Improve Your Brain!

As the population continues to age, more research is being conducted on how to keep our brains active and growing throughout our lives.  Tips abound, but here's some of the best suggestions for keeping your brain healthy:

Exercise:   Exercise increases our brain's ability to learn. Recent research even shows increased exercise grows brain cells and can reverse age-related brain cell loss (study was of older adults who walked 40 minutes a day three days a week).  Exercise also is good for heart health, decreased depression, leads to weight loss, and fosters social interaction.  So go for a walk, do crunches, lift weights, .....

Deep Breathing:   Doing as little as 20 minutes a day of meditation three times a week has been shown to cause changes in the amygdala, the area of the brain that regulates emotion (2012 study).  The changes seen in the brain could be correlated to more happiness and less depression.  So take a few minutes each day to simply breathe and observe your breath.  Let other thoughts go as you focus only on the now.

Learn something new:  A 2009 University of Oxford study showed new brain cell growth when people practiced juggling 30 minutes a day for 6 weeks.  The benefits suggested by the study include increased coordination and faster reflexes.  But learning anything (especially after exercising) is good for your brain.  So learn a language, a craft, or a new skill.

Recent research on improving sleep

Summarized below are three new studies that help us understand more about sleep.  Summaries below are draw from WebMed (www.webmd.com) research summaries and articles on sleep written by Dr. Micheal Breus, PhD, ABSM.

1.  The National Science foundation interviewed 1000 adults (ages 23-60) to determine the effects of exercise on sleep.  Respondents reported their physical activity for the week (vigorous, moderate, light, and no activity).  All respondents reported the same amount of sleep, but the more people exercised in the day time, the higher the quality of sleep (i.e. they felt more rested and refreshed when waking).  61% of the non-exercisers reported bad sleep (e.g. difficulty falling and staying asleep, difficulty falling back asleep, sleeping too little), and were more likely to report feeling sleepy during the day.  But perhaps most significant is that even those who only reported light exercise (e.g. 10 minute walk a day), reported better sleep than those who did no exercise.  Participants who exercised more reported improved sleep regardless of when during they day they exercised.

2.  A new study conducted by the University of California Berkeley suggests poor sleep may contribute to the lack of appreciation in couples.  Researchers studied 60 heterosexual couples between ages 18 and 56, asking them to record amount of sleep and their feelings of gratitude.  Results suggest that people tend to feel less appreciated by their partners if they slept poorly. In fact, when just one member of the couple slept poorly, both partners are negatively effected emotionally and have a lower level of appreciation felt in the relationship.  This may explain why more couples are sleeping separately (25% and rising).  Poor or insufficient sleep leads to crankiness and less ability to adapt to changes.  So it's no wonder that we are less appreciative when we have slept poorly.

3.  Modest sleep improvement appears to increase tolerance for pain.  Researchers at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Sleep Disorders Center extended the sleep of half the participants (ages 21-35) to 10 hours a night and then tested both groups for pain tolerance (how long it took them to remove hands from a heat source).  The extended sleep group had a 25% increase in pain tolerance, the equivalent of taking a pain killer.  Findings are found in the December 2012 issue of Sleep.  Although this small study cannot conclude that increased sleep causes higher pain tolerance, it does suggest that those 
expecting to have surgery or suffering from chronic pain would benefit from increased sleep.


So what can we conclude?

1.  Arrange your schedule so that you can get 7-10 hours of sleep each night.
2.  If you, your partner, boss, or best friend is experiencing sleep problems, get or encourage them to get some help improving their sleep habits.
3.  Exercise everyday, even on busy days.
4.  If you're experiencing chronic pain, consider other causes of pain beyond the initial diagnosis such as sleeping more.

Need help with sleeping better.  See the last blog post (from May 8, 2013, below). 

Tips for Getting Better Sleep

Here's some tips to sleep better tonight:

1.     Have a bedtime ritual:

a.  Self-care:  teeth, bath, hair, etc.

b.  Relaxation:  warm bath, quiet music, gratitude list, tea,…

2.    Go to bed and get up at the same time every night/morning.

3.    Make a comfortable sleep area:

a.  Mattress less than 10 years old

b.  Consider darkening shades to prevent light

c.  Consider earplugs or white noise machines

d.  Pillows to support lower back and neck

What encourages sleep

1.    Daily exercise (esp. aerobic).

2.    Making relaxation a habit (e.g. meditation, neuromuscular relaxation, yoga, mindfulness, spiritual practices, etc.)

