I’m a neuroscientist: Do these 5 things to keep your brain sharp

You don’t have to be a brainiac to take this advice.

A neuroscientist has gone viral on TikTok after revealing five essential activities that keep the human brain healthy.

Cody Isabel — who frequently shares tips and tricks under the social media handle the clip to his account last week, where it racked up more than 1.4 million views.

Isabel — who graduated college with a neuroscience degree in 2018 — declared that keeping a consistent sleep schedule was the most important activity for a person looking to preserve brain function.

“I don’t care if it makes me a grandpa,” he stated. “Less hours of sleep equals less hours of life.”

The expert didn’t divulge how many hours of sleep people should get each night, but recent research revealed that too much shut-eye can actually be as detrimental to cognitive function as having not enough sleep.

#fyp

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A Washington-state study found that people who slept less than 4.5 hours a night, and those who slept more than 6.5 hours each night had a greater risk of cognitive decline over time.

Next, Isabel stated that practicing meditation was “the easiest way” to protect the brain, saying that “meditation calms the mind and decreases anxiety and depression.” He recommended at least 10 minutes each day in order to see a cognitive benefit.

Additionally, the neurologist said eliminating liquor was key for cognitive function.

“Alcohol inflames your brain directly and depresses you,” Isabel explained.

His assertion jibes with a 30-year study that looked at the brains of 550 middle-aged Brits, which found that those who drank more alcohol had a greater risk of hippocampal atrophy — a form of brain damage that affects memory and spatial navigation.

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Meanwhile, Isabel said a daily workout was also crucial to long-term cognitive health, claiming a workout decreases brain inflammation, which causes brain fog, and increases neuroplasticity, which is the ability to learn.

But while Isabel’s first four activities — sleep, meditation, exercise and limiting alcohol — may have been expected, his fifth recommendation came as a surprise.

The neurologist encouraged people to practice becoming more actively decisive, saying: “Our brains are made to decide things and act things and we learn through failure.”

He claimed that the process of “act, assess, adjust” helped improve overall brain health.

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Thousands of viewers responded to the video, which elicited a mixed reaction.

“Started meditating during the Covid pandemic and it changed my life,” one fan stated.

Other commenters, however, insisted that Isabel’s advice was not practical.

“Let’s go over this list again when you have kids,” a peeved parent asserted.

Meanwhile, another self-deprecatingly added: “I’m an insomniac who has constant anxiety, binges alcohol on the weekend and doesn’t exercise.”