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YOUR BRAIN IS IN YOUR HANDS
The tips on this page apply whatever your age, from young child to elderly person.The photos above show this advice being put into action in my family!
At the bottom of the page, you can take my "FLOURISH TEST" and you are welcome to print and copy it for your pupils (but please keep the full copyright citation clearly visible).
Two Facts and Three Principles to help you understand how to get the most from your brain
Fascinating Fact 1
- Suggested conclusion: try to get plenty of good quality sleep. In the modern, high-pressured world we have often neglected sleep. Many creative people find that relaxing time spent dozing is also useful.
Important Principle 1 - Use it or Lose it ...
Your brain works on a principle of "use it or lose it": generally, you lose most neurons (nerve cells) and connections in areas that you use least.
- Suggested conclusion: use it! Exercise all your brain areas by doing a variety of activities, mental and physical. For example: sport, music, crafts, dancing, writing, reading, mental maths, hobbies, sudoku, thinking ...
Fascinating Fact 2
London taxi drivers, who spend years learning huge amounts of information of one sort in order to pass The Knowledge, have an unusually large area in part of the hippocampus (important in learning and memory). But another area of their hippocampus is unusually small. The question is: what are London cabbies bad at? Don’t answer that, please!- Suggested conclusion: when we spend too much time on one skill, we may lose out in another way. So, don’t over-focus on one skill - you can’t be brilliant at everything.
Important principle 2: protect
When brains cells are damaged (for example, by alcohol, drugs, injury) they do not repair. This makes them different from other cells. Doctors cannot grow you new brain cells.
- Suggested conclusion: don’t get drunk or take unnecessary drugs. Although you don’t need all your brain cells, it makes sense to look after the ones you’ve got.
Important principle 3: fuel
- Suggested conclusion: eat a good breakfast including protein (eg eggs or beans, and milk); do the same for lunch. Don’t become too hungry: snack on some of the suggested foods below. Drink plenty of "good liquid" (Any drink that’s not too high in sugar, not fizzy and not alcohol.)
Brain foods
Our brain needs the same varied diet as the rest of our body. But there are some special things which may have extra benefits. I discovered that when I included more protein (eg eggs, beans, fish or chicken) in my breakfast and lunch, my concentration improved hugely, I stopped feeling sleepy in the afternoons, AND I stopped craving chocolate or biscuits. There are details of this in Know Your Brain.
Some research shows special benefits to the brain of the following foods. I must stress that this is not proven, but I am certainly incorporating these into my diet when I can. (The oily fish / omega oils advice IS now more or less established).
- Oily fish - for its omega oils. eg salmon, mackerel and tuna (not tinned tuna, as this loses its omega content when tinned, but salmon doesn’t). NB many seed oils contain omega oils, but our bodies do not absorb these as well as the oil in oily fish
- Olive oil, flaxseed oil, hemp oil etc - see note above
- Blueberries - especially blueberries and cranberries (including dried ones)
- Nuts - especially brazil nuts
- Seeds - any, but especially pumpkin seeds
- Wholegrains - they contain protein, slow-release carbs, AND various minerals. Choose wholegrain bread, for example
- Eggs
- Yogurt - I find that eating yogurt after breakfast and lunch benefits my concentration and energy levels significantly. It also satisfies any craving for something sweet.
How to make your brain FLOURISH
I have a way of remembering how to make your brain FLOURISH. If you incorporate these things every day you will be doing your brain a great favour.
F - food (the right sort at the right time)
L - liquid (the right sort at the right time)
O - oxygen (get a bit of exercise and fresh air)
U - use it (a variety of activities to exercise all parts)
R - relaxation (don’t work too hard!)
I - interest (brains like interesting and new things)
S - sleep (brain learn and practise while asleep)
H - happiness (brains learn better when happy)
Now, take the FLOURISH TEST.
If you would like to print and copy it for pupils or family, do. However, the words are my copyright and I get no income from this website so you must always include the copyright notice at the end.
HOW MANY TIMES have you done these things in the last 24 hours:
1. Read a book (at least 10 minutes) .......
2. Read something out loud (at least 20 lines) .......
3. Done some maths without a calculator .......
4. Been creative - with words, art or music .......
5. Played, taken part in or listened to music/song .......
6. Exercised so that you are out of breath (for 20 minutes) .......
7. Tried to learn or practise something new .......
8. Done something on purpose for relaxation .......
9. Taken part in a hobby .......
10. done something to help someone else .......
11. Done something on purpose for your own happiness .......
12. Had 8 hours sleep .......
13. Had a glass of water, juice (not fizzy) or tea .......
14. Made a healthy food choice .......
How did you do? Your score ........
18+ - Brilliant - you are doing a great job for your brain
15-17 - Well done - you have apretty healthy lifestyle for your brain. Keep it up!
12-15 - You are doing some good things for your brain but you could mke it even better.
10-12 - Not a disaster but could be better.
5-10 - Oh dear - you need to take control. This is not the way to a healthy brain which will enable you to do all the things you need to be the best you could be.
0-5 - this is not funny! You only have one brain and you are the only person who can look after it.
Whatever your score, your challenge is to increase it! However, don’t just drink lots of water ...
Your target: on each of numbers 1 - 12, try to score one point a day. On 13 and 14, aim for at least 4 a day.
Write down one way in which you will improve TOMORROW
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(Copyright 2007 Nicola Morgan, author of Know Your Brain and Blame My Brain)
Would you like to know more about the brain? Would you like your pupils or sons/daughters to understand their brains better? Then read Know Your Brain. And perhaps consider inviting me to visit your school or parent group. (See My Brainy Events)
Fascinating Facts about the Teenage Brain - taken from Blame My Brain
Did you know?
- 15-20% extra neurons are believed to grow in the early teenage years (starting on average at around age 10 for girls and 11 for boys?
- 15-20% are then lost during the next couple of years?
- some parts of the brain grow more slowly in teenage boys and some grow more slowly in teenage girls?
- dyslexic girls may find some improvement in reading and writing problems during and after puberty?
- young teenagers are less good than younger children and adults at recognising emotions in people’s faces?
- teenagers need more than 9 hours sleep a night, while 9-10 yearolds and adults need 8 (on average)
- the prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed until the early 20s - this is the area of the brain responsible for decision-making, controlling emotions, self-control, making moral judgements, predicting consequences.