3.    Healthy encouraging relationships.

4.    Processing (vs. ignoring) stress (therapy, talk to friend, worry list, setting smaller goals, decreasing expectations, etc.).

5.    Some foods:  warm milk,* bananas, almonds, cherries (only natural source of melatonin), oatmeal,* small portion of protein (cheese, cottage cheese, meat, hard boiled egg), and some herbal teas.*   (*Remember to avoid high sugar additives.)

Things to Avoid:

1.     Exercise and heavy eating right before bed (esp. high fat meals).

2.     Naps more than 20 minutes in the afternoon.

3.     Looking at electronic screens before bed.

4.     Stress and arguments, especially before bed.

5.     Alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and nicotine within 3-5 hours of bedtime.

6.     Using bed for other things (reading, chatting, working, TV, …)

7.     Suspenseful books, shows, etc. that are hard to stop.

8.     Turning the light on when you get up for the bathroom, kids,…

9.     Staying in bed and worrying that you aren’t sleeping.

10. Distractions (e.g. pets, kids, snoring, neighborhood noise…).

Be Calm

CALM

Collect the good

Accept everything

Live fully

Meet your own needs

Collect the good:  When we’re stressed we tend to think about all the bad or hard things that have happened.  Today, instead collect the good that happens.  Be grateful that you have access to indoor plumbing, that there’s some food in your house, that the sun shows through the clouds, that someone smiled, or that your bed feels good.  And make gratitude a habit daily, perhaps remembering to say five things you’re thankful for before getting out of bed, naming what you’re thankful for before or meal or the end of your day, or starting a gratitude list.

Accept everything:  Part of our stress is related to resisting things that happened that we didn’t want to happen.  Although it’s ok to be angered by or dislike how things turned out, fighting against what has already happened (that you can no longer change) only increases your stress.  So accept what happened yesterday, last year, etc.  Accepting does not mean that you approve or like what happened.  Instead you are letting go of the resistance or willfulness that causes tension and stress as you think about the past.  Letting go of the things you can’t change can help you to enjoy life and have hope for your future.

Live Fully:  Take time each day to let go of worries about the future and enjoy what is happening in the present.  For example, observe your breath; run and only feel the sensations; loose yourself in some music; or see and enjoy a beautiful sunset or flower.  Let yourself get lost in what your are doing or feeling and what is around you.   There’s enough trouble in the moment without adding the trouble of past (and future) days or years.  Although you won’t always be able to let go of the past and future, spend some (lots of?) time every day enjoying the now.  If you’re truly living fully, you’ll notice that you loose track of time in these moments and experience joy in simple things.  In sports fully participating is called being “in the zone.” 

Meet your own needs:  Some stress comes from focusing so much on others needs that we neglect our own needs.  People experiencing stress sometimes even forget to eat, sleep, or do things for fun.  No one else but you knows what you need.  So start by taking three deep breaths and naming what you feel and need right now.  Rate your fatigue, hunger, tension, etc. Then choose a time today to take care of one of these needs.  Taking care of yourself is not selfish.  Instead taking care of your needs frees you up to care for others.

Better

"Do the best you can until you know better.  Then when you know better, do better."  Mia Angelou

What an accepting attitude.  We know what we know, and we do what we can do, and we learn what we can learn.  Being more accepting of yourselves day by day and minute by minute takes some of the stress out of life.  Being accepting of pleasant and unpleasant feelings can help us to learn from them.  Being accepting of pleasant and difficult people (or situations) can help us grow.

Try this exercise to be more accepting:

Take several deep breaths and notice the motion of the breath.  Accept however you are breathing and feeling even if it's different from the way your breath was last time you practiced observing.  Just breathe, notice, and accept.

Then notice any thoughts that enter your mind.  Instead of evaluating them, just notice what you're thinking.  Then let the thoughts exit your attention.  Notice any other thoughts.  Accept.  Wait.

