Why Your Mental Health Is Not as Important as Your Brain

The underappreciated science of holistic brain care and why it is more important than you may imagine

How recently have you performed a thorough MOT on your brain?

No, even though it's definitely worthwhile, I'm not inquiring about your mental health checkup. The amazing three-pound cosmos between your ears that is presently translating these jumbled signals into meaningful ideas is your own brain.

We have a tendency to use the terms "brain health" and "mental health" interchangeably, much like how people mistake Marmite for Vegemite, which is a major transgression in any respectable British home. This well-meaning confusion has taken us in a direction that is pretty restrictive.

The Ignored Difference

Despite its importance, mental health is just one facet of brain function; it would be like saying Wimbledon is only about strawberries and cream. On the other hand, your brain is the all-encompassing biological organ that controls everything from your mental health to whether you remember to get milk on the way home—something you've, let's face it, forgotten three times this week.

Brain health includes:

Function of the nervous system: The way neurons fire and are physically wired determines how well your ideas move.

Vascular well-being: Your brain cells are very dependent on oxygen and nutrients, which are delivered by the extensive network of blood arteries.

The ability of your brain cells to tolerate stress and bounce back from injury is known as cellular resilience.

Balance of biochemistry: The complex mixture of hormones, neurotransmitters, and other chemicals that affect mood, memory, and other aspects of life

Mental health: Indeed, even if it's just one room in this amazing home.

The Significance of This Distinction

Although it is admirable, our communal emphasis on mental health has unintentionally led to a pretty unbalanced approach to our general well-being. It's similar to being fixated on a single violinist's performance while disregarding the symphony as a whole.

Think about Sarah, a 42-year-old lawyer who has been dealing with anxiety and mental haze. She observed some relief in her anxiety after months of mental health treatment (think restructuring, breathing techniques, etc.), but she still had trouble focusing and remembering things.

Why? Because no one had bothered to evaluate her sedentary lifestyle (her Fitbit had stopped counting steps out of boredom), her vitamin B12 levels (woefully insufficient), or her sleep quality (dreadful owing to undiagnosed sleep apnoea).

Sarah's concentration on mental health alone was insufficient to address the needs of her brain, the real physical organ.

The Scientific Information (Without Sleeping You Down)

Numerous mental health disorders have underlying physical brain health components, according to the developing area of nutritional psychiatry:

Depression-like symptoms may be brought on by brain inflammation.

Vascular health has a direct effect on emotional stability and cognitive function.

The makeup of the gut microbiota affects the synthesis of neurotransmitters.

Everything from emotional control to learning ability is impacted by the quality of sleep.

In summary, even though both have a role to play, your brain is paying far more attention to your body than it is to your therapist.

Useful Brain Care for Ordinary People

For those of us without medical degrees or unrestricted time for self-care, what does maintaining good brain health look like? It is really much simpler than you would think:

Intelligence in Nutrition: Your brain is quite particular about the fuel it uses. Antioxidants, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids are not only glitzy supplements; they are essential components of neurotransmitters and brain cell membranes. The Mediterranean diet is fantastic for your neurons and isn't only for vacations.

Even the reluctant kind of movement: That sensation after physical activity that is between a sense of success and a fear of death? Increased cerebral blood flow does just that, bringing high-quality oxygen to areas of your brain that have been begging for it while you've been slumped over your laptop.

The Right Kip Your brain effectively manages its maintenance crew when you get enough sleep, removing waste from cells, reorganizing memories, and regulating neurotransmitters. Sleep is when your brain does its most advanced cleaning, not when you're lazy.

New Difficulties: When you learn anything new, new connections are made in your brain. Novelty is neuronal fertilizer, whether it's learning Portuguese, trying to comprehend cricket rules (which many people will never fully grasp), or eventually perfecting sourdough bread.

Relationship (The Human Kind): In addition to being pleasant, social engagement is neurologically required. Stronger brain networks, better vascular health, and less inflammation are all benefits of meaningful human connection. That night of the pub quiz is, in fact, brain upkeep.

A Broader Perspective

All of this does not lessen the significance of mental health services. Practices for emotional wellness, mindfulness, and therapy are still crucial. However, putting them in the larger framework of overall brain health results in a more successful strategy for mental and emotional well-being.

We may make better decisions about our general health when we realize that our ideas, emotions, and behaviors are influenced by the physical state of our brains. Sometimes, mental health issues are signals from your brain that it requires more thorough care than merely psychological treatments.

So maybe we should start asking, "How are you feeling?" as well as, "How is your brain doing?" It may be the most crucial MOT you plan to do this year.

After all, those amazing three pounds of cerebral real estate between your ears are responsible for everything you perceive, including the smell of your morning coffee, your existential musings at midnight, and your memory of your anniversary.

Wouldn't it be worthwhile to spend in the maintenance?