always think about taking care of our brains the  way we take care of our bodies. We tend to focus  

on other parts of the body and overlook the brain  which is responsible for all bodily functions.  

Take a look at some of these daily habits  that are doing serious damage to your brain.

1. Consuming too much sugar Include brain damage to the things we  

already associate with a high sugar intake like  type 2 diabetes, dental cavities and obesity.  

So you may be asking; How does taking  too much candy affect your brain?  

Taking sugar in excessive amounts for a long  period of time messes with the body's ability  

to absorb proteins and nutrients. This might  consequently lead to malnutrition which deters  

brain development. This happens because the  body lacks enough nutrients in the bloodstream  

and therefore is unable to deliver  sufficient nutrients to the brain,  

which then deters its growth and development. Eating too many sweets can damage your memory  

and ability to think, so sticking to alternatives  like anti-oxidant-rich sweets like dark chocolate  

and raspberries would be a much better choice  for both your brain and your waistline.

2. Not getting enough sleep Insufficient sleep is a huge  

problem for many busy professionals. Depriving  oneself of sleep can result in several issues  

such as extreme daytime drowsiness, depression  and impaired memory. Recent studies reveal that  

not getting enough sleep can actually decrease  the size of your brain. The hippocampus is  

the part of the brain that suffers when you  don't get enough sleep. Even a single night  

of inadequate sleep can interfere with the  brain's ability to recall new information. 

A number of studies have shown that the brain  cleanses itself of toxics only during the sleep  

cycle. Lack of sleep can also cause the death  of brain cells which slows down your thinking,  

impairs your memory, concentration, judgement  and decision making and hinders learning.

3. Playing loud music with earphones or headphones People naturally tend to crank up the volume. It  

makes the music sound more fun and immersive.  If you constantly listen to music at a very  

high volume with your earphones or headphones  you should stop doing it because it can damage  

your hearing. But it's not just your ears  that are affected. Hearing loss in older  

people is connected to brain problems such  as loss of brain tissue and Alzheimer's. 

When your brain has to make an extra effort to  understand what someone's saying it can't store  

what you've heard into memory. So protect your  hearing by adjusting the volume of your earphones  

for it's a great way to preserve your hearing  and permits your brain to function better. 

Headphonesty.com suggested one to test  to ensure your volume is not too loud.  

The digital headphone magazine recommends that one  should take off their headphones, keeping them at  

your preferred volume and then hold them out in  front of you at arm's length. If you can hear the  

music clearly then you should try turning it down  and repeating the process. They also said that  

you should aim to take regular breaks throughout  the day to give your ears enough time to relax.

4. Skipping breakfast Many people choose to skip  

breakfast probably because they're on a diet or  to save time. Not many people know that missing  

breakfast could damage your brain. The body  needs enough nutrients after a good night's  

sleep and so skipping breakfast denies  the brain of these essential nutrients. 

A Japanese study of over 80,000  subjects over a period of 15 years  

revealed that participants who frequently  skipped breakfast increased their chances  

of having a stroke and high blood pressure.  Another study showed that children who took  

breakfast on a regular basis perform much  better in school than those who don't.  

Skipping breakfast lowers blood glucose levels  which adversely affects the brain's functioning.  

So before you leave your house in the  morning, remember to have a bite to eat.

5. Eating too much food Overindulging in food makes us gain weight,  

feel boated and increases our chances of having  life threatening diseases. But one fact that you  

might be unaware of is that it can  also do serious damage to your brain.  

It hardens the brain arteries hence harming  our mental capabilities. Studies have shown  

that a prolonged high-calorie diet can in fact  increase a person's risk of developing memory loss  

or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) later in life. A study published in the journal Neurology in 2012  

examined 6,000 people who  were 50 years old on average.  

The same participants were examined a decade  later, and the ones who were overweight had a 22%  

higher deterioration of their cognitive functions  as compared to their slimmer counterparts.

6. Sleeping with your head under the cover Oxygen is very essential for normal brain  

functioning. The less air you inhale,  the poorer your brain functions.  

A situation you create where you breathe in  less than 20.95% of oxygen is when you sleep  

with a blanket or comforter over your head. Is it all warm and cosy when you bury yourself  

under the covers? Certainly. Does it help  to decrease the annoying effects of too  

much light or sound first thing in the morning? Of  course it does. But it will result in an elevated  

intake of carbon dioxide which means you're  increasing the risk of damaging your brain cells.

