This week is brain awareness week. This is a global campaign to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science (Brain Awareness, 2019).
According to Brain Australia (2017), our brain is one of the largest and more complicated organs in the human body intertwined by a hundred billion nerves.
According to Healthline (2017), here’s some fun facts about your brain:
- About 75% of the brain is made up of water. This means that dehydration can have a negative effect on the brain functions;
- An adult brain weighs about 1.5kg;
- Headaches are caused by a chemical reaction in your brain, combined with the muscles and nerves of your neck and head;
- Dreams are believed to be a combination of imagination, phycological factors an neurological factors – this proves that your brain is working even when you are sleeping;
- The brain can’t feel pain, rather it interprets pain signals sent to it;
- A brain freeze happens when you eat or drink something cold which chills the blood vessels and arteries in the very back of your throat, including the ones that take blood to your brain. These constrict when they’re cold and open back up when they’re warm again, causing pain in your forehead;
- The human brain begins to lose some memory abilities as well as cognitive skills by your late 20s;
- Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen and blood in your body;
The Brain Foundation suggests the following pointers to maintain a healthy brain:
- Exercise and challenge your brain;
- Nourish your brain with a healthy diet, drink alcohol in moderation;
- Enjoy physical activity;
- Make “safety first” a priority – wear a helmet, drive safely, take any head injury seriously;
- Learn to manage stress and depression;
- Relax and sleep well;
- Have regular checks for blood pressure, diabetes, heart rate, cholesterol;