Summary of the book "Biohack Your Brain" - By Kristen Willeumier

Key Concepts in this book:

1. The brain is both complicated and necessary for human survival.
2. Brain growth is aided by good blood circulation throughout life.
3. Berries and shellfish have been shown to protect the brain from cognitive deterioration.
4. A happy brain is well hydrated.
5. Your mind will be healthier and stronger if you give it a mental workout.
6. Breathing exercises might assist you in overcoming stress.
7. Negative thoughts cause the brain to rewire itself — for the worse.

Who can benefit the most from this book:

• Thinkers and tinkerers.
• The stressed and anxious.
• Self-improvers.

What am I getting out of it? Six simple steps to a healthier brain

Descartes, a French philosopher, compared the human brain to a hydraulic mechanism. Scientists later compared it to a telephone. It was also compared to a computer later on.

Kristen Willeumier, an American neuroscientist, compares the brain to a high-performance sports vehicle. If you want your brain to run smoothly, you must provide it with regular maintenance and high-quality fuel.

Of course, the brain isn't a machine. It is fueled by blood and sugar; it thrives when hydrated and shrivels when dehydrated. However, the metaphor is valuable.

She argues that in order to get the most out of this magnificent organ, we need to investigate what's going on beneath the hood. That's the most effective way to discover problems, make timely repairs, and avoid blowouts down the line. And that's exactly what we'll be teaching you in this summary.

• You'll also discover how walking can help you be more creative.
• What blueberries and sardines have in common.
• And why taking a deep breath or five can help you avoid brain damage.

1. The brain is both complicated and necessary for human survival.

The human brain is a bewilderingly complicated machine.

Hundreds of billions of messages are transferred between brain cells known as neurons every second. This neural activity produces real electricity, enough to light a low-wattage light bulb. If you give it 70 hours, your brain will be able to charge a smartphone.

The brain also retains a large amount of information. It has the equivalent of 2.5 million gigabytes of digital memory on average. You could watch TV for three centuries if all that storage space was eaten up by recordings of television shows.

The brain, on the other hand, isn't just a passive storage device. From the loftiest thinking to the slightest movement, it controls every aspect of your conscious and unconscious life.

The main point here is that the brain is as complicated as it is necessary for human survival.

There are 100 billion neurons in the adult brain. Each of these brain cells is linked to around 10,000 additional cells. Synapses are gaps in the network that allow neurons to transfer or convey messages to one another. There are approximately 100 trillion unique connections between neurons in total.

That's more than 1,000 times the number of stars in our galaxy, to put it in context. The brain is the "most intricate object in the known cosmos," according to scientist Michio Kaku.

Neuronal activity in the brain now controls everything you do, including your physical, mental, and emotional functions.

Some operations are carried out on purpose. For example, deliberate cognitive acts include what you say and how you say it. Others are completely automated. Even if you aren't aware of it, your heart rate is regulated. Because neurons fire messages across synapses, both types of operations are feasible.

By "translating" sensory stimuli, the brain coordinates these actions.

The external world is sensed by the eyes, ears, noses, and tongues, but the brain is in charge of what you see, hear, smell, and taste. The spinal cord, the second component of the central nervous system, transmits this information from the body to the brain (the first component is the brain itself). New messages are generated once this information has been processed, allowing your body to undertake conscious and unconscious processes.

In a nutshell, a brain is an essential tool, which is why you must take care of it. It operates best when it's kept clean, sharp, and well-honed, just like a knife.

So, how do you go about doing that? That's exactly what this concept will be about.

2. Brain growth is aided by good blood circulation throughout life.

The brain isn't set in stone; it changes all the time.

As part of the natural ageing process, adults lose millions of brain cells every day. However, some people lose more than others. This process is accelerated by stress, drugs, alcohol, and sickness.

The bad news is this. Here's where the silver lining comes in.

Scientists previously believed that lost cells could not be replaced, however new neuroscientific research contradicts this belief. Adults continue to develop new brain cells long into their sixties, seventies, and even eighties, according to new research. That doesn't happen on its own, though; you must assist in the process.

The main point is this: Brain growth is aided by good blood circulation throughout life.