7. Multitasking You've probably heard  

that multitasking has a negative effect on your  productivity. It turns out that doing this also  

scrambles your brain and makes you less effective. A neurologist at MIT and one the world's experts  

when it comes to divided attention, Earl Miller  said that our brains are not wired to multitask  

well. When people think they're multitasking  they're actually switching from one activity  

to the other real quick. And every time they  do there's a cognitive cost. The habit of  

multitasking also increases the stress hormone  cortisol as well as the fight or flight hormone  

adrenaline which can overstimulate your brain  and can cause mental fog or scrambled thinking. 

Researchers at Stanford University have  discovered that people who are bombarded  

with multiple streams of digital information  regularly have more pronounced problems recalling  

information and paying attention when compared  to people who complete one activity at a time.

8. Inadequate water intake The body is made up of approximately 70% of water,  

so it's vital to every bodily function  including brain function. When your brain  

is functioning on a full reserve of water, you  will be able to think faster, be more focused,  

and experience greater clarity and creativity. Water is also essential for delivering nutrients  

to the brain and for eliminating toxins. When the  brain is fully hydrated, the exchange of nutrients  

and toxins will be more efficient—thus ensuring  better concentration and mental alertness. 

The effect dehydration has on the brain is  almost immediate with researchers saying  

that even two hours of intense exercise without  water can cause a cognitive decline. Studies also  

show that dehydration had the most impact  on functions like complex problem-solving,  

coordination and attention. The brain needs sufficient water  

to think faster and focus better. So it's very  important that you stay hydrated all the time.  

Drinking water benefits both your body and  brain enabling them to function better.

9. Smoking This is most likely the  

most harmful habit that indulging in it has  on your brain. Smoking not only causes lung  

diseases or even heart disease, but it also has  a lot of negative effects on your brain. Smoking  

damages cell membranes and neural viability in  certain areas of the brain that manage balance,  

coordination and both fine and gross motor skills.  Not only that, but it also thins the cortex where  

processes such as language, memory and perception  occur. It can also lead to problems like dementia,  

Alzheimer's and maybe even death. Smoking  excessively causes neuroinflammation indirectly,  

which can cause an autoimmune disorder  known as Multiple Sclerosis or MS.

10. Consuming alcohol

Alcohol begins affecting a person's brain the  moment it enters the bloodstream. For someone  

who is healthy, the liver quickly filters the  alcohol, helping the body get rid of it. However,  

when someone drinks excessively, the liver  cannot filter the alcohol fast enough,  

and this triggers immediate changes in  the brain; often known as getting drunk. 

Alcohol causes chemical imbalances when consumed  for longer periods of time and larger quantities.  

Brain volume also decreases  due to chronic alcohol intake.  

There are some subtle differences in how  brain damage occurs in men and women,  

but regardless of gender, loss of brain matter  increases with age and amount of alcohol consumed.  

More than two units a day for men and one unit  a day for ladies is considered excess alcohol.

11. Working when sick If ever need an excuse  

to get out of work, well here's one. We often fall sick when we're overworked.  

If you continue working during an illness,  it's bound to take a toll on the brain's  

efficiency and this only adds to the stress. A certain study showed that participants who  

had developed a cold reported less alertness,  more negative moods and sluggish thinking. A  

second round of tests also revealed that they  reacted slowly and were slower at learning  

new information and completing tasks dealing  with verbal reasoning and semantic processing. 

When we're sick the body and the brain are already  working overtime to cope with the infection.  

Working while sick only adds to the burden  so take a break, relax and get better.

12. Not exercising Exercise affects the brain immensely.  

It increases your heart rate, which pumps more  oxygen to the brain. It also helps in the bodily  

release of a number of hormones, all of which  participate in aiding and providing a conducive  

environment for the growth of brain cells. Exercising is also known to decrease stress levels  

in the body and also increases mobility and makes  you more flexible. If you don't exercise enough,  

your mobility and motor skills begin  to decline in one way or another. 

Studies also show that exercise helps to keep  us younger by releasing endorphins which are  

happy hormones. All in all, exercise strengthens  your heart and your lungs, not just the brain.  

If you're concerned with the well-being  of your brain and the quality of your  

thinking either now or in the future you  need to learn to take care of your brain.  

A few changes to the way you're living your life  could go a long way in boosting your memory,  

learning, mental resilience and  the health of your brain overall.

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With that said, have a great day you  guy's and I'll see you in the next one.