Notice any feelings.  What sensations do the feelings cause?  Accept the feeling even if it's unpleasant.

If you notice yourself getting judgmental or distracted, just notice that and accept it.  Breathe.  Accept.  Breathe.

Fulfillment

"People take different roads seeking happiness and fulfillment.  Just because they are not on your road does not mean they are lost."  Dalai Lama

Most of us want to be happy and fulfilled.  We also wish that our loved ones, friends,  and colleagues were happy and fulfilled.   It's important to keep in mind that what makes us happy doesn't necessarily make others happy or fulfilled.  So, it's not our job to tell others how to find happiness.  Sometimes when we do, it causes stress for us and for them.  We are not responsible when others don't feel fulfilled. Although we can take care of them, we can't make anyone else happy.   Letting go of the belief that we can make others happy doesn't mean that we don't care about them.  We are just recognizing everyone's uniqueness, independence, and personal ability to affect their own happiness.  We're recognizing that we can't change others, only ourselves.

Try this exercise (called compassion meditation) to focus on your happiness and to offer love to those you care for:

Sit quietly and comfortably and take a couple deep breaths.  Focus on the present moment and let go of any distractions.  Repeat these words to yourself:  May I be happy.  May I be peaceful.  May I be safe.  May I be loved.  Continue breathing and saying these phrases several times.

Then think of someone you love (perhaps someone you don't believe is feeling happy or fulfilled).  As you think of them, say these words:  May you be happy.  May you be peaceful.  May you be safe.  May you be loved.  Say these words several times as you think of them.  If you like, you can switch to another person and say the words as you think about them.  Feel free to change the wording to be more appropriate to each friend.

Finally, say the phrases again about yourself:  May I be safe.  May I be happy.  May I be peaceful.  May I be loved.

Go out and enjoy your day.  You are loved.

Does Vulnerable = Weakness?

When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown up we would no longer be longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability. To be alive is to be vulnerable. M. L'Engle

According to Mirriam-Webster weakness is defined as "unable to withstand attacking or wounding."  Vulnerablity is defined as "capable of being wounded" and "open to attack or damage."  Dr. Brene' Brown, Ph.D, LMSW defines vulnerability at uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure.  Vulnerability is not synonymous with weakness.  In fact, being vulnerable takes courage and when we see someone with that kind of courage we are impressed.

For example, by choosing to love someone you make yourself vulnerable.  Because you have chosen to love them you are taking a big risk.  They could choose to return your love or not.  They could die or betray us.  Loving someone leaves us exposed.  But does it make us weak?  No! On the contrary, loving someone (and thereby being vulnerable) makes us stronger.  Imagine life without love.  It takes courage to be vulnerable and to love.  And by having that courage, we are able to accept and experience love, connection, acceptance....

B. Brown (who researches shame, vulnerability, and wholeheartedness) claims that vulnerability is the birth place of love, belonging, acceptability, hope, joy, accountability, intimacy, creativity, innovation, gratitude, and curiosity.  Consider the following story she tells:

The managing director of a large German business realized his leadership style was preventing his managers from taking initiative.  Instead of working in private to make a change, he spoke at the company's annual meeting about his own failings.  As he was explaining his personal and organization roles, he admitted he didn't have all the answers and asked his team for help leading the company.  Researchers that followed the transformation that followed the annual meeting said the the company's effectiveness surged, his team flourished, there was an increase in initiative and innovation, and his organization went on to out preform larger competitors.

We are afraid of vulnerabity and sometimes hide behind our fears.  Having the courage to share our vulnerabities with the right person may be the step we need to take to make our lives better.  Choosing to be vulnerable in human relationships usually leads to increased closeness.  Certainly there is the risk of being hurt (which is why choosing the right person to share with is so important).  But choosing not to be vulnerable is perhaps a greater risk still.  It is the risk to live without love, acceptance, creativity, innovation.....

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the areana, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and agian, becasue there is not effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the least knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly...:  Theodore Roosevelt

For more information on the B. Brown's research look up "The Power of Vulnerabity" on TED talks or read her book Daring Greatly.