In recent decades, our understanding of the brain has advanced by leaps and bounds.

Take, for example, neuroplasticity. We now know that the structure of the brain changes throughout time as a result of our experiences. New neural circuits arise in the areas of the brain linked with fine hand movement if you practice the violin every day, for example.

Then there's neurogenesis, which is the process of producing new brain cells. The hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped structure in the brain's inner regions that regulate memory and learning, experiences this expansion. Simple modifications in daily behaviours can increase neuron growth, which is fascinating.

However, before we get to that, let's talk about blood circulation.

Although the brain only accounts for 2% of total body weight, it consumes roughly 20% of the body's blood supply. What is the reason for this? Blood, on the other hand, transports oxygen and glucose, or sugar, the fuel required to keep all those neurons going. Blood circulation also flushes out dangerous particles like amyloid-beta protein, which has been related to Alzheimer's disease development.

In a nutshell, adequate circulation is essential for cognitive function and overall wellness. If you're experiencing brain fog or difficulty concentrating, inadequate circulation likely is to cause.

Fortunately, minor hacks go a long way in this situation.

Taking a walk is one possibility. Exercise has been linked to increased creativity and the creation of new ideas because short bursts of movement increase blood circulation to the brain. Do your brain a favour and take a brisk walk around the block or around your workplace the next time you hit a mental snag.

Make sure you're sitting up straight with your shoulders back and your neck long when you return to your workstation. The simplest technique to keep blood flowing to your brain is to do so.

3. Berries and shellfish have been shown to protect the brain from cognitive deterioration.

Dementia affects one out of every 10 persons over the age of 65, according to the World Health Organization. This equates to about 50 million people worldwide.

The problem is escalating as well. As the world's population ages, that figure is expected to triple by 2050.

Because there are few effective therapies, prevention is essential. That makes sense because cognitive loss occurs years or decades before the development of diseases like Alzheimer's. Small modifications add up over time, protecting you from devastating neurological illnesses.

But what type of changes are we talking about? Now is the moment to discuss food and its effects on the brain.

The main point is this: Berries and shellfish have been shown to protect the brain from cognitive deterioration.

The scientific data is unambiguous when it comes to diet. You're more likely to live a longer, more active life if you eat well.

The counsel of nutritionists is very self-evident. Consume plenty of veggies and legumes, whole grains over processed carbohydrates, and dairy, meat, and sugar in moderation. When you add nuts, seeds, and olive oil to the mix, you've got a diet that'll benefit your general health.

Pretty far, everything has been so straightforward. How about the brain in particular? Let's take a closer look at two dietary groups that have been demonstrated to improve cognitive health and function.

The results of a 20-year dietary study of 16,000 persons aged 70 and older were released in 2012 by Harvard Medical School researchers. They discovered that people who ate berries regularly had considerably slower rates of cognitive deterioration than those who didn't. The gap might be as much as 2.5 years in some circumstances.

These findings were ascribed to the exceptional antioxidant qualities of berries, which are chemicals that prevent inflammation and cell damage in the central nervous system. Eat at least two pieces of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, or blackcurrants every week to reap the advantages of these brain-boosting fruits.

Then there's the topic of good fats. Given that the brain is 60 per cent fat, it's no surprise that dietary fat plays a role in cognitive function. Myelin sheaths, a layer of insulation around nerve fibres that allows neurons to carry signals rapidly and effectively, are made mostly of fat in the brain. Getting plenty of marine omega-3 fatty acids is the greatest method to safeguard this area of your brain. Two servings of "oily fish" and seafood each week, such as salmon, tuna, trout, mussels, oysters, herring, mackerel, or sardines are recommended.

4. A happy brain is well hydrated.

Like a high-performance sports car, your brain needs high-octane fuel to function correctly. Of course, it is water, not gasoline, that keeps your neurons working.

This is due to the fact that the brain is 75 per cent water by weight. It must remain at that level in order to perform efficiently. Water loss of even 1% of your body weight is like putting sand in the wheels – it clogs everything up. What's the end result? Fatigue, a loss of focus, and slower reaction times are all symptoms of this condition.

