#35 - Top 5 Ways to Treat Your Amazing Brain Well

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Welcome to Mind and Faith Matters, where we explore

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faith, mental health, and all the in -between.

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I'm Dr. Cory Potter, and today I want to start

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with a verse that has guided me in my thinking

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about mental health and self -care over the years.

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In 3 John, chapter 1 verse 2, John writes, My

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prayer is the same for you. I truly want each

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of you listening every week to experience good

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health in your body, your mind, and your spirit.

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Caring for our mental and emotional well -being

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is part of that. And when we understand how God

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designed our brains, it can give us a clearer

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path for healthy living. Things like how we fuel,

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rest, challenge and connect our minds plays a

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huge role in how we think, feel and live each

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day. The brain is truly remarkable and the more

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we learn about it the better we can care for

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it. While I was making the studio look a little

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bit more impressive this week with this glowing

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3D brain light behind me, it made me wonder what

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it would look like. if we cared for our actual

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brains with the same level of attention as I

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do snazzying up my studio. So today we're going

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to explore some of the most amazing facts about

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the brain and simple practices that help us to

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make it thrive. For example, the brain can store

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as much information as 20 ,000 iPhones. Information

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in the brain can travel at speeds up to 268 miles

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per hour. Now I've been to NASCAR and they don't

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go that fast so we all are fast thinkers when

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we think about how fast information is flowing

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throughout our brains. The brain contains approximately

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86 billion neurons and up to 100 trillion connections

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called synapses. And inside your brain is a protein

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called BDNF or Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor.

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I'm going to speak about that a lot today. Think

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of it as the fertilizer for your brain. It helps

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nerve cells grow, connect, and stay healthy.

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BDNF plays a big role in learning, memory, mood,

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and overall brain flexibility. Here's how it

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goes. of BDNF make the brain more adaptable and

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resilient while lower levels make thinking, focus,

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and emotional balance more difficult. The good

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news is that everyday habits can boost BDNF,

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which we'll cover today. The first thing to know

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about your brain is that it is very energy hungry.

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Even though it's only about 2 % of your body

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weight, Which is about three pounds it uses around

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20 % of your body's caloric needs each day That's

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400 to 500 calories That your brain burns each

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day even while you sleep your brain is busy managing

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emotions storing memories and keeping your automatic

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Functions going like breathing and your heartbeat

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running Proper energy or intake of food, supports

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BDNF activity, which strengthens neural connections

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and learning. Without steady fuel, mental fatigue,

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poor focus, and irritability creep in. I'm not

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talking about diabetics that get low blood sugar

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and get cranky here. We all get hangry sometimes,

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and that has exactly the same mechanism. brain

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is running low on fuel. So why am I bringing

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this up? Because we need to do something about

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it and here are the ways to keep your brain energized

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properly. Eat complex carbohydrates like whole

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grains, fruits, vegetables, and foods like peas

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and legumes and beans. Technically peas and beans

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are legumes but whatever. But we want the steady

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glucose feeding our brain. I tend to go for quick

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Refined sugars like donuts instead of complex

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carbs but your brain will take what it can get

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it just prefers a steady stream of glucose and

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not spikes and dips Next I want you to think

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of the omega -3s that you can get these are fats

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that you can get from fish and walnuts and flax

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and other seeds to support our neurons. You need

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to get enough protein to build neurotransmitters.

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And you need to stay hydrated, which keeps the

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blood flowing and oxygen flowing to the brain.

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So it's not just one thing or one type of superfood.

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Naturally, when I try to eat healthier I go with

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things that are less refined, less processed,

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and come out of the ground. Think that way. God

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knew what he was doing when he gave us the food

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that he did. The next thing I want you to know

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about your brain is that it can change. The brain

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can rewire itself through neuroplasticity. And

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while the brain is fully mature around the age

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of 25, This neuroplasticity means it can build

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new pathways and it can strengthen the ones that

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you practice the most and weaken the ones that

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you stop using throughout your life. BDNF helps

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these connections that you need, these new connections

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to form. This matters because you're not stuck

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where you're at. If your mind feels scattered,

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heavy or stressed, Your brain can grow new patterns

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that support peace and focus. Change and healing

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are possible. Ways to strengthen neuroplasticity?

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Learn something new. Since my podcast is about

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the Bible, learn the Bible new. Memorize scripture.

