenly become anxious, moody or
02:01easily triggered for no reason?
02:03This could be because your blood sugars are out of balance, and this is causing your brain
02:08cells to starve of fuel and oxygen, which is affecting your mood.
02:13Also a leaky blood-brain barrier may allow toxins to enter the brain which can make you
02:19more sensitive to stress.
02:21This can easily be improved by correcting your diet and using specific targeted supplements
02:27for the brain.
02:295.
02:30Depression In my experience, depression is usually caused
02:34by long term suppressed fear, stress and anxiety that's become too hard to bear.
02:41This can put your brain chemicals all out of balance, like dopamine, serotonin and acetylcholine.
02:48So you begin to feel lifeless, with no motivation or drive.
02:53You'll feel tired most of the time, but there may be a sense of guilt underneath.
02:58Studies show that people with depression usually have inflammation in the brain.
03:03To get rid of depression, it's important to readjust your thinking patterns, and also
03:09use herbal remedies to help balance out your neurotransmitters.
03:136.
03:15Dizziness If you find yourself feeling dizzy quite often,
03:19this could also be caused by poor cerebral blood flow to the brain.
03:24Dizziness and a lack of balance is more common in people who are low in Vitamin B12 or heme
03:30iron, and this causes them to have enlarged red blood cells that don't carry oxygen properly
03:36to the brain.
03:387.
03:39Anxiety Panicking about losing your belongings, persistent
03:43fear of the unknown, or overthinking when you should be sleeping are all symptoms of
03:48anxiety, which means your brain is locked into the fight or flight mode.
03:54Having an overactive part of your brain called the amygdala may be causing you to feel anxious
03:59and stressed out.
04:01By the way, you may want to watch my video called the top 6 vitamins for anxiety, if
04:07this is your particular problem.
04:108.
04:11No Learning Now to take in new information, to learn quickly
04:16and to make connections, you need healthy transmission of nerve impulses in your brain.
04:22But if you find it hard to make these connections and to learn, you may have a deficiency in
04:28acetylcholine, or perhaps your brain is sluggish because it's not getting enough energy because
04:34of insulin resistance.
04:369.
04:37Irritation Can't Keep Still If you find yourself constantly fidgeting,
04:42unable to sit still, or you have an overwhelming need to move, this could also be a sign that
04:47there is a hormonal imbalance in the brain, such as high cortisol levels, or perhaps an
04:53imbalance with dopamine or norepinephrine.
04:56This kind of irritation is also very common in patients with ADD or ADHD.
05:0310.
05:05Language Problems The average person loses 20-30% of their brain
05:10cells as they reach their 80s, but this can happen much earlier in people who have an
05:16unhealthy brain.
05:18You may begin struggling to understand spoken or written language, or find it harder to
05:23communicate as it becomes harder to find the words that you're trying to say.
05:2911.
05:30Short Term Memory Loss Sometimes if the brain isn't getting the
05:34nutrients that it needs, the hippocampus begins to shrink.
05:38This causes you to forget things that you've recently taken in, but your long term memory
05:43may be fine.
05:45Regular exercise and loading up on a natural form of Vitamin B1 may help to protect your
05:51hippocampus from shrinking further.
05:54And 11.
05:55Is Being Tired All The Time If you feel constantly tired all of the time,
06:00even after a full night's sleep, you may have chronic fatigue syndrome.
06:05This often happens when your brain isn't getting the nutrients that it needs, or perhaps
06:10it's been overworked because of chronic stress, or other hormonal imbalances.
06:16Be aware that everyone may have some of these symptoms from time to time, but it's more
06:21of a problem when they're long term issues that don't go away.
06:25An unhealthy brain can ruin your quality of life and put you at a higher risk of neurodegenerative
06:31diseases like Alzheimer's disease.
06:35The good news however is that the brain is capable of building new brain cells through
06:40neurogenesis as long as you make the right changes to your diet and lifestyle.
06:46But Why Is My Brain Unhealthy?
06:49So before we look into how you can improve the health of your brain overall, it's important
06:55to know why it's not working properly in the first place.
06:59First of all, eating too many processed carbohydrates and sugary foods causes insulin resistance
07:05in the brain, which makes your brain cells starve and begin to die.
07:10High levels of stress and cortisol also causes parts of the brain to shrink, such as the
07:16hippocampus which causes memory and sleeping problems.
07:20Not getting enough quality sleep disrupts the brain's ability to repair and detoxify
07:26chemicals which can cause more stress, irritation and poor concentration.
07:32Head injuries such as a football hitting the head as a child may cause long lasting brain
07:37damage well into old age.
07:40Toxins like heavy metals and pollutants can damage the brain cells as well, causing cognitive
07:46decline.
07:47And vegetable oils are highly unstable when they are cooked, and they cause oxidative
07:53damage and inflammation in the brain.
07:56If you have a leaky blood-brain barrier, this may also allow harmful toxins to enter your
08:02brain and cause damage.