According to a Medical Daily research from 2013, however, three-quarters of all Americans are chronically dehydrated at any time. To put it another way, most people's brains aren't working as efficiently as they could be. Fortunately, the issue is simple to resolve.

The main takeaway is that a hydrated brain is a happy brain.

Water makes up 75% of the human brain, not milk, juice, iced tea, beer, or soda. To put it another way, if you want to keep your brain hydrated, you should drink simple H2O.

But how much is it? Let's start by dispelling an urban legend: even if you don't live in a hot and humid area, you should drink enough water.

That's because even while you're resting in a climate-controlled environment, your body expends a lot of water. Every day, you lose one cup of water simply by breathing. In urine and faeces, another six cups are excreted. Two glasses are added to the total due to perspiration.

When you don't replace the water you lose, your brain suffers. Mild dehydration causes fatigue and mental fog. Chronic dehydration can cause dizziness, short-term memory loss, irritability, splitting headaches, and blurred vision, among other symptoms.

Which takes us back to the crux of the matter: how much water is adequate to keep your brain functioning at its best? In a nutshell, it depends. You'll need more water if you spent the day cycling in the mid-summer heat than you would if you worked in a cold office. However, a reasonable rule of thumb is that men should drink seven to eight pints each day, while women should drink five to six pints. This equates to 3.7 litres and 2.7 litres, respectively. Your brain will appreciate you if you hit those targets.

5. Your mind will be healthier and stronger if you give it a mental workout.

Muscles change as a result of training. Lifting weights increases biceps size, swimming improves abdominal strength, and jogging increases quadriceps size.

Although the brain is not a muscle, it may be trained. Give your grey matter a good workout, and it will grow in strength. This can happen in a variety of ways.

Training on a regular basis rewires the brain, forming new connections between different areas of the neural network. That's what neuroplasticity is all about. Neurogenesis, or cell proliferation, is also aided by exercise.

However, there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to cognitive fitness. Workouts for distinct neurological "muscles" are required.

The main point is that if you give your mind a mental workout, it will get healthier and stronger.

What types of mental activities benefit your brain? It all depends on what you want to achieve. Let's begin with an intelligence-training workout.

We all have three different types of intellect, so intelligence isn't a single thing. For example, there's crystallized intelligence, which is the accumulation of knowledge, facts, and expertise. Fluid intelligence refers to your capacity to use logic to tackle unknown difficulties. Finally, emotional intelligence refers to your ability to handle social situations and interpersonal interactions.

Reading long-form narrative fiction enhances all three types of intellect, according to a landmark study published in the journal Science in 2013. This is because it works on multiple "muscles" at the same time. It expands your knowledge base, invites you to solve riddles, and teaches you to see the world through the eyes of others.

Do you want to improve your memory? Picking up a new word every day is your best bet. Learning words work the sections of your brain involved in visual, auditory, and memory processing, therefore having a big vocabulary is connected to higher cognitive efficiency.

Try getting creative if you want to grow new brain cells. Your hippocampus produces new neurons when you create stories, poetry, melodies, love letters, or journal entries. That's because creative pursuits force your brain to come up with fresh words and concepts. The tension, like lifting weights, indicates that your brain is working hard.

How about improving your attention span? Adults who frequently do jigsaw and sudoku puzzles have cognitive capacities comparable to those of people ten years younger, according to a 2019 study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychology. What is the reason for this? Simple: Unlike digital brain games, which normally have a time restriction, a difficult puzzle or numbers game can easily keep you engrossed for hours.

6. Breathing exercises might assist you in overcoming stress.

Stress is a natural psychological and physical reaction to danger and pressure.

When you're anxious, your brain produces biochemicals that are both physical and metaphorical survival tools. Adrenaline, for example, enables you to outrun predators and defend yourself against attackers. It's also what motivates you to work late at night to fulfil tight deadlines.

Stress, on the other hand, can be harmful to your health. It depletes your brain's cognitive abilities, stripping you of the tools you need to master obstacles.

The main point is this: Breathing exercises might assist you in overcoming stress.

Different types of stress exist. Regular stress, such as an adrenaline-fueled night of work to meet a deadline, wears on the brain, but it doesn't cause it to fall apart.

