PREVENT NEURODEGENERATION AND STAY SHARP INTO OLD AGE
Whenever we exposed to outer or inner stressors, our autonomous nervous system (ANS) activates the so-called “fight-or-flight-response” (sympathetic nerves activated). Our blood pressure rises and our muscles demand more sugar for imminent action, so our blood sugar levels rise as well as the pulsation of the heart increases to provide all tissues with the needed energy. We´re focused, active and alert. Our awareness narrows, we focus and all senses contract so that we can react fast. At the same time, our digestive- healing- and growth processes are paused until the imminent threat has passed or is dealt with. That makes sense as we can heal wounds and recover when we do not have to fight for our lives-first things first. A problem only occurs when the two systems are out of balance and remain in one for too long time.
Constant stress is a precursor for diseases
When we stay in the “fight-or-flight-response” and cannot regulate down for hours every day, we start to exhaust our energy and need deep recovery. Usually, the accumulated stress is released via physical exertion. But in our modern times, the daily stressors are camouflaged in foods (toxins) or manifest in non-physical stress as heavy workload, too much responsibilities, too many projects and social demands. Thus, the stress can even stretch out into our evenings and nights, resulting in poor sleep quality, which adds up to the stress as an own huge factor. This seemingly average lifestyle problem cannot be taken lightly as it has a destructive impact on our brain health. The constant elevated blood sugar levels deriving from our sympathetic activation can cause neurodegeneration and lead to early brain aging and dementia diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. These microinjuries may not show right away but they eat away your brain health slowly, promoting development of all neurodegenerative diseases. While we can handle a sleepless week or a tough month at work, we grind away our future health when constant stress is our normality.
How to Counter Brain Aging and Stress-Related Diseases
As stress is the main driver for constant hight blood pressure- and blood sugar levels, you can protect your brain with stress regulation and guaranteeing that your system can regulate down and recover enough. Your need good night sleep during the night and stress pauses during the day. To reduce the stress hormones to accumulate you can take 3 simple steps:
1. Eat Clean
To counter the poisoning effects of environmental toxins is a huge source of stress on a daily basis. The increasing number of additives and new chemicals in our food industry has driven chronic diseases to a maximum in the western countries. So, start to reduce everyday stress by taking care of a pure diet. Avoid inflammatory ingrediencies like taste enhancers or processed foods. They make our blood sour, stress the body and foster cancer. A golden rule and proven by medical research, is to eat fresh and green. Mediterranean nutrition has proven to be effective, meaning a lot of vegetables and a lot of fresh olive oil. This makes up an alkaline nutrition, which is the best measure to prevent cancer. You can add some herbal teas to your diet to increase the anti-inflammatory, pain regulating properties of your diet. Vegetables are rich in antioxidants and thus rejuvenating in nature and, of course, delicious.
Extra Health Advices for Women
For women in their middle age and older it is also highly recommended as a ketogenic nutrition is highly preventive for Alzheimer in women. With more years down the road, we women cannot digest glucose in the brain so well anymore and tend to lack brain energy while eating in the same way as ever. But another form of sugar can be well digested by the brain, which are ketones. A fat-based diet is strongly recommended. It also is a game changer in Diabetes type II. Latest Research Findings for Men
Ketogenic diet is recommended for men with diabetes type two. Alzheimer in Caucasian men is strongly related to Alzheimer´s disease which can be prevented by taking care of the adequate diet. As you treat your diabetes type II you also prevent your brain from early deterioration. It also protects your eyes and keeps your testosterone levels up.
2. Balance Your Stress with Physical Exercises
Stress with all the physical expressions is regulated not by our will, but automatically, without our consent needed. That is important, so we can react accordingly when the lion attacks us and not ponder about the right way to deal with the problem instead and get eaten while thinking or being in a creative flow. Our stress responses are good and needed for survival. But survival means fight or flight response, the activation of the sympathetic properties of our ANS. Your muscles receive a lot of energy for action, but in modern times that action is never performed in the adequate way. The stress is there but we´re sitting at the desk. The solution is a s simple as the functionality of a fight flight reaction. Move your body! Sports with muscle interaction, lifting weight, make yourself sweat. Whether you go to the gym or to a dance, play ball games with friends or immerse yourself into your all-alone Kungfu practice, your blood pressure has to get up, you need to feel the strain. Give everything! Your piled up readiness for action will be put to good use and help you sustain your health. Let your stress flow way with the sweat. With repeating exercises during the week your stress levels decline and endorphins and dopamine are released into you blood stream which makes you more resilient in body and mind as well as happy. You are not only satisfied and can be very proud of yourself but you also have invested in sustainable health and personal growth. You keep your body and most importantly your brain fresh and free from dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.
3. Self-Regulation – Gain Control Over Your Autonomic Nervous System
Stress gets regulated inside the body, inside our nervous system to be precise. When our ANS is held on the stress side for prolonged period of time, the system forgets how to relax. “Better don´t relax, it seems the threat will never subside. Sleep with an open eye and be ready anytime.” Is what our self-regulating system has learned. We will end up having a bad sleep quality, maybe even sleeping disorders, which leave us exhausted every day. That means you have difficulties to relax- relax body and mind. Your hormones are dysregulated and need harmonization. The easiest way to reach our automated processes is via the breath. Start regulating your ANS into balance with slow, deep and smooth diaphragmatic breathing. A simple measure to apply an external trigger for your autonomous nervous system to tell the body to relax and digest, heal, grow, clean, detox and replenish energy. The traditional exercise is easily done lying with the belly on the ground, arms crossed and head on the forearms. You expand the lower part of the lungs slowly and widely with inhalation so that your belly comes out and presses against the floor. This will train your diaphragm, you main breathing muscle, to support you again with healthy breathing offside the practice. This kind of breathing activates the down-regulating properties of the Vagal nerve, our belly brain-head brain-highway, and body and mind relax naturally. With everyday application you cannot only prevent but also effectively treat stress-related problems. Your autonomous nervous system is reset to default and healthy stress regulation. This will help you increase your sleep quality and put yourself into deep relaxation. Also, methods like Yoga Nidra or autogenic training are extremely effective but they all require a sound breathing to address the NS.
4. Remove Artificial Lifestyle Stressors from Your Life for Recovery
To regulate the ANS is easy and effective but whatever input is greater wins the battle of up or down-regulation. Remove artificial light and electric devices from your evenings to prepare yourself for a sound and healing night sleep. The frequencies of overhead lights and screens are brain-damaging and make our brain sour, which promotes degeneration and inflammatory processes. Depression, Alzheimer, ADHD and more neuronal problems are fostered by these harmful frequencies. They keep the brain from going through the nightly detoxification and from memory integration. We wake up exhausted, full of stress and with good reason to elevate the blood pressure and stress hormones right away. Break the cycle and come back to natural habits. Your brain will thank you with a sharp memory, high creativity and happiness.
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