8 Everyday Activities That Sabotage Your Brain

When you want to take your creative output and productivity to the next level, there are a host of different ways to do it. What’s surprising however, is just how many of your daily habits are actually undoing all of that hard work. Here’s 8 things you need to stop, if you’re to get the most out of your brain.

1. Leaving early and not eating a proper breakfast

Your body’s circadian rhythm is a carefully tuned process, and one that you don’t want to mess up. If you wake up late or skip breakfast, you throw it out of sync. If you want to see how breakfast boosts your memory, just try eating some slow release carbs for the next 7 days. Here’s 3 great choices you can make at breakfast time:

• Porridge made with coconut milk
• Wholegrain toast with organic peanut butter
• Scrambled egg on brown bread

The great thing about these healthy choices, is they drip feed energy to your brain until lunchtime.

2. Not sleeping enough the night before

If you lose an hour’s sleep it has the same impact as being jet lagged by an hour. You might not think it’s a big deal, but social jet lag is a real phenomenon that is sabotaging your brain.

Stick to the same core hours of sleep 7 days a week, and taper your water intake in the evenings so you sleep right through.

“I really notice when I miss a couple of hours sleep, it has such an impact on my creativity. To stay at the top of my game, I keep to the same sleep pattern on the weekends, as I do during the week” — says Sarah Walton, Line Manager at Grab My Essay

3. Smoking cigarettes

Cigarettes aren’t just bad for your lungs and heart, they also have a serious impact on the way your brain works. By decreasing the oxygen supply to key regions of the brain, longterm use can impair brain function, reduce concentration levels, and generally just slow you down.

If you can’t face going cold turkey and cutting them out entirely overnight; aim to smoke one less cigarette each day, until you’ve kicked the habit.

4. Sugar-rich foods that cause spikes and crashes

So many people rely on energy drinks and sugary snacks, and ignore the healthy alternatives that are out there. The problem with sugar highs, is they cause just as rapid sugar lows where your energy levels feel like they’ve plummeted through the floor. Take a look at these healthy alternatives when you fancy an energy-boosting snack at work:

• A handful of nuts will provide the essential oils which kickstart key brain functions
• A banana is a natural source of potassium and magnesium
• If you want something sweet, then an apple combines a small amount of natural sugars, with plenty of vitamins and minerals

5. Working longer and ignoring your social obligations

It’s a fact that socializing improves brain health, so why ignore it? The great thing about socializing is that it allows you to connect with new people, and experience different things. This gives your brain something else to think about, and it’s also the best way to build plenty of fun and laughter into your day.

As the endorphins are released into your blood stream, you’ll relax, feel your mood lift, and it can even help relieve pain.

6. Not self-diagnosing your stress triggers

Take a look at these reviews of essay writing services, and you’ll see that the writers are on top of their stress management. Working long hours is a necessity for many of us, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore other stress triggers. Here’s 3 ways you can tell if you’re letting stress get the better of you:

• You’ve lost your appetite and are regularly skipping meals when you know you need to eat
• You’re irritable and are having difficulty maintaining friendships and relationships
• You feel like you’ve lost your mojo and don’t get excited like you used to

If you’re experiencing any, or all, of the above, then you need to start looking for the triggers that are causing you to feel this way.

7. Drinking alcohol to excess

Getting drunk too often is terrible for your brain. Alcohol does all sorts of things, like lower your inhibitions and causes you to feel depressed, but it’s also a diuretic. This means that it will cause you to get dehydrated and leave you with a severe headache in the morning.

If you’re just 2% dehydrated, then your concentration levels will fall by as much as 20%.

8. Spending too much time mindlessly scrolling on your phone

The final thing that virtually all of us do, is spend far too long on our phones. Put your phone away when you get home for the evening, and you’ll be amazed at how much more you enjoy your time off.

“I use an app to limit my phone usage, especially when it comes to social media. It’s something that I swear by and would highly recommend” — says Lewis Duran, Brand Strategist at Top Essay Writing.

About the Author

Steven Mehler is a Psychology major with an interest in the science of the human brain. He’s written widely on cognitive processes, and innovative ways to improve them; and is also an editor at Ratedbystudents.

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