Chronic stress, on the other hand, is like driving a car cross-country with a frayed timing belt, leaking pipes, and a shot alternator: the engine will eventually blow up.

Stress is a killer from a neurobiological standpoint. It slows the formation of new cells, kills old neurons, and causes grey matter to shrink. It impairs your ability to think rationally in the near term. It raises the risk of degenerative diseases like dementia in the long run.

Stress, unfortunately, is a never-ending cycle. The "stress hormone," cortisol, causes the amygdala, an almond-shaped clump of neurons in the inner brain that connects emotions to memories and ideas, to grow in size. The amygdala grows in size as you get older, making you more apprehensive and vulnerable to stress. More cortisol is produced as a result of this.

You can, however, get out of this snare. Let's look at one of the most powerful stress-relieving techniques available: deep breathing. It quickly reduces cortisol levels and lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, allowing you to transition from crisis to calm in seconds. The best part is that it is simple to learn.

Close your eyes and place one hand on your stomach and the other over your heart to begin. Now take a deep breath through your nose and count to six while bringing the air down toward your stomach. Hold this breath for three counts before slowly exhaling while counting to six. Open your eyes and appreciate your new and calmer view of the world after five to ten repetitions of this exercise.

7. Negative thoughts cause the brain to rewire itself — for the worse.

Every day, we have approximately 60,000 thoughts, the majority of which are negative.

Take, for example, a Harvard University research from 2013. When researchers questioned individuals if they had more happy or negative thoughts, the majority responded they had more good ideas.

When they were asked to keep track of their thoughts, however, it was discovered that 60 to 70% of them were negative. According to follow-up research, that number could be as high as 90%.

What's going on here – are we just pessimistic by nature? Not at all. Indeed, new neuroscientific research indicates that negativity is detrimental to our mental and neurological health.

The main point here is that negative thoughts negatively rewire the brain.

Negative thoughts build negative brain pathways, and positive thoughts create positive neural pathways.

The amygdala, the brain's fear centre, grows larger as a result of this rewiring. As a result, we retain more negative memories as a result of our experiences, making us scared and worried in more circumstances. Negative thinking has also been linked to the shortening of protective caps called telomeres at the ends of chromosomes. The shorter this cap is, the more quickly the cells will age.

Negative thinking has psychological consequences that are just as severe. Our emotions are shaped by our thoughts, and our emotions drive our decision-making. We are more likely to make bad situations worse if we "train" our brains to be negative. After all, pessimism frequently entails ignoring opportunities for improvement.

So, how can you stay away from the traps of negative thinking?

Recording your internal chatter is a wonderful place to start. Keep a notebook and write down as many thoughts as you can, particularly those that cause you to shift your attitude. Reread your journal after a week and look for patterns. Are you convincing yourself that you'll always be alone or that you'll never get a new career, for example? Do they happen in specific situations, such as at work, or with specific people, such as select friends?

Write down all the reasons why a typical negative thought could be accurate once you've identified it. Now make a list of all the reasons you think it's wrong. Assume you're terrified of being alone all the time. Well, you might meet someone tomorrow, form a new life-defining friendship, or choose to live with your family at this time in your life.

Negative thoughts lose their sting when approached in this rational way. It's not always reality that brings you down; more often than not, it's an emotional overreaction. Remember that the next time one of those nagging thoughts crosses your mind, and you'll start to feel a lot better about things!

The most important message sent by this summary is that the brain is one of the most complex objects on the planet. It is also our most valuable asset, as it regulates everything from our heartbeat to our conscious thoughts and behaviours. It may be capable of a great deal on its own, but we must not take it for granted; we must care for it. How? You'll be well on your way to neurological health if you eat a brain-friendly diet, drink plenty of water, exercise your grey cells on a regular basis, and practice stress-relieving breathing techniques.

Here's some more advice that you can put into practice:

Keep a close eye on your own hydration.

The importance of hydration in cognitive performance cannot be overstated. Your brain just cannot function correctly without water. As we've seen, different amounts of water are required for different people to fulfil their goals. You're sufficiently hydrated if your urine is a pale straw hue or clear. You're dehydrated and need to drink water if it's darker than light honey.