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Learn a new translation of the Bible. But practice

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regular learning. And you know those ads that

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you get on your phone sometimes? Your smartphone

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has apps that say, is your brain that of a 28

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year old or an 82 year old? You need to do this

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problem solving puzzle. And I'm telling you,

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research shows that doing puzzles and problem

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solving activities help to strengthen our brain.

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The other thing that life experience shows me

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and psychologists tell me is that seeking new

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experiences that spark curiosity and creativity

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can help your brain. It's amazing. Next I want

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you to know that sleep is the brain's great reset

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secret. During sleep the brain clears waste through

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a system called the glymphatic system. Sleep

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is also when your brain consolidates memories,

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restores connections, and resets emotional circuits.

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Deep sleep strengthens memory. REM or rapid eye

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movement sleep fuels creativity. But sleep does

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boost your BDNF. If you think about it, most

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adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each

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night and a consistent schedule. matters going

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to bed and waking up at predictable time it keeps

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your internal clock aligned basically it balances

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your hormones and it stabilizes your emotions

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but irregular sleep patterns make it harder for

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that brain to enter into deep sleep or rem sleep

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which affects your memory mood and mental clarity

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and it's really during that rem sleep that brain

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itself the maintenance crew in there kicks in.

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So here are my tips for getting better sleep

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and treating your brain well. Keep a regular

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schedule as much as possible and the research

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is right. Reducing screen times before bed helps.

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Experts also say you want to create a dark and

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quiet environment and some say cool environment

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or at least where you're not overly heated. The

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other thing that might be different for every

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person but developing calming routines like reading

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before bed, stretching, or mindfulness can really

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help. And mindfulness is this idea where you

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are becoming aware without judgment of your thoughts,

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your feelings, and your bodily sensations. You're

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just tuning into how your body's feeling. You're

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mindful of what you're thinking and the emotions

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you're experiencing. You're not judging them.

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You're just mindful of it. And that helps us

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to slow down and eventually relax and get into

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better sleep. The fourth amazing thing I want

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you to know is that your emotions are connected

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to your body. Think about it. A racing heart

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signals anxiety. A heavy chest signals sadness.

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Your brain and body constantly send signals back

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and forth. Emotional regulation helps you to

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slow down, think more clearly and respond in

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healthier ways. It grows stronger with practice.

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BDNF supports the brain's region or regions actually

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that manage emotions. So habits that increase

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BDNF also strengthen your resilience. Number

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four, we need to stay physically active. Now

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it might not mean lifting weights all the time,

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but walking or any variation of that, moving,

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stretching, doing small workouts, movement, steadies

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your emotions because it boosts BDNF and other

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neurotransmitters. And the last thing I want

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to talk about today is that our brain is wired

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for connection. Humans need relationships. Being

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alone for long periods activates stress systems

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much like physical pain. positive social interaction

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can boost neurotransmitters like oxytocin, dopamine,

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and serotonin, which support mood motivation

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and resilience. And it also, like I say, raises

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BDNF. I'm not dogging your digital connections

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or your long -distance relationships. Digital

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connection helps us to stay in touch with people.

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but face -to -face interaction has the strongest

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effect on brain chemicals that support well -being.

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So here are some, to me obvious, but to some

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they might not be obvious ways to treat your

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brain well and nurture connections. And the key

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word here is invest. You want to invest in meaningful

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relationships with friends, family, and community.

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I realize that not all my listeners are extroverts.

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Many are introverts. But there are other ways

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to have connection. You can join shared activities

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without being the center of it or group interests

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without being the keynote speaker. You can practice

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empathy with other people and active listening.

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But as always, I'm going to warn you, you want

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to seek support when you need support and challenges

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arise in your life. Be socially connected. It

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helps your brain. So in closing today, our brains

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are remarkable gifts that shape how we experience

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life. Caring for them supports mental, emotional,

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and spiritual well -being. Focusing on the energy

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we feed the brain, learning, sleep, emotions,

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and connections helps your brain function at

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its best. I want to thank you for listening to

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Mind and Faith Matters. My hope is that this

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episode encourages you to share with others and

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care for your own brain every day. I want you

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to nourish your mind. I want you to rest well.

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I want you to move your body. I want you to connect

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with others. And I really want you to keep learning

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throughout your life. God cares about your whole

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well -being. taking care of your brain helps

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you to live with clarity, peace and purpose.

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Until next time, take care of your brain and

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nurture your faith.