08:04A lack of key nutrients like omega 3s, Vitamin D or B vitamins can reduce the number of communication
08:11particles in the brain.
08:14And poor blood flow because of a circulation problem can starve the brain of its much needed
08:19oxygen and nutrients.
08:22How To Grow New Brain Cells
08:25If you've experienced some of the symptoms in today's video, and you'd like to improve
08:30the health of your brain, there are certain things you can do to multiply your brain cells
08:36and improve connections between the neurons.
08:39Brain Supplements
08:41I suggest using a high quality nootropic supplement daily which contains a blend of natural brain
08:47boosting ingredients.
08:50Personally I use a brand that's called Mindlab Pro which is pre-formulated and full of natural
08:56ingredients that help to boost brain cells.
08:59I find that it greatly helps me to focus and think more clearly when I'm writing health
09:04videos like this one.
09:06This particular supplement is backed up by clinical studies and shown to help improve
09:11brain focus, memory, mood, energy, motivation and longevity.
09:17In the blend is some pine bark extract and citicholine which improves blood flow to the
09:23brain directly.
09:24I'll put a link down below to this if you'd like more information on this supplement.
09:30Aerobic Exercise
09:32Doing regular aerobic exercise is the number one thing you can do to boost the number of
09:37brain cells and prevent brain shrinkage with age.
09:42Exercise triggers the production of IGF-1 and VEGF.
09:46These are growth factors which help your brain to form new blood vessels and grow new brain
09:52cells.
09:53Brain Training
09:54Encourage your brain to make new connections by taking a course, learning new skills, solving
10:00puzzles and reading.
10:02Brain training boosts neuroplasticity and helps to revive parts of the brain that may
10:08have shrunk.
10:09Seafood
10:10Start eating oily fish that are rich in DHA and EPA daily, such as sardines, wild salmon,
10:18mackerel, anchovies and shellfish.
10:21These provide the raw materials that are needed to repair damaged brain tissue and build new
10:26nerves and neurotransmitters.
10:29Please make sure that you are getting at least 7-9 hours of quality sleep to balance
10:34out cortisol and repair your brain cells.
10:38If you aren't, I recommend using tryptophan before bed, taking some magnesium, or using
10:44a sleep blend like Performance Lab Sleep.
10:48Fasting
10:49Eat only 2 meals a day within a strict 6 hour window, drinking only water outside of this
10:55time period.
10:56Intermittent fasting stimulates brain derived neurotropic factor, which stimulates the growth
11:02of new brain cells.
11:04It also makes your cells more sensitive to insulin, helping your brain to accept more
11:09glucose in order to make energy.
11:13Sunlight
11:14It's vital to get outside and expose your skin to the sunlight to raise Vitamin D and
11:20melatonin levels naturally.
11:22These are both hormones which protect the brain against neurodegenerative diseases and
11:27also lower inflammation.
11:30Avoid Vegetable Oils
11:32Avoid foods that contain, are cooked or fried in vegetable oils such as corn oil, canola,
11:39soy, cottonseed, rapeseed etc.
11:43Vegetable oils are highly unstable and they become oxidised, which kills brain cells.
11:49Saturated Fat
11:50I recommend replacing the vegetable oils with some more stable fats that contain shorter
11:56chained fatty acids like virgin coconut oil, or grass fed butter.
12:02Saturated fats contain butyrate and MCT's which directly feed brain cells with an alternative
12:08fuel source.
12:09This new fuel source actually bypasses damaged tissues and helps damaged brain cells to repair
12:16and recycle themselves.
12:19Low Carb
12:20Follow a healthy version of the ketogenic diet and cut your carbohydrates down periodically
12:26to less than 50g a day.
12:28This reduces neuroinflammation, improves blood flow, memory, concentration, thinking and
12:34sleep.
12:36Choline
12:37Start eating more foods rich in choline like egg yolks, organ meats, fish and blueberries.
12:42This is a raw material nutrient used by your body to build acetylcholine, a very important
12:49neurotransmitter needed for proper brain function.
12:54Magnesium L-3inate
12:55If you suffer from severe stress, anxiety, sleep problems or depression, I highly recommend
13:02taking a form of magnesium that can cross the blood brain barrier called magnesium L-3inate.
13:09Ideally you want around 3000mg per day spread out into 3 doses.
13:15This has been shown to enhance learning and promote the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus.
13:22Summary
13:23Your brain uses 20% of all of the energy in your body, and needs exercise and the right
13:29nutrients to work properly.
13:31If you're eating too many junk foods, you can't sleep, you're chronically stressed
13:36or you have poor circulation, your brain may not be getting what it needs, so it begins
13:41to shrink and neurons begin to die.
13:44You can boost your brain health by getting more exercise, taking nootropics like MindLab Pro or Magnesium L-3inate
13:52and avoid inflammatory foods to bring down your blood sugar.
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