Blood flow is critical to mental vitality, because blood carries oxygen and other nutrients that sustain healthy neurons. With a full 740 milliliters of blood circulating in the brain each minute, and even more during sleep … you see its significance.
Brain specialists tell us that when the brain’s blood flow is slowed or blocked people are in serious trouble. In fact blood flow can be a clue to demen
tia.
We’ve all learned more recently through mind-bending stories such as anchor Bob Woodruff’s recovery from brain damage suffered in
Luckily, medical miracles recently related to blood flow … promise incredible results that benefit all of us:
New technologies allow doctors to measure blood flow to the brain after injuries, for instance. When doctors can improve the blood flow to the brain, during times of injury, we’re told that people have a far greater chance of recovery.
In normal brains, blood flow also regulates pain control, moods, and cravings. If steady blood flow to the brain is key to healthier mental operations … it makes sense to support its regular supply. A brain can survive 4 minutes without oxygen before serious damage results, and too much flow to certain areas of the brain can cause problems. Chinese acupuncture, for instance, reduces blood in ways that increase endorphins, the brain’s natural pain-relieving chemicals.
Did you know that blow flow is slowed or speeded by what you do in a normal day:
1. Certain drugs or even caffeine tend to constrict blood vessels, so that headaches may be relieved.
2. Exercise increases a normal healthy blood flow to the brain and increase alertness.
3. Foods such as fish, blueberries, and almonds add nutrients to be delivered the brain’s blood flow.
4. Natural brain chemicals you generate by what you do in a day, fuel your brain’s blood flow and keep it working in your favor.
Since the brain cannot store oxygen or blood sugar, we need to act daily in ways that bring these fuels. What do you do to keep blood flowing well to your brain?
The importance of oxygenated blood to the brain is at the core of why it's hard to make good decisions when you're scared. Since the little furry forest critter that lives in your head can't tell the difference between an angry boss and a hungry saber-toothed tiger, it reacts the same way to both. "Fight or flight" kicks in. One consequence is that blood leaves the brain and heads for the large muscles that help you flee or duke it out. Result: your brain function declines. That's why the best disaster planning emphasizes putting simple, step-by-step procedures in place that don't require much brain power when they have to be implemented.
Posted by: Wally Bock | December 16, 2007 9:09 AM | Permalink to Comment