Must Read: How Your Brain Will Be Be Affected

In World Today, these are common things we do that can Damage our Brain so In order to experience a heightened state of brain function, make sure you avoid habits that inhibit mental health and learn new ways to promote brain function. Any positive change is sure to reflect in you, regardless of how many bad habits you have; so start by learning what kills your brain
.

Lack of sleep

Last night's late party makes it less likely you'll remember your new coworker's name the next day. "While some part of the brain takes a siesta when we sleep, deeper areas involved with memory and emotional response become relatively more active," says Allen Towfigh, MD, medical director of New York Neurology & Sleep Medicine. "Individuals with sleep deprivation and sleep disorders not only suffer from impaired memory but also daytime fatigue, impaired attention, and reduced reaction time." The standard recommendation of eight hours of sleep a night doesn't necessarily work for everyone. If you wake up fatigued and fall asleep unintentionally during the day, then you may need more sleep, says Dr. Towfigh.

Anxiety and depression

Worrying about an upcoming presentation in front of the CEO may also hinder your memory, several studies show. "We don't understand the exact link, but strong evidence indicates depression, anxiety, and bipolar disease disrupts the neural circuitry involved in developing and retrieving memories," says Dr. Towfigh. "The severity of the memory loss often mirrors the severity of the mood disorder—severe depression brings about equally severe memory loss." Prolonged periods of everyday stress increase cortisol levels in the brain, which causes our brain cells to lose synapses (the bridges that connect our brain cells to one another), and make it more difficult to create and retrieve memories. The good news is when memory loss exists with a mood disorder (including anxiety and depression), the memory loss is usually at least partially reversible. "As the individual's mood improves, often so does the memory loss," says Dr. Towfigh.

  Alcohol

Contrary to popular belief, alcohol doesn’t actually kill your brain cells, says David Sack, M.D., CEO of addiction-treatment company Elements Behavioral Health.
But hooch does alter levels of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that control your mood, perception, and behavior, he says.
Alcohol impairs brain areas such as the cerebellum—the control site for your balance and coordination—and your cerebral cortex, which is responsible for thinking, memory, and learning, says Kimberly S. Walitzer, Ph.D., deputy director of the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions.
Plus, University of Michigan researchers found the amygdala—an area of the brain involved in fear and anger—showed less of a reaction to threatening faces after a single drink, potentially explaining why you’re prone to risky behavior (like fighting a bouncer) under the influence

 

Smoking

• Smoking blocks the carotid artery. So, blood supply to the brain cells are cut off. This results in stroke, called cerebral thrombosis. Smokers’ risk of having a stroke is 1.5 times more than non-smokers.
• Smoking also leads to thickening and clotting of the blood.
• Smoking causes oxidative stress.

Smoking Myth

It’s a myth that smoking helps to concentrate and makes a smoker alert. In fact, the speed and accuracy of a smoker’s thinking ability becomes weak. Smoking also lowers down the smokers’ IQ. This fact has been established by a study conducted by University of Michigan researchers. Besides this smoking leads to many diseases and illness.
The researchers also confirmed that long-term smoking have harmful effects on memory, problem-solving, and IQ. In fact, they viewed that smoking diminishes the thinking ability of a person.

Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Smoking which changes the human brain, when quit can benefit the smoker. So, give up smoking and decrease your risk of having strokes.

High Blood Sugar

Overeating, poor memory, learning problems, depression- all these conditions were linked in a recent study to consumption of too much sugar. These effects point to a larger problem which health experts are only beginning to understand; how sugar consumption affects normal brain function. The U.S Department of Agriculture reports that the average American consumes 156 pounds of added sugar annually.
This sounds quite alarming especially when you picture what 156 pounds of sugar would look like on the shelves at your local grocery store. Most people have no idea how much sugar they consume because sugar is always present in our diet but health experts recommend a reduction in sugar intake, which you can do by avoiding food and drinks loaded with sugar.

Air Pollution

Your brain uses up significant amounts of oxygen in order to function properly- which can be a problem if you're constantly exposed to air pollutants. Polluted air impairs the supply of oxygen to the brain, which lowers cognitive function and could also cause actual physical changes to the brain. Air pollution is caused by industrial waste, vehicles, dust, etc, and the pollutants can reach deep areas of your organs, inhibiting proper function of your body.